Book review: Places of Mind
A new biography of Edward Said illuminates the late thinker's enduring relevance, nearly two decades on from his death.
Politics & Conflict
Afghan refugees in Europe: what “moral duty”?
When it comes to Afghanistan, the UK and EU have long favoured realpolitik over humanitarian values.
Why is an anti-homophobia bill being fought by the Vatican?
A bill that would punish violence against LGBT people has kicked up a storm between the Italian state and the Catholic Church. We should be questioning why the Vatican holds…
Book review: Worldmaking After Empire
Adom Getatchew looks back at the African and Caribbean anticolonialists whose ambitions didn't stop at the nation-state.
The rise of the truth industry
Hundreds of fact-checking organisations have mushroomed over the last decade. Can they succeed in holding back the tide of disinformation?
Lessons from Britain’s first atheist MP
With our tradition of liberty under threat, modern Britain has much to learn from the legacy of Charles Bradlaugh, the "bellowing blasphemer".
“The tentacles of the law reach deep into Hong Kong society”
Does the protest movement stand a chance versus the Chinese state? We talk to Stephen Vines, author of "Defying the Dragon", about Hong Kong's fight against the world's largest dictatorship.
Paranoid states
Like viruses, conspiracy theories travel around the globe. But are they always unhealthy?
‘‘We can stop politics from creating new forms of tyranny’’
Q&A with economist, author and former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis.
Working with the enemy
While the culture wars continue to grab headlines on both sides of the Atlantic, intriguing cross-political alliances offer some hope.