The Battleground’s Fall Books List
A Tale of Tabloid Politics
Every day, thousands shop at Harrods. The luxury department store is a magnet for the super-rich and voyeuristic tourists. (...)
Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmelites
My introduction to Dialogues des Carmelites was profoundly significant and personal.(...)
The End of Silvio Berlusconi
It’s often written that Silvio Berlusconi’s political fortunes lasted almost thirty years, from 1994 to his death in 2023. But this is not true.(...)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny probably won’t make a lasting impression on people not already invested in its titular character.(...)
The New Feudalism, Part II
The United States of Coke, or illiberal Hungary? It's hard to get excited.(...)
The Foreign Coverage Crisis
The Western Balkans are notoriously difficult to fathom. The evolving regional map of countries, borders, ethnicities and faiths is so complex that it requires more preparation to cover than other parts of Europe.(...)
Portraits of Dogs and The Queen and Her Corgis
For those of us who grew up on the island that is the United Kingdom, there were places that represented for us lovers of Europe a deeper connection with the longed-for-continent.(...)
Mussolini’s Grandchildren, by David Broder
Giorgia Meloni’s election win in September 2022 was a watershed moment in history. Coming from Italy’s postfascist right, Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia (FdI) was the first party to overcome the antifascist nostrums that had been integral to European politics since 1945.(...)