Columns

Xi and Trump facing off

International

China tries shock-and-awe on Donald Trump

Xi Jinping bets that dramatic escalation is the way to win a trade war

5 min read

Illustration of various AI and chip companies standing on the central hexagon of the OpenAI logo shaped hole, looking into its depths

Business

What if OpenAI went belly-up?

To gauge the centrality of the AI superstar, we conduct a thought experiment

5 min read

Illustration of a businessman with a military helmet looking through binoculars in a desolate bomb marked landscape

Business

A short guide to white-collar warfare

How office rows escalate

4 min read

illustration of a modern castle-like building with the EU flag on a hill under a full moon, bats flying, and a carriage passing through a graveyard below

Europe

“Brussels” is the phantom menace Europe loves to blame

Why bashing the EU is likely to become ever more popular

5 min read

A person holding their phone in one hand and a coffee in the other with his suit pocket stuffed with share certificates

Finance & economics

The stockmarket is fuelling America’s economy

What happens in the event of a slump?

5 min read

Illustration of a man taking an axe to the rungs of a ladder that leads up into the sky

Asia

What rich Indians fear

And what should really scare them

4 min read

illustration of a hand reaching toward a dotted outline of a money bag with a dollar sign inside, set against a green background

Finance & economics

The most dangerous corner of a balance-sheet

Forget debt. Here is something to villainise

4 min read

Barrister with houses of parlement puppet

Britain

Meet the real opposition

From ambulance chaser to ministerial Range Rover chaser

5 min read

The illustration shows a castle gate with a wooden sign that reads “Gone Peacekeeping.” Beyond the gate, there are green hills and cows grazing peacefully under a bright blue sky

International

Europe struggles to put homeland defence first

Years of expeditionary operations leave it vulnerable if America abandons the continent

5 min read

The illustration shows a person standing in front of a large digital map, using a tablet and touching the screen to interact with it. The map displays buildings, streets, and colored markers.

China

Chinese officials boast a god’s-eye view of towns from above 

Digital surveillance grids are meant to help solve local problems quickly. But they also track potential troublemakers

5 min read

Culture

“One Battle After Another” wins the war

Paul Thomas Anderson gives a masterclass in making a political film

4 min read

Illustration of a business man and woman stood in green water up to their knees with ripples coming out between them in the shape of a messenger speech bubble

Business

How bosses unwittingly exert power

Messages can be received, even if none have actually been sent

4 min read