The course of human events

Keith Preston

1 year ago

Week XXVII, MMXXV

As we transmit this week’s member’s despatch your way, it’s Independence Day weekend in the U.S.—one of the few moments in the year when millions of Americans, possibly the most always-on people in the world, switch off; step out of their day-to-day (or even normal-weekend) routines; and, if they can, spend time with family and friends. But July 4 isn’t that exceptional this time of year, outside the American imagination: Bastille Day is is coming up in France, on July 14. In the U.K. and throughout the Commonwealth, June 14 was the King’s Official Birthday. July 1 was Canada Day—Dominion Day, as they still called it when I was a kid. And our friends in the Nordic countries celebrated the summer solstice sometime in the last week of June, depending on where. Meanwhile, politics keeps polarizing; media keeps polarizing; and everyday people keep checking out. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, and feel you need to get in on that, summer might help you. If you’re in the Southern, good luck. In all events, we’re with you. No one needs the relentlessness of all of this. So kick back, read the despatch—be glad you got your head around a week of human history in such a breeze—and go away. We’ll see you Tuesday.

—John Jamesen Gould

The Signal—your loyal guide to a changing world. … The member’s despatch—your weekly briefing on global events, new books, new music, and more. … This week:

DEVELOPMENTS

What’s the use of U.S. diplomacy with Russia? Can democracy live with massive laws passed by just a handful of votes? & Is it finally dead in Hong Kong?

+ New: Meanwhile in Europe, … and North America, South America, the Middle East & North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, and Asia-Pacific. If you’re in Antarctica, please pitch in.

CONNECTIONS

Why did the U.S. and China settle their trade war so fast?

FEATURES

How has Europe become the destination for so much dirty money—and what are European states doing about it? Tena Prelec on why it is so hard to root out grand corruption.

+ What does Germany’s new military expansion mean for Europe? Liana Fix on Berlin’s mission to build the Continent’s most powerful army.

BOOKS

From Aaron Reeves x Sam Friedman, on who makes up the British ruling class; Matthew S. Erie, on how beholden Chinese companies are to the Chinese state; & Sam Lebovic, on why Americans are losing interest in the news.

MUSIC

From Daphni, James Holden x Waclaw Zimpel, & Michael Gordon x Cello Octet Amsterdam.

+ What is Bang on a Can?

WEATHER REPORT

29.3646° S, 51.6658° W …

Open

Daniel Gregoire

If the name despatch sounds idiosyncratic …

It takes its inspiration from the traditional red “despatch boxes” sent to monarchs and ministers in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth for the secure transmission of important, sometimes secret, correspondence and documents. After all, the despatch is for people who need to keep up with what’s happening in the world.

—but also need their time cared for.

Open

MUSIC

‘8’

Michael Gordon is a prolific classical composer based in New York City. Here, back in 2021, he collaborated with the European ensemble Cello Octet Amsterdam. In the studio, they played in a circle—an arrangement they seemingly ended up reflecting in the album’s cover art. Best experienced with good headphones. And if you happen ever to have heard of the influential art-music collective Bang on a Can, Gordon is one of its founders.

What is Bang on a Can?

Listen

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