‘For now, the order of the day in Europe is “social distancing” to limit the spread of Covid-19. That threatens to accentuate fragmentation, not heal it’

Our societies are now the battlefield; people, not kit, should drive national security thinking

Poor education stunts home-grown talent and undermines national security

‘Western counter-intelligence has been largely defensive. Given the existential threats we increasingly face, we now need to go on the offensive’

The West spends too much money on weapons and too little time on promoting its real strength: ideas

‘Anniversaries all too quickly become a substitute for clear thoughts about the present. As the victors of the war, for example, we have written our part in its history in rose-tinted ink’

‘Even the most patriotic Russian can see that their rulers have been lying to them about Ukraine. They may also wonder why Ukrainians can choose their rulers freely and Russians cannot’

‘Unlike its bigger counterpart the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan is a beacon of democracy, freedom and the rule of law’

‘Russia successfully meddles in Western politics, but I now worry more about China’

"Far from being the harbinger of a more transparent and law-abiding Iran, the Zanjani trial is just an attempt to settle scores"