By Harold James July 17, 2026 The history of modern democracy is often written as a steady progression toward stability, yet the lived experience of voters suggests a more cyclical, turbulent reality. Nowhere is this more apparent than in France, a nation that has spent the last two centuries swinging…
By Josep Borrell July 17, 2026 The International Criminal Court (ICC) stands at a precarious precipice. For decades, the institution has served as the final bastion of accountability for the world’s most heinous crimes—genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Yet, today, the Court finds itself under a coordinated, multi-front…
The art world is currently gripped by a profound, renewed fascination with the legacy of Willem de Kooning. Nearly three decades after his passing in 1997, the Dutch-American Abstract Expressionist is undergoing a scholarly and commercial renaissance. Following the widespread critical acclaim for a focused drawing exhibition at the Art…
For decades, the global fragrance industry was anchored in the sterile laboratories of Grasse, France, or the corporate skyscrapers of Manhattan. But in the last fifteen years, a seismic shift has occurred. A new center of gravity for scent has emerged—not in a boardroom, but in the converted industrial lofts,…
By Carl Bildt July 17, 2026 In the corridors of the Kremlin, the atmosphere is one of stifled anxiety masked by performative defiance. For Vladimir Putin, the war in Ukraine has transitioned from a projected three-day "special military operation" into a grinding, multi-year quagmire that has fundamentally altered the geopolitical…
The global art market, which has spent the better part of the last two years navigating geopolitical uncertainty, high interest rates, and cautious economic sentiment, is officially finding its footing. According to newly released data from Christie’s, the world’s leading auction house has recorded a robust $4.5 billion in revenue…
By Kai Guo | July 17, 2026 For decades, the prevailing consensus in Western economic circles regarding China’s industrial rise was defined by a singular, persistent variable: the state subsidy. From the solar boom of the mid-2000s to the rapid proliferation of electric vehicles (EVs) in the 2020s, the narrative…
