Churchill would have recognised in an instant what Russia's mischief in Ukraine portends, most particularly its brazen disregard for national borders and neighbours' sovereignty. His appraisal of the nasty and brutish is lost on those who fail to notice that quoting the law leaves outlaws unimpressed

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It's not as if there aren't enough grim testaments to bad ideas and bad policy, from the growth of ISIS to Europe's many afflictions and the leadership vacuum of Obama's bumbling, without  folly's march reaching our own shores. Alas, that is not the case

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Good manners should deter us from insulting other people over their faiths, but the right to offend and be offended remains an important right. Even if we are reluctant to admit the fact, it frees us from the prison of unconsidered opinion and the prejudices of our own religious-cum-ideological communities

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So some senior Liberals don't like Tony Abbott and aim to do him in with a campaign of leaks, lies and ludicrous pseudo-scoops of the kind that suckered The Australian only last weekend. Perhaps they haven't heard what treachery brought the Tories after Margaret Thatcher's ouster

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A friend and brave colleague awaits trial in an Azerbaijani prison, the charges against her so patently ridiculous they would be laughable if a courageous reporter did not face the prospect of an extended stint behind bars. Her real crime? Daring to shine a light on the business dealings of her country's President and its First Family

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As Liberal MPs mull Tony Abbott's future, Quadrant's new editor, John O'Sullivan (left), hopes they have a sufficient grasp of history to appreciate what Britain's Tories reaped from their ouster of Margaret Thatcher: bitter division and many fruitless years in the wilderness

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Mrs Thatcher—and it seems more appropriate on her death to forget her title and refer to her by the name she wore during her years of power—was a blend of two very different personalities. She was both a towering world-historical figure, like Bismarck, and an ordinary middle-class English housewife like Mrs Miniver. She took bold […]

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John Fonte, Sovereignty or Submission: Will Americans Rule Themselves or Be Ruled by Others? (Encounter Books, 2011), 449 pages, US$25.95. For some years John Fonte has enjoyed an odd and slightly enviable reputation. He is the scholarly defender of democratic sovereignty most likely to be invited to debate the matter by and with his opponents […]

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