The New Eurasian Century The current crises in eastern Europe reflect more than just Kremlin mischief-makingâthey reflect the first fruits of an emerging world order that spans the vastness from Beijing to Berlin. Unlike the longstanding liberal status quo, with its roots in classical civilization and the Enlightenment, this emerging alternative draws upon Joel Kotkin 15 Feb 2022 · 9 min read
Ukraine in the Balance As I write this, Vladimir Putin has moved more than 100,000 troops to Russiaâs Ukrainian border, and has strongly implied that he will invade absent an ironclad guarantee that Ukraine will never be permitted to join NATO. Although the Biden administration has rejected that demand, a chorus of Brian Stewart 14 Feb 2022 · 10 min read
What Putin Really Wants On Russian President Vladimir Putinâs desk sits a bronze statue of Peter the Great, the tsar who spent his four decades in power waging war on neighbors to establish his country as a great power in Europe. Peter would have understood the nature of the current conflict in Eastern Christopher Miller 14 Feb 2022 · 8 min read
Didion in El Salvador While Joan Didion felt compelled to write about Latin American culture and politics because everyone else was doing it, she didnât understand them very well. Charlotte Allen 11 Feb 2022 · 17 min read
This Is About More Than Ukraine In the early days of World War Two, George Orwell published a marvelous essay entitled âEngland Your England.â With the Luftwaffe in the skies above London laying waste to the city, Orwell observed a peculiarly contemptible trait of the English intelligentsia. In a word, this portion of the national elite Brian Stewart 28 Jan 2022 · 6 min read
Drones Over Ethiopia The growing use of armed drones in Ethiopia and other backwater conflicts is linked to the recent war in Afghanistan. James Jeffrey 15 Jan 2022 · 11 min read
The Free-ish World A review of World in Danger: Germany and Europe in an Uncertain Time by Wolfgang Ischinger, Brookings, 280 pages (November, 2020) Every winter in Bavaria, the great and the good from Europe and the United States gather to take stock of the threats facing the world. The Munich Security Conference Brian Stewart 3 Jan 2022 · 8 min read
Taiwan, Ukraine, and Huntingtonâs Clash of Civilisations Revisited Putin believes that the current crisis puts principled opposition to authoritarian empire-building at odds with the imperatives of faith and history, as well as the pragmatic imperative of keeping Germans supplied with energy. John Lloyd 24 Dec 2021 · 9 min read
Ethiopiaâs Stunning Battlefield Reversal A year is a long time during warfare, and the Tigray conflict that began last November has now been flipped on its head. Not many observers saw the current scenario coming. The worldâs recurring tendency to forget Ethiopia, noted by the eminent 18th-century British historian Edward Gibbon, has reasserted James Jeffrey 6 Nov 2021 · 6 min read
Sandinista! The US Left and Nicaragua However, recent events in Nicaragua have caused stirrings of unease among many of Ortega's previously loyal US supporters, and in some cases, strident criticism. Ronald Radosh 27 Sep 2021 · 18 min read
Bitter Lessons from Afghanistan The decision to withdraw from Afghanistan returns those nations willing to fight evil to their couches, where they can sigh in safety. John Lloyd 22 Sep 2021 · 13 min read
Welcome to Cold War II Challenging China across the technological landscape requires a mammoth effort. Ari David Blaff 1 Sep 2021 · 7 min read
Effective vs. Pathological Altruism What if feeding the hungry creates more hungry people to feed? Jonathan Anomaly 26 Sep 2018 · 5 min read
Western Leaders Can No Longer Ignore Saudi Atrocities Western leaders who claim to be progressive, compassionate or 'feminist' are placed in awkward situations when the atrocities of their ally are broadcast on a weekly, almost daily basis. Claire Lehmann 4 Nov 2015 · 4 min read