Why China Stands by Russia on Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was meant to inaugurate a new world order – one in which the security architecture that was developed after the Second World War, cemented in international agreements like the Helsinki Accords and events like the collapse of the Soviet Union, was overthrown.

The Russian Way of War, from Syria to Ukraine

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has packed a great deal of destruction into mere weeks. Thousands of innocents have been killed. Civilian apartments and shopping centres have been destroyed by missile strikes. Hospitals and schools purposely bombed. Population centres like Mariupol have been subjected to siege tactics and heavy bombardment, with false humanitarian corridors established only to be repudiated by a hail of fire.

Madeleine Albright Epitomised the Liberal Era That Is Over

When Madeleine Albright, the former American secretary of state, sold a dietary supplement, she sold it with style.

Madeleine Albright Was an Idealist Overpowered by Cynics

People die at random, of course, but it seems poignant that Madeleine Albright has died at the very moment the liberal post-Soviet world has met its own, more violent, end. Her term as Bill Clinton’s secretary of state coincided with the moment America, the most powerful nation in the history of the world, sat, unknowingly, at its own apogee.

On White Space

My collection of essays, White Space, appeared in November. It collects work from more than half a decade, largely writings on books. Among descriptions of novels and anthologies of poetry that I thought were worth remarking upon, there is much contemporary politics. And in this radicalising age, there is much there too on extremism of all kinds.

Rich Russians Flock to the UAE as the Financial Iron Curtain Descends

In the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the unprecedented international sanctions targeting Russia’s economy, people and money have been fleeing Russia. Among them are some of the richest people in the world, Russia’s oligarchs, who are the target of both personalised sanctions and international attention.

Syrians Gear up to Fight in Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted global condemnation and an international response greater than almost everyone expected. Dozens of countries have cooperated to sanction Russia and its oligarchs. Companies have pulled out of Russia in remarkable numbers. Members of the Western Alliance have poured weapons and financial aid into Ukraine in meet the Russian invaders, while Ukraine has also created of an International Legion of foreigners willing to fight against Russia. By the second week of March, Ukraine claimed the number of foreign volunteers had reached 20,000.

The Invasion of Ukraine May Cause Food Shortages in the Middle East

Ukraine – its land fertile and rich – is the breadbasket of Europe, and it has been for hundreds of years.