International law was created to act as a check on unrestrained power, yet in practice is only effective at controlling states who are willing to conform, leaving those states whom international law was intended to control practically untouched by it. Out of the ruins of the Second World War came the concept of enforceable international law, followed by the creation of the United Nations and the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights . International law promise

19 th  Century Methods for 21 st  Century Problems  Following the abduction of  Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, combined with the National Security Strategy (NSS)  release in December of 2025, the Trump Era of “Gunboat Diplomacy” consolidated as the world watched on with morose horror. The Trump “Corollary,” as it were, is to represent an abandonment of international good faith and an embracing of the world's brutal dictators, Vladimir Putin and many more  across th

The Labour government has been cast further adrift this month, perilously overladen with scandal and factionalism. Whilst I don’t doubt that Starmer will go down with this ship, certain members of his cabinet could survive unscathed, and miraculously so. Certain names and policies scattering the headlines are doing an impressive job of diverting attention away from more subdued and insidious acts of party betrayal. Take Shabana Mahmood, the UK’s Home Secretary, whose vision f

‘For any government official or despot, power over his own people takes precedence over everything else’- Jean Baudrillard   In Terry Gilliam’s Kafkaesque black comedy Brazil (1985), Sam Lowry, a low-ranking bureaucrat, joins his affluent, ostentatious mother, Ida, in a restaurant. Their meal is served - at which point - sudden explosions blast shrapnel across the room, saturating the air with shouting, screams, and smoke. The restaurant has been subject to a terrorist attack

James Talarico calls his healthcare plan “Medicare for Y’all”. Four words that tell you everything about how he just won the Democratic Senate primary in Texas – his party hasn't won statewide here since 1994. Whilst his opponent campaigned against Trump, Talarico, the seminarian state legislator and former public school teacher, ran for something: popular progressive policies rebranded to the voters he will need to win over. Whether he manages that in November is another que

Recent weeks have seen alarming headlines  suggest that the UK risks serious strife due to limited  food production capacity, thereby touching on something that makes the public feel vulnerable at a visceral level – literally something we will feel in our gut: the chance we might not have food tomorrow.  But this is not a recent risk, nor the result of a particular policy programme. It is a core piece of the UK’s strategic security puzzle, composed of challenges that cannot b

In my capacities as Deputy Chair of Warwick Labour (a title I’m getting the most out of now, set to lose it as I am in the next week or so), I get to regularly engage with many an interesting Labour figure. It is, therefore, a testament to Mainstream’s National Coordinator, Luke Hurst, that I’ve penned an article inspired by a compelling talk he recently gave.  Before getting to the crux of the issue, it has to be said that Hurst was a courteous and captivating speaker, and t

The prolonged war in Yemen, which has been locked in a stalemate for a decade, has now entered a new stage. The Southern Transitional Council (STC), supported by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a major player in the war in Yemen, was able to successfully penetrate the regions of Hadhramaut and Al Mahra , effectively controlling the official borders of the former People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY) – South Yemen. The STC has been the sole representative of the souther

Perhaps the most renowned passage of Thomas Carlyle’s On Heroes, Hero-Worship & The Heroic in History   opens with the decree that ‘a man’s religion is the chief fact with regard to him’, a proposition through which Carlyle elucidates how an individual’s true faith often lies outwith their professed church creed. Separate from the divine teachings of any sect, Carlyle instead argued that an individual’s true religious persuasion lies in the set of core beliefs which they hold

For the past six months, Westminster has been swirling with rumours that the Prime Minister’s days are numbered. Commentators have been split as to whether the Prime Minister would be challenged following the local elections in May, or before that, but they seem pretty certain that he will be challenged . The Prime Minister himself has appeared in the media stating that he will be Prime Minister by the end of 2026 . Critics both within the Labour Party and the media have pinn

