The rise of Benjamin Netanyahu was very like that of Donald Trump. Both won power as populist nationalist leaders exacerbating and exploiting polarisation within their own countries. Netanyahu inflated the threat from the Palestinians in the eyes of Israeli voters. Trump demonised blacks and immi

Asked what he would do if the British army invaded Germany, Bismarck said that he would tell the police to arrest them. In the wake of the latest British defence review, cutting the size of the conventional armed forces, many contemporary world leaders may respond with similar derision to any futur

The 10-year campaign by the US government to criminalise reporting critical of its actions has failed in rather peculiar circumstances, with the unexpected decision by the court in London to reject the US demand for Julian Assange's extradition. Judge Vanessa Baraitser gave as the reason for her d

The battle against Covid-19 is often compared to real war. The analogy encourages a 'we are all in it together' solidarity and suggests that it is unpatriotic to criticise or oppose government decisions. Yet the comparison should not be entirely dismissed as self-serving bluster by political leade