Understand the World. One Perspective at a Time.

Trump, Arday and the Art of the Blag

Academia and politics today reward self-confidence over competence, as former Cambridge Professor Jason Arday and US President Donald Trump illustrate. Blagging — obtaining something through charm, persuasion or audacity —... Read full article

Ellis Cashmore - August 27, 2026

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Politics
Going, Going, Gone! The President of Decline May Take the Planet Down with Him
by Tom Engelhardt
Europe
The Political Archeology of Viktor Orbán’s Legacy
by Elliot Neaman
Education
Who’s Delusional About Screen-Based Learning? — Part 1
by Peter Isackson
Central & South Asia
Sport and Politics: Strange Bedfellows or Friendly Ones?
by David O. Stewart

Multimedia

The Fall of the Ottoman Empire

by Kayra Altan & Lee Thompson-Kolar

Multimedia

FIFA World Cup: The Greatest Show on Earth

by Atul Singh, Abul-Hasanat Siddique, Samantha Mendiguren

Multimedia

The Rise of the Ottoman Empire

by Kayra Altan & Lee Thompson-Kolar

Multimedia

Football and Politics: An Old Love Affair

by Ellis Cashmore

Multimedia

Mediaphobia — A Timeline of Panic

by Ellis Cashmore

Multimedia

The Indian Subcontinent’s Hindu–Muslim Divide

by Pocket Dynamo, Atul Singh & Ishtiaq Ahmed

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Nagasaki Remembered… and Its Lesson Forgotten?

Nagasaki Mayor Suzuki’s condemnation of nuclear weapons as “absolute evil” should open up a debate about both the weapons and...

Redrawing Africa: AI Blunders and Colonial Blind Spots

Two African stories — one comic, one tragic — collide this week: a State Department slide...

AI, Cheating and Teacher Trickery: Is This Modern Education?

Post-industrial education prizes outcomes over understanding, breeding cheating as a rational response to a system built...

The Duty to Mock: How India’s CJP is Reviving Accountability Through Satire

As press freedom declines in India and questioning the government...

by Ira Tanwani

Beyond the Funeral: What Khamenei’s Final Farewell Reveals About Iran’s Next Chapter

by Hossein Amjadi

The Conservative Divide and Logistical Barriers in Alberta’s Separation Movement

by Aliyah A. Omar

Football’s Filthy Appeal

by Ellis Cashmore

Podcasts

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FO Podcasts: Stairways to the Skies — The Secrets of Hiking

In this episode of FO Podcasts, Ranjani Iyer Mohanty and Christine Gabriel discuss the appeal of hiking, drawing on her experiences across Canada and around the world. Hiking fosters physical health, personal growth and community. Gabriel further explains trail etiquette and climate change’s effects on...

by Christine Gabriel & Ranjani Iyer Mohanty

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