The mystery of Melania
How will harsh sanctions on Iran play out?
Kyrsten in the kourthouse
The canonization of Tupac
There’s still time to save the West
Classical music / Apple Music has redeemed itself
Television / The Shards is easily the best drama on TV
Robert Altman’s Nashville / All roads lead to Nashville
More from The Spectator
All the latest analysis and commentary
The questions Cambridge still has to answer about Jason Arday
Enjoy Anglican priests while you still can
Dear Mary: what is the ‘proper’ way to shoot grouse?
Will the heatwaves make this year’s French wines better?
Revealed: the feuding at the heart of Reform
Americano Presents
Have aircraft carriers had their day?
Most popular
Writers
Magazine
The latest magazine
The guns of August
Are we on the brink of World War Three?
There’s no good outcome for this groundhog-day war
Since the end of the Cold War, America has been the world’s supreme power. The idea that the United States could be taken down militarily by any other country is simply implausible. US invincibility, indeed, has spawned the concept of asymmetric warfare: instead of trying to overwhelm an enemy, you prod relentlessly at its weak points. This has changed the world from one in which organized warfare would break out between the major powers from time to time to one where peace has to be maintained against the constant hum of terrorism and guerrilla action. It comes as a shock, then, to learn that the US has apparently all but run out of long-range precision missiles.
There’s no good outcome for this groundhog-day war
Since the end of the Cold War, America has been the world’s supreme power. The idea that the United States could be taken down militarily by any other country is simply implausible. US invincibility, indeed, has spawned the concept of asymmetric warfare: instead of trying to overwhelm an enemy, you prod relentlessly at its weak points. This has changed the world from one in which organized warfare would break out between the major powers from time to time to one where peace has to be maintained against the constant hum of terrorism and guerrilla action. It comes as a shock, then, to learn that the US has apparently all but run out of long-range precision missiles.
Culture
The good, the bad and the ugly in books, exhibitions, cinema, TV, dance, music, podcasts and theater.
The canonization of Tupac
The Tupac murder trial has finally begun. A 63-year-old former gang leader, Duane “Keffe D” Davis, is accused of orchestrating the murder of rapper, actor, and activist Tupac Shakur in a drive-by shooting 30 years ago. Tupac’s reputation – both alive and since – is chequered to say the least. Some still perceive him as one of a cadre of thugs who glorified gun violence and the gang lifestyle in the 1990s (if you’ve ever heard the phrase “Thug Life,” that’s one of his). Others have continued a campaign of quasi-canonization, presenting him as a tortured poet struggling against the strictures of fate. The latter argument gradually won through, with Tupac now closing in on Princess Diana in the global “national treasure” stakes.
Apple Music has redeemed itself
From the magazineWhy Marilyn Monroe is still as big a celebrity as ever
From the magazine
The dark heart of Jonestown
From the magazine
What’s the point of UNESCO?
From the magazine
‘A selfish, ignoble person’ – the dark side of the Nobel prize-winner Mario Vargas Llosa
From the magazine
Is Music, Fashion, Film really the best Charli xcx can do?
From the magazine
Cartoons
Cartoon
‘‘Hang out with rich people.’ ’
Cartoon
Cartoon
