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| Friday 25 September 2009 |
A semi-irresistible argument
It is refreshing to read Kishore Mahbubani’s unabashed defence of aspirations in the East. But his attachment to the very Western culture of fear means that his book ends on a pessimistic note after all.
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| Thursday 5 June 2008 |
Why ‘deradicalisation’ is not the answer
It's time Jacqui Smith realised that Islamist extremism is not a ‘foreign’ invader of Britain, but rather springs from our own bankrupt culture.
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| Friday 30 May 2008 |
History: it's just one bloody thing after another
Having jettisoned political and historical frameworks, Michael Burleigh's story of terrorism combines a lack of insight with excessive prejudice about curry-eating loyalists and headbutting Glaswegians.
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| Friday 29 February 2008 |
Death of the warrior ethos
Weaving a path from Achilles to Rambo via Shakespeare and Tolstoy, Christopher Coker’s insightful new book captures the increasing demonisation of war – even ‘good wars’ – and the denigration of honour, duty and glory.
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| Thursday 15 November 2007 |
Gordon Brown's state of terror
The UK prime minister's vision for counterterrorism would involve reorganising the whole of society around precaution and fear.
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| Wednesday 11 April 2007 |
A cultural revolution at Tate Liverpool
Free of Western pessimism, the young Chinese artists on exhibition in Britain are witty and experimental.
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| Tuesday 3 April 2007 |
Is London still stressed out about 7/7?
A survey claiming that 11 per cent of Londoners were ‘substantially stressed’ by the bombings raises more questions than answers.
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| Monday 8 January 2007 |
The government is for turning
As U-turn follows U-turn, New Labour is looking more and more like a party devoid of direction.
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| Tuesday 14 November 2006 |
Tempted by terror
To lose a few citizens to radical Islam is unfortunate. To lose as many as 1,600 (according to the MI5 boss) could be considered careless.
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| Wednesday 7 June 2006 |
Repeating the anti-terror soap opera
How did the police get a terror raid so wrong (again)?
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| Thursday 9 March 2006 |
The ‘war on terror’ as displacement activity
The author of Imperial Hubris recognises the rot in Western society, but seems to think it can be resolved by taking out some Johnny Foreigners.
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| Thursday 14 April 2005 |
Al-Qaeda: a conspiracy of dunces?
The real story of the 'ricin plot' is that Britain's would-be terrorists are a bunch of losers.
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| Tuesday 16 November 2004 |
A question of fear, not chemistry
'Many of the concerns about chemicals can best be described as conclusions in search of data.'
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| Friday 24 September 2004 |
Hunters in the House
There's little point securing institutions from the outside, if they have failed to win the loyalty of those on the inside.
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| Friday 30 July 2004 |
They warn too much
Why the UK government's booklet on ‘preparing for emergencies' backfired.
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| Wednesday 4 February 2004 |
Blunkett jumps the gun
The laughable logistics of pre-empting terrorism.
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| Thursday 22 January 2004 |
Britain's bunker mentality
What kind of message does the UK's fortification of its overseas missions send to the world - and to terrorists?
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| Thursday 4 December 2003 |
An arresting sight
Why does it take 26 armed police units to detain one terrorist suspect?
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| Thursday 27 November 2003 |
Phone alarm
A new book examines how the culture of precaution shaped public fears over mobile phones.
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| Friday 23 May 2003 |
Houses of Precaution
Will the concrete blocks installed to protect Parliament from terror make the UK feel secure, or scared?
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