World
Russia has been preparing for war with the US for decades
The lights were blinking off. As raucous pro- and anti-Trump crowds flooded into Washington for the presidential inauguration in January…
Is Russia becoming a dictatorship?
Is Russia heading for dictatorship? Some would think it is already there, but even today there are still some remnants…
The reality of being ‘under siege’ in Kyiv
Kyiv, Ukraine I’ve never commuted into a warzone by train before, but I can now recommend it. The express train…
Putin’s dream of annexing Ukraine is over
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its third week, it is becoming abundantly clear that the Kremlin’s maximalist geopolitical…
The prospect of an independent Scotland is fading away
Whisper it, but the dream of a separate Scotland could be fading for Scottish nationalists. A new poll shows that…
Can Boris get the Saudis to pump more oil?
The oil price is up by more than 40 per cent since the start of the year. It is being…
The problem with the UK’s transgender clinic
This is not a good time to be a girl. Research from Steer Education last month showed that far too…
Why are British soldiers deserting to fight in Ukraine?
When my brother was an infantry officer in the early 1990s the soldiers under his command were hard men. Most…
Boris Johnson rejects Europe’s open approach to Ukrainian refugees
One of the most extraordinary (and moving) videos to have emerged since the invasion of Ukraine shows scenes at Berlin…
Don’t make war in Ukraine about Putin’s mental health
There was a time when supposedly serious commentators on world affairs used to at least feign historical knowledge. They might…
Covid is rising again. Should we worry?
For some time now, Covid has been rising in Scotland – there are now more Scots in hospital with Covid…
Rishi Sunak’s energy bill dilemma
This morning’s revelation that the UK economy grew 0.8 per cent in January, the fastest growth since April last year, is…
Why is the EU attacking Poland and Hungary in a crisis?
With Russian bombs harassing Kiev and Kharkiv, the two unsung heroes of Europe have been Poland and Hungary. With very…
Putin’s neo-communism is doomed to fail
It is responsible for inequality. For financial instability. And probably for poverty, racism and global warming as well. We have…
The double standards of Facebook’s ‘death to Russians’ policy
So, Facebook and Instagram users are now allowed to call for people to be killed. But only if the people…
Life as an Englishman in Putin’s Russia gets harder by the day
One of the most difficult things about being in Russia at the moment is seeing people with whom you never…
Did the end of the Cold War make conflict in Ukraine inevitable?
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows, once again, that seismic shifts in the international order are inexorably followed by war. The adjustment…
Chernobyl Two?
The electricity supply to the ruined nuclear plant at Chernobyl in Ukraine has been cut off. According to one knowledgeable…
War in Ukraine is tearing the world of ballet apart
Throughout the Cold War, ballet was the gilded bridge that connected the USSR to the West. World leaders visiting Moscow…
Kamala invades Poland
You can tell that the Biden administration is getting serious. They have unleashed their ultimate weapon, cackle diplomacy. The warhead is…
Dostovesky and Putin’s useful idiots
When I was 17 I heard the name Dostovesky, and was enthralled. Just the name felt so glamorously intellectual, so…
What’s behind Russia’s new Z symbol?
National symbols are usually proudly emblazoned for all to see. That’s the point of them. One, though, seems rather to have…
Sanctioning Roman Abramovich will change football forever
With refugees fleeing Ukraine, shells raining down on civilians, and threats of chemical weapons being used on the battlefields of…
Abramovich sanctioned for ‘destabilising Ukraine’
Following criticism in recent weeks that the UK government has lagged behind both the US and the EU when it…
Can Chris Licht turn CNN into a serious news operation?
CNN’s new president Chris Licht, who replaced Jeff Zucker, is reportedly shifting the network’s direction away from partisan sniping at…
