The World Today
The World Today, founded in 1945, has now been published monthly for over sixty years. Throughout this period it has offered the best and brightest insights on current affairs — from the fallout of the Second World War, through the Cold War, into the information age and the ‘war’ on terror.
Here is a list of article recommendations, compiled by the editorial team at The World Today.
Artificial intelligence
Living with AI - Nowhere to hide
February & March 2020
Artificial intelligence is poised to impinge on our lives in ways we could not have imagined a decade ago, writes Carly Kind.
China
[Interview] Silk Roads historian Peter Frankopan puts China's ambitions in perspective
October & November 2019
The Oxford historian and best-selling chronicler of the Silk Roads explains to Alan Philps why China is not building an empire and talk of a new Cold War is mistaken.
How the one-party state may shape our future
August & September 2019
Tomorrow belongs to Beijing, but how can China win hearts around the world, asks Rana Mitter.
China's inroads into the West
October & November 2015
Beijing is rolling out an ambitious plan to create trade routes that stretch to the heart of Europe. This will bring much-needed investment to the countries in its path, but threatens to change the balance of power between rising Asia and the Old Continent.
How China manipulates the media
August & September 2015
The freedom of communication introduced by the internet was supposed to sound the death knell for state censorship. But authoritarian regimes still manage to control the message and how liberal digital media remains compromised. In the first of four articles, we look at how China continues to keep journalists on a short lead.
Climate change
Fiddling while Australia burns
February & March 2020
Chatham House team calls for more ambitious action from COP26
[Interview] Sir David Attenborough
December & January 2019/20
The naturalist and broadcaster talks to Alan Philps in our December & January 2019/20 issue about the plastic plague, backsliding on climate change and his lucky timing.
The world is drowning in rubbish
October & November 2019
Kate O’Neill argues that only global action will solve the crisis in recycling now that China has stopped importing scrap.
Class struggle to save the world
April & May 2019
Generation Z is on the march to combat climate change, writes Neal Millar.
A treaty that actually works on climate change
December & January 2016/17
Duncan Brack on how the Montreal treaty to protect the ozone layer turned into a powerful tool to fight global warming.
Climate change and politics
The Green New Deal
October & November 2019
Ann Pettifor: British-based analyst of the global financial system who has helped champion the concept of a Green New Deal.
Corruption
Cancer in the system
April & May 2018
Graft is not just a moral and political problem, it can also be an economic disaster, writes Sean Hagan.
Energy and resources
The future of coal
August & September 2018
It fired up the industrial age but is now condemned as a toxic pollutant. Most countries are cutting back on coal usage, but not all. Donald Trump wants to buck the trend and create jobs for miners, and Asia’s appetite for the black stuff continues to grow. Siân Bradley asks if there is a future for old King Coal.
Europe
Growth offers hope
October & November 2018
Europe’s economy is seen as both stagnant and crisis-prone yet it is proving resilient with new signs of growth. Duncan Weldon looks at both its tenacity and its flaws.
Five years to reshape a Europe that can work
June & July 2017
Macron’s victory has brought relief but much needs to be done to prevent the Union falling apart, writes Brunello Rosa.
The EU must relaunch or die
August & September 2016
Enrico Letta, the former Italian PM, says this is the moment statecraft must replace bureaucracy.
Europe must recapture its political vision
April & May 2016
Any prescription for the European Union’s future must take account of the political nature of the project, Nicholas Dungan asserts. Only a renewed French-German partnership can spearhead this effort.
Europe and terrorism
Europe’s terror challenge
December & January 2015/16
Islamic State gunmen brought death to the streets of Paris on November 13, leaving the European Union in a state of shock. This is a turning point at which Europe must decide how best to defend its way of life. The way forward should be guided by three principles: defending liberty, ensuring the equality of Muslim communities, and radically improving EU-wide security measures including exchange of information and defence of external borders.
Gender
Now masculinity is in crisis
December & January 2017/18
Jackson Katz introduces our investigation into how men are adapting to a changing role.
