Struggling to think of a US military mission where the rationale was so poorly explained, incoherent and inconsistent, where planning for the next day was so shambolic, and where the ultimate aim was so ill-thought out. My latest at History Never Ended:
open.substack.com/pub/historyn...
Donald Trump’s expanding war of choice.
open.substack.com/pub/historyn...
Under Trump, we are seeing a breakdown in US diplomacy and a broader global diplomatic malaise. The collapse of the rules-based international order is as much an operational problem as a structural one. My latest post.
open.substack.com/pub/historyn...
Iran and the global diplomatic malaise.
Often we talk about the breakdown of the rules-based international order. We need to talk more about the breakdown of global diplomacy and the decline under Donald Trump of US statecraft. My latest post, free to all
open.substack.com/pub/historyn...
“There are decades when nothing happens and weeks when decades happen,” is it often said.
Perhaps we should amend that. There are weekends when decades happen. And the past 48 hours have been about much more than Iran. My longread connecting some dots.
open.substack.com/pub/historyn...
“There are decades when nothing happens and weeks when decades happen.” Perhaps that should read: there are decades when nothing happens and weekends when decades happen. And it’s only Saturday.
28.02.2026 10:43 — 👍 24 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0This looks like one of the most major US strikes of the past decade with the most minimal public explanation beforehand of the past 50 years.
28.02.2026 09:03 — 👍 45 🔁 9 💬 4 📌 1
This generated a lot of interest on ABC Saturday Extra. A conversation with Marianne Williamson, who twice ran for the Democratic presidential nomination. America at 250, the future of the Democratic Party, the illiberalism of the left.
www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
Looks like we are in “drama addiction” mode again at Westminster.
I wrote this recently on how reporters often push narratives with maximum journalistic entertainment value - such as the toppling of a prime minister.
open.substack.com/pub/historyn...
My latest footnotes at History Never Ended.
Trump’s State of the Union, Royal coverage under scrutiny, the dignity of Gisele Pelicot and a Churchillian speech which has echoed down the decades. #HNE
open.substack.com/pub/historyn...
The State of Donald Trump - the presidency of February 2026 is markedly weaker than the presidency of February 2025. Here are some of the reasons….
open.substack.com/pub/historyn...
That was such a wonderful essay. Thanks for reading.
22.02.2026 00:19 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
A weekend read - my footnotes from the week. A new Kennedy drama, the over-dramatisation of political reporting, MAGA’s clash of civilizations, farewell to a civil rights great, some love for the BBC, when it’s facing an existential funding crunch. #HNE
open.substack.com/pub/historyn...
Trump obeys Supreme Court is as much the headline as Supreme Court defies Trump. That’s not something we can take for granted any more.
Trump is weaker in February 2026 than he was in February 2025. Resistance is coming from more quarters.
Every week or so at History Never Ended I’ll publish a Footnotes newsletter. Random thoughts, quick takes, updates, recommendations. This week there’s a monarchical theme. Camelot, the House of Windsor, some kings and queens of BBC journalism.
open.substack.com/pub/historyn...
The Windsors will face the Watergate question: what did the King know and when did he know it?
19.02.2026 12:14 — 👍 19 🔁 3 💬 3 📌 0
How Jesse Jackson helped Bill Clinton and Barack Obama reach the White House.
My latest post at History Never Ended.
open.substack.com/pub/historyn...
MAGA’s Clash of Civilisations: the west versus the rest. My latest post on my new Substack, History Never Ended.
open.substack.com/pub/historyn...
This week I launched History Never Ended, a new Substack to make sense of the chaotic present by delving more deeply into the past.
This moment feels so urgent and alarming. Old orders are crumbling and we’re not ready for the future. Have a read.
open.substack.com/pub/historyn...
As an industry, we need to confront a hard truth: the excitable manner in which politics is now covered is contributing to our modern-day democratic malaise. My latest Substack
historyneverended.substack.com/p/politics-a...
Welcome to my new #Substack History Never Ended, my attempt to make sense of the chaotic tumble of US and world events by reaching back into an often misremembered past.
All content is gratis. I hope you’ll subscribe.
https:/historyneverended.substack.com/p/history-never-ended
Sorry to hear about the death of Mark Tully. Anyone who worked in India for the BBC instantly became the beneficiary of his wisdom, kindness, humour and, above all, reputation. In India Mark Tully was the BBC. An absolute giant.
25.01.2026 11:20 — 👍 27 🔁 6 💬 0 📌 0
Coming soon on Substack
22.01.2026 16:44 — 👍 8 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
Lessons from #Ashes so far - which doubles as a statement of the bleeding obvious.
Play some proper warm up games.
Take the offer of a pink ball warm-up.
Look upon driving on the up like swimming in a rip.
Staying with that theme, play some between the flags test cricket.
Of all the interviews we have done on ABC Radio National’s Saturday Extra this year, few have got as big an audience reaction as our conversation with the Australian Governor General, Sam Mostyn.
www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
History never ended - lovely to catch up with The Rest is History boys for a conversation on Saturday Extra @holland_tom @dcsandbrook #historyneverended
www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”
Thank you Jon. Hope it helped make at least a bit of sense of things.
08.11.2025 09:21 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Great to see the updated UK paperback of The Forever War out in the wild in London. New chapters on Trump 2.0 and the 2024 campaign.
It’s the 250-year backstory of Trumpism. It’s the history, stupid.
Even Liberace would have told his interior designer to tone it down a bit…..
07.11.2025 22:41 — 👍 74 🔁 16 💬 8 📌 7