This learning and cooperation should have started years ago, but is better late than never.
With no domestic institutions to restrain him, Trump has started a war which will hurt every one of us, all over the world.
With no domestic institutions to restrain him, this man has started a war which will hurt every one of us, shuddering out around the world in a great tide of pain.
The more you swallow, the more it makes sense
What we know, what we don't know, and where we might be going.
Beating everyone at arm wrestling one by one - through tariffs or military threats - does not make you the boss of them all.
He should be punished for that decision, not rewarded for it.
A Guest Post by Thom Reilly
They have created a system that values nuanced preferences rather than black-and-white winner-takes-all victory. It rewards politicians who reach out to the centre, rather than towards their base.
Small tweaks to the electoral system can fundamentally change the incentives and weaken people like Farage.
Have a read of this by Sian Norris, everyone:
Has Donald been reading the Prussian military theorist?*
China’s Xi Jinping is also benefiting.
The president is obviously out of his mind. So why don't investors seem to care?
There is no strategy to what the White House does. There is no calculation. There is no sense of logic or application. It is a fucking madhouse.
Charlie Gammell joined me again to discuss the latest in Iran
Changing your mind about the goals of war after you’ve started one is never a good idea
Say what you like about Netanyahu, but he's known what he wanted for years
Watch or listen to my discussion with Peter Robinson about today’s autocratic leaders and the implications for U.S. foreign policy.
They don't know what they want to achieve, why they're doing it or what the consequences might be. They are lost in the void.
The war in Iran is a new kind of conflict. It lacks any sense of meaning. It lacks any single articulable objective or even a motivating incident. It is taking place beyond the shores of reason.
My writing, interviews, and events from February 2026
Is an evil moron less dangerous than an evil genius?
A recording from Michael McFaul and Katie Couric's live video
The fall of tyrants must always be celebrated. The hard part is what comes next.
I'll be out early on Monday morning
A recording from Michael McFaul's live video
Join me for a discussion as we mark four years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine
It is a tool, not a replacement.
It is a tool, not a replacement.
Join me for a discussion as we mark four years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine
I wrote last May that there was an obvious disadvantage to being the first country to agree trade terms with the United States, particularly when the US is run by an unpredictable, unreliable and dishonest leader.
Perhaps Ukraine will finally be rewarded for its incredible resilience
And yet, in the face of unbelievable determination from Ukrainian warriors and civilians, Putin has not achieved a single one of his initial war aims.
Join me for a discussion as we mark four years of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine
These immigration proposals are obscene, but the government can be forced to think again.
These immigration proposals are obscene, but we can force the government to think again.
And, as we approach the four-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, have Putin’s war objectives changed?
Trip report from the 2026 Munich Security Conference
May his memory be a blessing.
Cabinet secretary appointment raises questions about whether the prime minister really has turned over a new leaf.
In the great clash between seriousness and the clown car, the clown car still seems to have all the momentum.
Trump has options to support democratic change in Iran. Why isn’t he using them?
Understanding the realities of Mandelson's pre-appointment checks
Where is the competent boring government we were promised?
Where is the competent boring government we were promised?
The Expiry of this Nuclear Arms Control Pact Is a Loss for the World, America, and Me
Iranians want a deal on democracy, not a deal on nuclear weapons. We should too.
Reviewing January’s projects and publications
But it’s on a lifeline, becoming less liberal, and will only survive if we work hard to reform and renew it
How one man's career explains our public life.
How one man's career explains British public life.
Discussing the fallout from the U.S. president's reckless Greenland gambit
A lasting peace will require Europe and America to work together to raise the cost of war for Russia
There have been valid questions about the Transatlantic Relationship for years.
It was a week in which you could almost feel the world shudder. But Europe held firm.
It was a week in which you could almost feel the world shudder, but Europe held firm and Trump began to lose control.
Reflections on the future of US-European relations in the age of Trump
Speaking on MS NOW about why Trump's idea isn’t just dumb — it’s dangerous.
Trump might think that buying a country is normal
The implosion of Australia's literary festival offers some harsh lessons.
Stanford’s leading Iran scholar on the regime, protests, and what comes next
Let's just start by recognising that this is very funny.
My conversation with Charlie Gammell
From Sun King to Spray-Tan King
It’s time to end this discussion now.
A recording from a live video filmed on 5 January.
A new survey hints at an alarming psychological distinction in political life
A new survey hints at a deep psychological distinction in political life
We need to call it out for what it is.
Long-term evaluations of the success or failure of the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela will be determined by what happens next.
The 1980s Nostalgia of Trump's Foreign Policy is probably going to end up, like Stranger Things, as a horror show.
How to make less of a twat of yourself in 2026 than you did in 2025.
Some practical and political commitments so you can make less of a twat of yourself this year than you did the last.
McFaul's World will be even more active in 2026.
Looking back on a turbulent year.
But Not By Means of a U.S. Military Invasion
