Brendan Simms on the German key to European liberty

Madame Bovary and the problem of desire

Marie Daouda [https://engelsbergideas.com/author/marie-daouda/], lecturer in French language and literature at the University of Oxford, shows how the pursuit of apparently 'real' desires comes at the expense of collective truth. The consequences can be disastrous. Read by Helen Lloyd. FURTHER READING: The truth shall set us free | Marie Daouda [https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/the-truth-shall-set-us-free/] Engelsberg Ideas [https://engelsbergideas.com/] is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit [https://axsonjohnsonfoundation.org/]. Image: Isabelle Huppert, Madame Bovary 1991. Credit: Collection Christophel / Alamy Stock Photo

Brendan Simms on the German key to European liberty

Germany today struggles to muster a serious military response to the Russian challenge. That should trouble keen observers of Europe's history. Read by Helen Lloyd. Engelsberg Ideas [https://engelsbergideas.com/] is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit [https://axsonjohnsonfoundation.org/]. Image: The Congress of Vienna (1814-1815). Napoleon watching the Tsar, the Emperor of Austria and King of Prussia dividing up Europe. Credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy

Iuliia Osmolovska on how Russia negotiates

Ukrainians are better placed than their Western partners to decode the Russian negotiating style. Read by Helen Lloyd. Engelsberg Ideas [https://engelsbergideas.com/] is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit [https://axsonjohnsonfoundation.org/]. Image: Street art in Tbilisi of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin playing chess. Credit: Georg Berg / Alamy Stock Photo

Juliet Samuel on liberty under attack

Just as generations did before us, we are learning that a belief in liberty is not self-evident and its expansion is not inevitable. Read by Helen Lloyd. Engelsberg Ideas [https://engelsbergideas.com/] is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit [https://axsonjohnsonfoundation.org/]. Image: Second world war propaganda poster. Credit: Photo 12 / Alamy Stock Photo

Roel Sterckx on gazing back to see China’s future

We must study the centuries-long history that has forged the DNA of Chinese political thinking and make it part of our conversations about China today. Read by Helen Lloyd. Engelsberg Ideas [https://engelsbergideas.com/] is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit [https://axsonjohnsonfoundation.org/]. Image: The Great Wall of China. Credit: nagelestock.com [http://nagelestock.com] / Alamy Stock Photo