This essay was originally published by Unherd on November 10th 2020 Throughout the autumn, the European Union has been engaged in a standoff with its two most antagonistic members, Hungary and Poland. At stake was whether the EU would finally take meaningful action against these pioneers of “illiberal democracy”, to use the infamous phrase of … Continue reading Europe’s deplorables have outwitted Brussels

This essay was originally published by Areo magazine on 4th November 2020. When it comes to intellectual history, Central Europe in the decade of the 1920s presents a paradox. It was an era when revolutionary thought – original and iconoclastic ideas and modes of thinking – was not in fact revolutionary, but almost the norm. … Continue reading The Philosophy of Rupture: How the 1920s Gave Rise to Intellectual Magicians

This article was originally published by Arc magazine on 30th October 2020.  Elections always seem to demand that candidates show a slightly different face to different sections of the public. Joe Biden’s presidential campaign is no exception. In his case, this dynamic has been most interesting in the realm of foreign policy, where we find … Continue reading Biden versus Beijing

This book review was originally published by Arc Digital on August 31st 2020. As the world reels from the chaos of COVID-19, it is banking on the power of innovation. We need a vaccine, and before even that, we need new technologies and practices to help us protect the vulnerable, salvage our pulverized economies, and … Continue reading The Last of the Libertarians