All Posts

This cheerful little analysis explores how Europe’s recent budget-slashing spree is playing out, cutting aid, climate finance, health, and all those other inconvenient things that don’t explode or vote. The immediate fallout (spoiler: it’s not great), the long-term consequences (even less great), and how all these “fiscally responsible” choices might cost several times more down the road. Think of it as a guide to burning down your house to save on heating. Only the house is a continent, and the smoke alarms are also being cut. ...

Why did Israel really attack Iran? Analysis with wit and additional perspectives by PR included. Israel’s recent strikes on Iran mark a dramatic escalation in a decades-long shadow war that has finally emerged from the shadows, rather like a pensioner suddenly taking up parkour. The reasons behind this attack weave together existential threats, geopolitical manoeuvring, domestic politics, and enough ideological hostility to make a North London dinner party look tame. Below, the key drivers, from nuclear paranoia to Netanyahu’s increasingly creative approaches to job retention, with a deeper look at Iran’s creaking regime, a misfiring axis of resistance, and the global political theatre fuelling it all. ...

In De onvoltooide rechtsstaat (The Unfinished Rule of Law), published on 4 June 2025 to mark his retirement from the Dutch Supreme Court, Ybo Buruma offers a sweeping yet pointed dissection of the Netherlands’ legal journey, and its current disintegration. Part historical reflection, part polemic, the book contends that the Dutch rule of law, once a source of pride, is now under threat from populism, political short-termism, and the perilous belief that majority rule is justice enough. ...

The idea that land is a “God-given” right has been the ultimate trump card for rulers, conquerors, and elites for centuries. Whether through feudal oaths, biblical covenants, or nationalist manifestos, the claim of divine or hereditary entitlement has shaped empires, sparked wars, and left millions dispossessed. This article traces how these narratives evolved, from medieval Europe’s fiefs to the Zionist Promised Land, from the Doctrine of Discovery to modern ethnonationalism, and asks: who really benefits from heavenly real estate deals? ...

Humanity has always stared into the void and asked, “Why are we here?”, usually followed by, “And who’s responsible for all this?” Whether whispered to trees, inscribed in sacred texts, or processed through quantum servers, the search for meaning has been relentless, imaginative, and often contradictory. What follows is a sweeping tour through the shifting landscapes of belief, from stone age spirits to silicon soulcraft. Along the way, we explore not only what people believed, but how those beliefs evolved, adapted, and occasionally exploded in dramatic fashion. ...

The idea that creatures, humans included, are governed by hardwired instincts is a comforting one. It suggests order, predictability, and perhaps even an excuse for that inexplicable urge to hoard snacks. But biology, as usual, refuses to play along neatly. Instead, we find that so-called “instincts” are often more like rough drafts, heavily edited by experience, environment, and even the ghostly hand of epigenetics. The myth of the unshakable instinct ...

Welcome to Fungolia, a fictional European nation best known for producing bureaucrats with severe stationery addictions, national holidays dedicated to committee meetings, and the invention of the “Mutually Suspicious Cooperation Accord” (which mostly involved not poisoning each other’s water supply). In Fungolia, difference isn’t just tolerated, it’s enshrined in law, embossed in gold, and swiftly ignored in practice. This article is about unity. Not the fluffy kind that fits neatly on a banner at a protest you forget to attend, but the kind you earn by wading through the muck of genuine difference. In a Europe increasingly divided by wealth, history, ideology, and the collective trauma of having to agree on cheese standards, the idea of unity can feel more like a punchline than a plan. ...

Meet the key players Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, now in his sixth term, is a master of political survival. His current tenure is propped up by far-right allies, a necessity given his ongoing corruption trials (fraud, bribery, and breach of trust). His primary objectives are maintaining power, weakening the judiciary to shield himself from legal accountability, and balancing the demands of his extremist coalition partners while attempting to project an image of statesmanship to the outside world. ...

Note: All personal names have been anonymised unless the individual has a verifiable public presence and wishes to be visible. I choose to run risks; I will not make that choice for others. He was 21 and already battling high blood pressure. His doctors confirmed it. His exemption papers were in order. But that didn’t stop them from coming for him. One morning in spring 2025, he opened his door to find officers holding a digital summons. No discussion. No delay. He was on a bus to a training facility by nightfall. Within a week, he was at the Ukrainian border, terrified, untrained, and furious. ...

In September 2023, the Israeli Ministry of Defence released a promotional video for its Iron Sting precision mortar system. The footage, taken from a drone, shows a building in Gaza being obliterated. It isn’t merely a military demonstration; it’s a sales pitch. The message? Our weapons work. And they work because we’ve used them, on real people, in real places, with very real consequences. At arms fairs like DSEI in London, the phrase “combat-proven” is more than sales patter; it’s a mark of credibility. The battlefield doubles as showroom. And the uncomfortable question is this: Is it morally, legally, or politically justifiable to turn war zones into testing grounds for profit? ...