The Signal
Current affairs. Strange world.

Latest

01
Oct
Barricades at the gate

Barricades at the gate

Briefing: France’s teenage revolt over packed, overheated classrooms. The prime minister’s crisis cell, and the hard-left party he’s blaming. & Why does Europe run on American tech?
5 min read
30
Sep
‘Weaponized interdependence’

‘Weaponized interdependence’

Why does Europe run on American tech? Filippo Blancato on a bargain that seemed to make sense at the time.
10 min read
29
Sep
The tank on the dock

The tank on the dock

Canadian whisky turned back at the border at midnight. Whey, molasses, and two models of Can-Am motorcycle barred with it. & Why did Beijing break its promise to Hong Kong so early?
6 min read
27
Sep
Public enemy

Public enemy

Who cares about Jimmy Lai? The last time a Chinese state visit ended with a political prisoner going free. & Is China as strong as it looks?
4 min read
25
Sep
Out of sight

Out of sight

The weekend despatch: How stable is China? The threat of Hong Kong. + What was John Coltrane’s “churning tension”?
15 min read
24
Sep
Orwell’s list

Orwell’s list

Briefing: London’s new center against foreign disinformation. A national gloom, and where it starts. & Why does nothing in the United Kingdom seem to work?
4 min read
23
Sep
‘Oh, the empire of course’

‘Oh, the empire of course’

Feature: Why does nothing in the United Kingdom seem to work? A.G. Hopkins on the decades of self-inflicted wounds that have hollowed out the British state.
13 min read
22
Sep
The guest list

The guest list

Briefing: Washington’s call for the members of the international war-crimes court to quit it. The UN General Assembly’s vote for a barred head of state to speak remotely. & An anti-war party banned from Russia’s elections for copyright infringement?
5 min read
19
Sep
Everyone but the Saudis

Everyone but the Saudis

Briefing: The Houthis at the mouth of the Red Sea. Free passage promised, with one exception. & What’s in the ruins of Gaza?
4 min read
18
Sep
Yet to be uncovered

Yet to be uncovered

The weekend despatch: Parsing 68 million tonnes of rubble in Gaza. When rigging an election isn’t enough. + Who’s Wesley Stace?
13 min read