Thursday 25 June 2026 In every war there are weapons, and there is information about weapons. Throughout most of modern history the latter has been the exclusive preserve of governments, intelligence agencies and defence contractors. The ability to catalogue an adversary’s military equipment, understand its vulnerabilities and analyse its performance in combat has traditionally required enormous institutional resources. The war in Ukraine has begun to change that reality. One

Thursday 25 June 2026 One of the most striking features of Russia’s wartime mobilisation system has been its reliance upon money. Since the autumn of 2022, the Kremlin has sought to avoid the political shock associated with compulsory mobilisation by constructing an elaborate market for military service. Contracts have been advertised across the country, signing bonuses have risen to extraordinary levels and regional governments have competed with one another to attract recru

Wednesday 24 June 2026 One of the most striking features of British economic policy in the first half of the 2020s was the persistence of fiscal caution in an era that appeared to demand strategic ambition. The government led by Keir Starmer inherited a country facing stagnant productivity, under-invested public services, deteriorating infrastructure and mounting geopolitical dangers. Nonetheless Britain possessed one of the most powerful monetary institutions in the world, t

Wednesday 24 June 2026 Ever since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 Ukraine has sought ways to increase the costs of occupation while avoiding direct military confrontation on the peninsula itself. In the early years after annexation, the principal instruments were economic and infrastructural. Ukraine restricted water supplies through the North Crimean Canal, limited commercial links and, amid considerable controversy, saw the interruption of electricity supplies from ma

Tuesday 23 June 2026 One of the more curious features of contemporary Western European society is the widening gap between reality and perception in matters of public safety. Across much of Western Europe, crime rates have fallen substantially over the past three decades. Yet public opinion surveys consistently reveal that large majorities of citizens believe crime is rising and that their societies are becoming less safe. This apparent contradiction has profound implications