The World Today

The World Today has paused publication to consider changes to the magazine. Please bear in mind that whilst your subscription will give you access to the archive, there will be no new issues until publication is resumed later this year.

The World Today, founded in 1945, has now been published monthly for over sixty years. Throughout this period it has offered the best and brightest insights on current affairs — from the fallout of the Second World War, through the Cold War, into the information age and the ‘war’ on terror.

In an increasingly unpredictable world, The World Today presents authoritative analysis from Chatham House on a variety of current topics. It provides vital background for experts, business planners, academics and those curious about the world we live in.

The World Today goes to subscribers in more than eighty different countries; in governments, business, the media, schools and universities. Many hundreds of libraries also find it essential.

In the free trial issue, read about Sapphire Mining in Madagascar, Somalia and Ethiopia caught in a quagmire, The Kurdish Question, Private Security Companies in Iraq, the ANC Leadership issue in South Africa, and The Bali Climate Conference and Forests. 

Welcome to the summer issue of The World Today. This month’s Nato summit in The Hague is crunch time for the alliance and European security. As one of our contributors puts it, President Donald Trump will ‘blow up’ the gathering – and Nato itself – if he isn’t happy with allies’ commitments to increase defence spending. But even with the right promises, where and how should that money be spent? And is Europe able to build enough missiles and drones to support Ukraine and deter further Russian aggression?We have gathered an array of experts to answer these questions and more. Part of the answer focuses on Europe’s nuclear deterrence capability – we assess how Britain and France might extend their nuclear ‘umbrellas’.
As the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Japan approaches, Ankit Panda asks whether we are entering a dangerous ‘third nuclear age’ of nuclear proliferation. What might remain of the rules of global trade following America’s bewildering tariffs policy? Creon Butler sorts through the wreckage. 
Elsewhere, as many states cut their aid budgets, Justine Greening, the former international development secretary, warns donor countries that they need to embrace ‘aid realpolitik’. Funding is an urgent challenge for the BBC World Service, as well – yet its director Jonathan Munro argues that its independent journalism is needed more than ever to counter the forces of disinformation.
Much else awaits you in our bumper 68-page issue, including stories on Estonia’s Russian-speaking community, the future of Hezbollah and India’s complex relations with China.
Mike Higgins, Editor