May 4Democracy is not guaranteed — it is a rare and fragile thingWe cannot take democracy for granted; those of us living in democracies are enjoying a rare moment of freedom in human history. We take democracy for granted. Very few of us living in democracies are old enough to have fought for it. We are the inheritors of our grandparents’ victories…Politics6 min read
Apr 21What if Russia doesn’t lose…The West — politicians, pundits, and media — are mainly talking about Russia’s war on Ukraine in zero-sum terms. Either Russia will win, or Ukraine will win. If Russia loses the war it will be driven out of Ukraine. But we need to start thinking about what happens if Russia…Ukraine5 min read
Apr 11How Putin has rebranded UkraineThe colours blue and yellow will never be the same again. Today I innocently posted a photo of some daffodils against a blue sky, thinking my social feed could do with a break from war posts. It immediately got liked by someone who viewed it as a pro-Ukraine gesture. Vladimir…Ukraine3 min read
Apr 4Why Putin is lying to everyone and everyone is lying to Putin — what we can learn from the…Why Putin is lying to everyone and everyone is lying to Putin — what we can learn from the Mitrokhin Archive It looks clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine based on very poor intelligence about the situation in Ukraine, and equally poor reports about the quality of his…Ukraine7 min read
Mar 6What to read from the last week about Russia’s war in UkraineHere is what I read over the last week, and some of the better memes I saw. It is surprising how fast we adapt. I have written about this a lot, woven into other narratives. Just like Covid became normal, it feels hard to remember back to a time before…Russia11 min read
Mar 6Putin has destroyed Russia for future generationToday my friend in Kyiv, a mother who had just been separated from her children as they were evacuated out of the city, wrote on Twitter, ‘second time in 3 months I had to hand over my baby girl, not knowing if I will ever see her again. This is…Russia8 min read
Mar 3We need to start talking about Russia after PutinIt looks likely that Putin’s massive miscalculation over Ukraine will begin the end of his rule over Russia. All dictators end this way. He lives a paranoid, isolated life surrounded only by a very small band of sycophants. …Russia3 min read
Published in Lessons from History·Mar 1The Second Russian Revolution and the fall of Putin — a short storyIt’s March 19th 2023. Former Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, has arrived in the Hague. As seems to be inevitable with International Criminal Court, his trial is set to last years. In Russia, Alexei Navalny’s new government has begun what they are calling the ‘cleanup’ — trying to wrest back the…Putin7 min read
Feb 26What to read to understand Russia’s war on UkraineI will be developing a series of pieces where I share some of what I’ve read over the last weeks that help explain what’s going on around us. Follow me here or on Substack to get these sent to your inbox. In any major crisis, every media organisation out there…Russia7 min read
Feb 25Why Ukraine MattersTwo memes have been doing the rounds that seek to explain why Ukraine matters. One is a map showing how Ukraine borders Poland and Romania, and listing how Ukraine ranks in the world for its reserves and exports of various commodities. (see below this article for the full text) In…Ukraine7 min read
