In the final days of Keir Starmer's premiership, the Financial Times gave the outgoing PM a “mixed” review, focused largely on his domestic record and leadership of the Labour Party. Opinions may differ on his handling of issues like economic growth, but on one front there has been striking, nonpartisan agreement: his leadership on foreign … Continue reading Thank You, Prime Minister: Starmer’s Ukraine Legacy
The Global Front Line for Ukraine
By Robert Collett* and William H. Dutton At the Portulans Institute, we are working on an analysis of how nations have aligned on the Russia-Ukraine War. While far from the front lines, the outcome of Russia’s war on Ukraine could be seriously influenced by how nations align in support of the Ukraine or Russia. The … Continue reading The Global Front Line for Ukraine
The History Behind New Tensions Between Poland and Ukraine: Who Benefits?
by Anna Mysyshyn* [This blog is authored by my colleague, Dr. Anna Mysyshyn, and distributed with her permission. As Russia’s hybrid warfare is becoming ever more prominent, there needs to be a better understanding of the long and complex history between Poland and Ukraine. This Saturday, 11 July, marks the anniversary of the Volhynian tragedy. … Continue reading The History Behind New Tensions Between Poland and Ukraine: Who Benefits?
A Tribute to Whistleblowers
Reading news of the tech giant Meta attempting to silence a former director of global public policy at Facebook (2011-17), Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former New Zealand diplomat, has led me to remind everyone of the power and importance of whistleblowers.[1] We need to protect whistleblowing. In a book, first published in 2025, Sarah Wynn-Williams raised … Continue reading A Tribute to Whistleblowers
Remember the Cathedral
As Russia has struggled to advance on the battlefield in Ukraine, its attacks have increasingly fallen on the civilian population — on homes, hospitals, and houses of worship. Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, has borne much of this weight. When armies cannot win on the front, they sometimes turn against the people themselves. In mid-June 2026, Russian … Continue reading Remember the Cathedral
Do Not Forget Ukraine’s Stolen Children
An Opera in Ukraine Reminds the World of Putin’s War Crimes Russia’s child abductions are the focus of a new opera, Mothers of Kherson, that premiered in Kyiv, Ukraine. The cast is reported to have received standing ovations for their performance, and the opera was said to have evoked ‘tears and catharsis’ (Higgins and Matveichuk … Continue reading Do Not Forget Ukraine’s Stolen Children
Apocalypse of the American Dream
I was fortunate to attend as a member of the audience for a panel in Oxford on protecting freedom of the press. The all-female panel of four and a moderator were brilliant, representing some of the top journalistic enterprises in the world. It was inspiring for anyone interested in a career in journalism and speaking … Continue reading Apocalypse of the American Dream
Ukraine Interrupts Putin’s Davos: The Latest of Many Advances
Russia’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum – Putin’s Davos – from 3-6 June 2026 was diminished by long range drone strikes on the city’s oil terminal, sending plumes of smoke across the area. Other strikes on the same day hit a military-industrial plant in Western Russia’s Tambov region and an airfield in Crimea.[1] It not … Continue reading Ukraine Interrupts Putin’s Davos: The Latest of Many Advances
Hope Becomes Hype
A post authored by A. Michael Noll, distributed with the author's permission. Hype can be over-hyped, as Michael argues in this post. Hope so easily transforms into and becomes hype. Again and again, history shows how hope for some new product, technology, or service becomes over-promoted with far too much hype. The motivation usually is … Continue reading Hope Becomes Hype
Personal Reflections on Twenty-Five Years of the Oxford Internet Institute
Notes on a presentation to the Oxford Internet Institute on 15 May 2026 at the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford. I had the pleasure of speaking at a celebration of the first twenty-five years of the Oxford Internet Institute (OII). I gave a talk followed by drinks and a dinner at Balliol College. I was … Continue reading Personal Reflections on Twenty-Five Years of the Oxford Internet Institute