The invasion of Ukraine may be another example of what could be called the ‘Boomerang Law of War’ which states that most aggressive wars achieve effects opposite to those intended by the leaders who initiate them. Napoleon left Britain dominant globally for the rest of the 19th century, precisely the opposite of what he wanted. Hitler aimed to destroy communism but instead left communism dramatically strengthened and running half of Germany. The US in Iraq promised to destr

Here is a link to a blog I've just done for global brief: https://globalbrief.ca/2022/04/missing-intelligence/ Sometimes we understand systems and organisations best not through what they say or what they do, but rather through what they do not say and what they do not do. There are many examples. But here is one that is very relevant to anyone working in the fields of government or international affairs, and may help to explain why they are so often a lot less smarter than t

Here, trailing my new book out in June, is a blog for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on the role of imagination in social change: https://www.jrf.org.uk/blog/four-ways-we-can-use-our-collective-imagination-improve-how-society-works