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Notes

Jul. 17, 2025 |

Weather report: Volcanic activity and the climate. In last week’s member’s despatch, our weather report was on the

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Jul. 16, 2025 |

The economic weapon. Before June 13, when Israeli forces struck Iran, the United States had been negotiating with it over

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Jul. 15, 2025 |

‘7 Ways to Love.’ Saint Etienne is building up to the release of their “final” album, International, due on September

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| Allison Braden & Yi-Ling Liu

Requiem for a slogan

What happened to the Chinese dream? Yi-Ling Liu on declining opportunities, increasing malaise, and a waning of ambition in the People’s Republic.
8 minute read
| Sir Paul Collier & Gustav Jönsson

‘Deplorable’

Around the world, some cities and regions are getting wealthier; others are increasingly left behind. Why? Sir Paul Collier on hyper-centralization and the economic origins of the populist blame game.
12 minute read
| SGNL

Now isn’t now

Why do ceasefire negotiations in Gaza keep getting deadlocked? How did a predictable weather event result in such devastating loss of life in Texas? & How did a “truth-seeking” chatbot become a platform for Nazi rhetoric? New music from Sonita Alizadeh. &c. … The member’s despatch, Week XXVIII.
25 minute read
| Philippe Aghion & Gustav Jönsson

Going west

Why are so many companies moving to America from Europe? Philippe Aghion on the Continent’s failure to build a competitive innovation ecosystem.
9 minute read
| SGNL

The course of human events

What good is U.S. diplomacy with Russia? Can democracy live with huge laws passed by just a few votes? & Is it finally dead in Hong Kong? … + The weird end of the U.S.-China trade war. Why Americans are losing interest in news. Music from Michael Gordon. &c. … The member’s despatch, Week XXVII.
20 minute read
| Allison Braden & Liana Fix

Alternative history

What does Germany’s new military expansion mean for Europe? Liana Fix on Berlin’s mission to build the Continent’s most powerful army.
9 minute read
| Gustav Jönsson & Tena Prelec

Continental

How has Europe become the destination for so much dirty money—and what are European states doing about it? Tena Prelec on why it is so hard to root out grand corruption.
11 minute read
| SGNL

War and peace

Why didn’t China or Russia help Iran? What on Earth is “the West”? New music from Four Tet, Mary Halvorson, & Amon Tobin. + What’s a pandeiro? &c. … The member’s despatch, Week XXVI.
16 minute read
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Michael Bluhm Brendan Hasenstab Gustav Jönsson Graham Vyse SGNL Phoebe Maltz Bovy John Jamesen Gould Eve Valentine Allison Braden Anatol Lieven Matthias Matthijs Chris Miller Steven A. Cook Victor Shih Marc Weitzmann