History of the Present

1 day ago | timothygartonash.substack.com | Timothy Garton Ash

History of the Present (5 days ending 14 May 2025)A poem bequeathed us by the epically gloomy Canadian seer-singer Leonard Cohen ends with the words: “oh and one more thing / you aren’t going to like / what comes after / America”. As we pass the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war in Europe, every day brings further evidence that a remarkably long-lived US-led international order is over. Everyone is now scrambling to work out what might succeed it. A new multi-polar order?

5 days ago | timothygartonash.substack.com | Timothy Garton Ash

History of the Present (9 Days to 9 May 2025)This interview with Frank Dürr of Arte pretty much sums up where I think we are in Europe today, at the beginning of a new era…(click on link - conversation in English, German subtitles)https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/121620-063-A/timothy-garton-ash-der-westen-als-geopolitischer-akteur-existiert-nicht-mehr/History of the Present is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

2 weeks ago | timothygartonash.substack.com | Timothy Garton Ash

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3 weeks ago | timothygartonash.substack.com | Timothy Garton Ash

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3 weeks ago | timothygartonash.substack.com | Timothy Garton Ash

History of the Present (fortnight ending 20 April 2025)Even ifyou're not a Christian believer, Easter Sunday is a day for hope. And at long last there are first signs of a real fightback to defend the world's most powerful liberal democracy. This after three months in which Donald Trump has moved with a speed and brutality that make his Hungarian role model Viktor Orbán seem almost like a cautious constitutional lawyer.