Everyone wins when women are in work
April & May 2015
Women comprise just under half the world\'s population and great strides have been made in advancing their rights. Yet their participation in the workforce is actually falling and their earning potential is still restricted. And this is not just a Third World problem: the West is also guilty. Enabling women to work benefits everyone.
Gender and Rwanda
Rwanda: Visible progress yet power is still a male preserve
April & May 2015
Equality is championed in Rwanda but real influence belongs to the president.
Global cities
The mighty metropolises
February & March 2015
Urban islands of prosperity: Global cities are growing in power and influence. But can they survive if they break the bonds with their host countries?
Human rights
Championing the vulnerable
August & September 2018
Chanu Peiris on how human rights defenders are resisting authoritarian repression.
India
Delhi’s nuclear ambitions
June & July 2016
China, not Pakistan, is the target of India’s deterrence drive, argues Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan.
Israel and Palestine
Netanyahu’s time is up
April & May 2018
Progress on peace deal requires a new government, writes Jonathan Rynhold.
How the Six-Day War reshaped Israeli politics
June & July 2017
Ian Black on the 50th anniversary of a turning point in the Middle East.
Japan
Robots and pensioners to the rescue
April & May 2017
A greying population finds a silver lining to the economic storm clouds. Joji Sakurai looks at how Japanese society is adapting to changing times.
Journalism and gender
Arab women journalists under fire
August & September 2019
Judith Matloff applauds the bravery of female war reporters.
Leadership
Groupthink is depriving the West of vision
June & July 2016
Nik Gowing and Chris Langdon reveal disturbing details from their research project into how people at the top struggle to cope In a digital age which throws up surprises.
Middle East
Middle Eastern regional rivalries
December & January 2015/16
The complexity of Middle Eastern politics plays into terrorists’ hands. Detente between Iran and Saudi Arabia is required before Gulf States are likely to share western priorities in Syria.
The West must address the chaos it has sown in the Middle East
August & September 2015
Bombing the jihadists of Islamic State will only create similar groups. What is needed is a non-military approach to the many problems of the region.
North Korea
Apocalypse soon?
June & July 2017
David Martin Jones and MLR Smith analyse Trump’s thinking on North Korea.
Organized crime
An Italian judge's radical plan
February & March 2018
Helen Fitzwilliam outlines a protection programme to rescue women and children of the ’Ndrangheta, a mafia clan that kills those who dare to betray it.
Pakistan
[Interview] Hina Rabbani Khar
October & November 2018
The former Pakistani foreign minister tells Alan Philps that China is a more reliable partner than the United States.
Politics
Can the nation state survive?
February & March 2018
The internet and multinationals threaten our world order, argues Mark Lyall Grant.
[Interview] Stephen Green
February & March 2015
A former chairman of HSBC, lifelong Germanophile and committed Christian, Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint talks about the future of the eurozone, empty cathedrals and what makes Chinese leaders anxious.
Race and US
The race problem in black and white
October & November 2016
Despite Obama’s two terms, the United States is still torn by racial division, writes Bernd Debusmann.
Radicalization
Lessons from the 1950s on mind control
February & March 2017
Sarah Marks and Daniel Pick explore the difficulty in pinpointing how radicalization works in practice.
Refugees and migration
Sinking the boat people’s hopes
February & March 2019
Nick Martin argues for an end to Australia’s policy of detaining refugees.
Religion
Religious violence has a long history
February & March 2017
Oliver McTernan on the challenge of religiously inspired violence.
Rules-based order
What the past tells us about tomorrow
June & July 2015
The World Today was born 70 years ago. In this special anniversary edition, we will be looking at what the past can tell us about the present. In our cover story, Kevin Rudd writes that the rules-based global order inherited from 1945 is changing. Will the US and a rising China work together, or against each other?
Russia
Kremlin still wary of US
April & May 2019
Trump may want to get pally, but Putin will stick to his guns, warns Konstantin von Eggert.
Fifth term may tarnish the hero
June & July 2018
The Russian president has centralized power by keeping capitalism in thrall to the state, writes Maxim Trudolyubov.
