World Cup 2018: A tournament of makeweights
Will it be Argentina, France, Germany, or someone wholly unexpected? There are no favourites for this World Cup, but I wouldn’t bank on an upset.
Category: Long Read
Clash of civilisations: Iran vs. the West
Iran – or Persia – has frequently been portrayed as a civilisational foe. Yet classical Greek attempts to rationalise their enemy go beyond our own shallow interpretation.
Olympic diplomacy from Sparta to Korea
The Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang have been a useful exercise in relationship building for the two Koreas. Though unpopular in some quarters, this diplomatic act has precedence in ancient history.
2017 in retrospect: Donald’s year
In retrospect, 2017 hasn’t produced a lot of good news, from Trump to the sexual harassment revalations. But don’t despair: there are signs the tide is beginning to turn.
Move the capital to Manchester, and other radical ideas
The serious economic and geographic inequality in the United Kingdom requires innovative solutions. Can we solve our problems with big, radical ideas like moving the capital to Manchester?
Heritage of hate: How the Confederacy created Charlottesville
American white supremacists take their cues from a far older influence than the Nazis: the Confederate States of America, a nation dedicated to upholding and extending slavery.
Periphery: The myth of British exceptionalism
One of our greatest failures is our inability to confront our imperial past. Celebrated by our media, it has left us with an inflated sense of exceptionalism that has estranged us from our closest neighbours.
