Orbit and Empire
I have often returned to a concept that has shaped Anglo-American strategic thinking since the nineteenth century: the rivalry between sea powers and land powers. A sea power seeks what…
Industry Before Purity
Whenever I read about the military-industrial complex or the power of the arms lobby, I find myself uneasy. With investment funds or political NGOs, the judgment often feels simple: whatever…
Question of Political Will
The new rector of Prague’s technical university, Michal Pěchounek, recently said in an interview with Forbes: “I want to know that it’s safe when my child is on a social…
Jazz and the Soviet Youth
Individual battlefield events—or even entire regional wars—should not obscure the larger, long-term global trends. China first achieved overwhelming dominance in industrial capacity. Then it began closing the technological gap and,…
Rethinking Gerontocracy
Lately I keep seeing comments about gerontocracy—the claim that the current crisis is the result of the world being governed by old men. Perhaps this is a good moment to…
A World of the Needlessly Frustrated
It was only during the recent debates over the American strike on Iran that I was struck by how much intellectual damage is done by the constant invocation of “international…