On the day of his funeral service, we consider the full legacy of Japan’s longest-serving prime minister.

By David Leonhardt

Nytimes – July 12, 2022

Shinzo Abe could sometimes look like yet another one of the world’s modern breed of nationalist leaders, alongside Viktor Orban in Hungary, Vladimir Putin in Russia, Xi Jinping in China and Donald Trump in the U.S.

Abe came from a family of Japanese nationalist politicians, including a grandfather whom the U.S. accused of war crimes during World War II. Abe himself downplayed Japan’s wartime atrocities and spoke of the importance of patriotism and “traditional values.” Above all, he pushed his country to shed its post-1945 pacifism and become more militaristic.

Continue reading Making sense of Shinzo Abe →

the guardian – Wed 27 Apr 2022 05.00 BST

We are raiding the Audio Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors.

This week, from 2018: the credibility of establishment figures has been demolished by technological change and political upheavals. But it’s too late to turn back the clock 

• Read text version here
• Listen here

Nigel Farage campaigning with Donald Trump in 2016. Photograph: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Written by William Davies, read by Andrew McGregor, produced by Simon Barnard, with editions from Jessica Beck. Executive producer was Nicole Jackson

Continue reading Why we stopped trusting elites – podcast →

July 08, 2022

The need for peacebuiliding in post-conflict societies grew out of the realization that true and enduring peace requires more than just signing agreements to stop the fighting. But while many of peacebuilding’s objectives seem self-evident, it is often laborious and expensive—and easily undone. Learn more when you subscribe to World Politics Review (WPR).

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech at the opening session of the Paris Peace Forum at the Villette Conference Hall in Paris, France, Nov. 11, 2018 (SIPA photo by Eliot Blondet via AP Images).
Continue reading How to make sure peace endures once the fighting ends →

NATO’s Strategic Concept defines the security challenges facing the Alliance and outlines the political and military tasks that NATO will carry out to address them.

NATO’s

STRATEGIC CONCEPT

The 2022 Strategic Concept was adopted at the Madrid Summit, 29-30 June 2022. Learn more about NATO’s enduring purpose and its fundamental security tasks.

DOWNLOAD THE 2022 STRATEGIC CONCEPT

The Strategic Concept’s

KEY ASPECTS

° The Alliance’s key purpose and greatest responsibility is to ensure the collective defence of Allies. Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty remains the bedrock of Allied collective defence.

° NATO’s three core tasks are deterrence and defence; crisis prevention and management; and cooperative security.

Continue reading NATO 2022 Strategic Concept →