It is risky to let Ukraine into the EU. It’s more dangerous to keep it out Apr 28th 2026|5 min read DO EUROPEAN LEADERS think their countries might soon be at war? Their words say yes. In Cyprus for a European Union summit on April 23rd and 24th, Poland’s prime …

Richard Cockett, a senior editor, analyses what makes good generalship—and ranks his top three Apr 27th 2026|4 min read Europe’s defence startups face even bigger hurdles than America’s They must contend with a fragmented market and hesitant customers There is no better spur to military innovation than war Defence firms …

THE IRAN war may end up teaching America many lessons. One that it has learned the hard way is the woeful economics of using conventional weaponry against cheap Iranian drones. “The dynamics of the world have changed,” says Emil Michael, a former Silicon Valley executive who is now a senior …

THE Ratel H is no speedster—and no looker, either. The clunky six-wheeled vehicle, in essence an electric motor and batteries topped with a cargo tray, can pootle along no faster than 8km an hour. It resembles an oversize dolly. But it can perform small wonders. It rumbles undaunted over uneven …

“The time for unmanned systems is now,” says Sven Kruck, co-CEO of Quantum Systems, a German firm which makes military drones. His is a view shared with growing certainty by defence planners around the world, as they watch waves of Iranian drones grind down Middle Eastern air defences and Russian …

THE AMERICAN president’s tone was harsh, and the cause was not hard to identify. A war meant to last a few days had just passed the six-week mark. Addressing American troops, the president told them they were battling an “evil” foe whose “mad schemes” must be defeated. Though regime leaders …

One blockade was bad enough. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed up prices for oil, natural gas and fertiliser, among other commodities. On April 13th America initiated a blockade of its own, halting the few vessels Iran had been letting past, which will presumably compound the problem

ThE CEASEFIRE between America and Iran got off to a violent start. After it was announced on April 8th, Israel intensified its bombardment of Hizbullah fighters in Lebanon (which Israel says was not included in the truce). In the early hours of the ceasefire, Iran launched drones and missiles at …

THE WORLD stands on the brink of a nuclear-arms race. If one can be avoided, a big reason will be this: currently, the first country to start such a race risks paying a terrible price. Rogue states caught sprinting for a bomb face crippling sanctions and military strikes. Meanwhile, any …

The diagnosis is simple: “Our health-care system broke in 2020,” says Dr Tom Dolphin, an anaesthetist in London and boss of the British Medical Association. “We like to pretend it didn’t, but it really did. ” In the early months of 2020, hospitals paused normal activity to free up beds …