Twin terrors
Laurence Rees tries his best to cut through much of the mythology that infuses our collective memory of Hitler and Stalin
Politics, Ideas and the Arts
Quality not quantity
Those who call Kubrick the greatest director in the history of cinema really do have a point
The great communicator
Barack Obama was a political superstar who overcame astronomical odds, but he was also the product of a ruthlessly professional operation
Can we reverse the “long march”?
‘After a long time people are finally beginning to wake up to “the long march through the institutions”—the idea that left-wing “progressives” have to infiltrate public bodies in order to push through
The Great Trump War: Round Two
‘Despite unprecedented harassments, President Trump has had the most successful first term in US history except for Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Richard Nixon’
Black and Asian Britons should not be treated as a bloc
‘People do not vote as a bloc, and ethnic or racial groups—and often individuals within these groups—contain a multitude of political opinions’
A pandemic diary
'My concentration seems to be shot this year for anything except work. I have entirely failed to learn a new language, finish a novel, or watch anything more demanding than repeats of
Defence against the dark arts
“There’s something enticing about a belief that great men are in command of history. It is easier, perhaps, to deal with that than to deal with the more alarming possibility that the
Emulate Australia? It’s not that easy
Many countries want to imitate Australia’s success. But its values and governance are eccentric—and may not travel
An autumn note
“For many, the end of this uneasy year cannot come quickly enough”
An ordinary killing
Ian Cobain’s book uses the killing of Millar McAllister to paint a meticulous portrait of the Troubles
Greater—not wiser
John Mullan elucidates the genius of Charles Dickens