Ssh! Don't mention the revolution
August & September 2017
Putin is whitewashing history to paint himself as the Tsar, writes Konstantin von Eggert.
Russia returns to a Middle East it never really left
April & May 2016
Sykes and Picot have taken the blame but actually it was a Russian who drew the map of the Middle East, writes Sean McMeekin.
Space
The 21st century Star Wars
February & March 2016
Modern life relies on satellite sytems but they are alarmingly vulnerable to attack as they orbit the Earth. Patricia Lewis explains why defending them from hostile forces is now a primary concern for states.
Syria
Coming home to Syria
October & November 2018
Allaa Barri looks at initiatives to allow refugees to return to their war-ravaged country.
Let Syria have its voice
February & March 2016
The West might think it knows best, but it doesn’t, writes Kholoud Mansour.
Technology
Not quite human
February & March 2020
Why digital companions are replacing best friends for many young people.
Technology and democracy
Harnessing technology to revitalize democracy
June & July 2019
Hans Kundnani invites you to have your say as we open the black box of think-tank research.
Technology and misinformation
What do we do when everything online is fake?
June & July 2019
James Ball on the threat posed by the generation of fake news through artificial intelligence and how it risks undermining our trust in everything.
Toxic internet has left us disillusioned
December & January 2018/19
Fake news, targeted ads and poisonous tweets are distorting opinion around the world. Elena Cresci, a millennial, expresses her loss of faith in social media and asks where it is leading.
UK
What will Britain’s role be now?
December & January 2017/18
Simon Fraser on how the UK can exert influence outside the EU
Bracing ourselves for Brexit
April & May 2017
Simon Fraser outlines the priorities for profitable trading outside the EU
Britain’s new global role after Brexit
August & September 2016
The decision to leave the EU has shaken the foundations of Britain and her role in the world. Quentin Peel sets the scene for a series of articles on Britain’s future.
UK and China
UK-China trade links are stronger than ever
October & November 2015
Sajid Javid looks forward to a closer partnership with Beijing.
UK and Commonwealth
The Queen’s favourite club
April & May 2018
H Kumarasingham describes how the Commonwealth holds a special place in the sovereign’s heart.
UK and diplomacy
Winning the Windrush battle
June & July 2018
Guy Hewitt describes how ‘guerrilla diplomacy’ helped save the day.
UK Gender
Brexit isn’t just for blokes
October & November 2017
Women have been written out of the EU debate. Caroline Criado-Perez counts the cost.
UK Politics
Will the Scots take the lone road?
December & January 2019/20
The SNP may scent victory but secession is a long way off, writes John Lloyd.
Sorry, on ne comprend pas
April & May 2019
Mark English asks if Britain’s linguistic incompetence has distorted relations with the EU
US
Life with the great disruptor
October & November 2017
Nations are trying to connect with more globally minded elements in the US. Leslie Vinjamuri asks if this will save the Atlantic alliance.
With Trump in charge, the world will change
December & January 2016/17
Whether the President-elect follows through on his isolationist, anti-liberal, America First rhetoric or adopts a more pragmatic approach in office, there is cause for alarm, writes Adam Quinn.
Will angry politics and bitter voters floor the US?
October & November 2016
Daniel T Rodgers charts the rise of the angry right and an anti-politics politician.
US and Asia
Shashi Tharoor on sanctions and the United States as losing its primacy in Asia
June & July 2015
The chairman of India’s parliamentary external affairs committee tells Alan Philps that sanctions are a blunt instrument to be used only for a great moral cause
US and UN
Can the UN survive Trump?
December & January 2018/19
Natalie Samarasinghe looks at how the global body is handling an ‘America First’ president.
US Foreign Policy
America's Mideast retreat
February & March 2019
Paul Salem looks at how the region will fare if Trump carries out his threatened withdrawal from Syria and Afghanistan.
Yemen
Yemen and the business of war
August & September 2017
Peter Salisbury says some are profiting from prolonging the conflict.