I am not a fast, nor an avid, reader of books. The news and social media sure. TV, films, music, audio books, podcasts, YouTube videos; all are seductively unchallenging compared to sitting down and reading a book. Some are blessed with more awe-inspiring bibliographic curiosities: my friend Lydia read 115 books last year, so I asked her why she likes reading. She told me that she ‘likes learning about difference experiences of the world’, that ‘it feels like a solid routine

Three years on from a sweeping victory  in the Gorton and Denton by-election, Polanski becomes Prime Minister, presiding over an undefeatable Green Party majority in the House of Commons. The people of Britain feel hope and vindication after prolonged stagnation. It is day one in a new era of prosperity and peace. The UK will begin healing, and all will dance happily around a maypole. This is more-or-less the presented vision of Polanski’s Green Party in 2026. It is a kind an

Trigger Warning - mention of suicide & violence & sickening greed / minor spoiler alert “You know what it is,” says Ash. “It’s the free jazz. If that gets out…” In the concluding episode of Joseph Bullman's new docuseries Dirty Business , Ash speaks in hushed tones with James about the burglary of his home. In the midst of his disquieting investigation into Thames Water's conduct in the River Windrush, his lighthearted jest feels misplaced. It calls back to one of the opening

The slew of Epstein file releases  have exposed the grim realities of the mechanics that have kept certain elite networks operating. The trafficking of young women and girls for sex has rightly dominated the world's attention. The scale of human tragedy is enormous and the ruthless opportunism and calculated exploitation is visible to anyone who reads the email correspondence between Jeffrey Epstein and various associates. But along with the exploitation of young women and gi

As this article goes to press, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has reportedly  been killed in a joint U.S.–Israeli airstrike. His death marks the most dramatic escalation in U.S.–Iran tensions since the 1979 revolution and introduces a new variable: succession instability at the apex of the Islamic Republic. Yet even this unprecedented development does not make a war with Tehran comparable to Iraq in 2003 or Afghanistan in 2001, both of which share borders with Iran.  Ge

It was a grey, overcast Thursday after a dreary day of sixth form when I saw Prince William  step out, with eyes fixed and ready, to deliver a statement pertaining to BBC impropriety regarding the acquisition of the infamous 1995 Panorama interview with his mother Diana, Princess of Wales. This statement was one intended for the ears of current BBC bosses and of days gone by. Responding to the findings of the report written by Lord Dyson,  William did not refrain from discred

The beginning of 2026 marked a historic turning point in relations between the transitional government led by Ahmed Shara  and the Syrian Democratic Forces  (SDF) in Syria. The military defeat of the SDF on the ground has meant the re-establishment of state authority for the Damascus government. However, in the subsequent process during which realities on the ground have evolved into a political agreement, the ‘ Integration and Ceasefire Agreement ’ between the Damascus gover

One can only hope that the recent revival of 2016’s fashion trends and mood is ironic.  Throughout the 2010s, British fashion was largely casual, often erring on the side of slouchy. From all corners of the nation grandparents feigned concern for the chilly knees of their grandchildren and teens sported hoodies in heatwaves: ripped jeans and logo heavy sportswear dominated the period.  Vogue noticed, and they gave it a name. The 'casualification' of British fashion . The rise

Student loans are in the news again. Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ decision to freeze the repayment threshold of Plan 2 student loans for 3 years after April 2027 has caused an uproar  among students who will now face higher repayment costs. This only adds insult to injury for those who borrowed from the government’s Student Loans Company between 2012 and 2023. As it stands, the vast majority of students will already be unable to pay back their Plan 2 student loan before the 40-y

New Yorkers have now experienced about two months under the new Mamdani administration. Last November, more than a million New Yorkers, including myself, headed to the polls and cast our ballots for Zohran Mamdani. The New York City mayoral election drew significant media attention from within the five boroughs and beyond. Mamdani stood out as markedly younger than his opponents, born in Uganda, and as New York City’s first Muslim mayor. Yet the aspect that drew the greatest