Latest news with #Archive1945
Economist
4 days ago
- General
- Economist
The War Room newsletter: Seven of the best books on the Pacific war
Good afternoon. In this edition of The War Room we turn to Victory in Japan Day, celebrated on August 15th in Britain, and on September 2nd in America, the date when the official surrender documents were signed aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Japanese surrender. Before we begin, let me direct you to Archive 1945, in which we have been revisiting our coverage of the closing months of the second world war. You will find the latest entry from this project further down in this newsletter, and the final instalment (a report on the Japanese surrender) will be published later this week. An accompanying By Invitation guest essay, written by Eri Hotta, a historian, argues that Japan stayed in the conflict longer than necessary. The following histories, along with one biography, chronicle the very end of the war and its immediate aftermath. Of course, the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan looms large, but these books have also been chosen to reflect how the consequences of Japan's war in Asia reverberated long afterwards. As ever, War Room readers generously gave their time to help us compile this list. We have considered several suggestions, and we've also noted books that could serve as strong alternatives to those we ultimately selected.
Economist
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Economist
Unsteady state: Somalia in disarray
The country had been on the rise: beating back jihadists, strengthening its federal structure and gaining international stature. That has all reversed. In Britain levels of crime have fallen—but the changing nature of criminality has meant a smaller fraction of crooks getting caught. And 80 years on to the day our Archive 1945 project revisits the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Economist
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Economist
Can Daniel Noboa save Ecuador without trampling its democracy?
Yesterday's arrest of a notorious gang leader is a win for Daniel Noboa. He assures our journalists he can beat back rampant transnational gangs without trampling democracy. The torrent of big geopolitical news has, perhaps surprisingly, not much moved the markets; we ask why. And the next instalment of our 'Archive 1945' project revisits the founding of the United Nations. Runtime: 25 min
Economist
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Economist
VE Day: what remains of the world order of 80 years ago?
Eighty years since the surrender of Nazi forces, we consider the differing ways that nations frame that distant history for today; none does so more gravely than Russia. Our 'Archive 1945' project relives The Economist 's reporting on the last days of war in Europe. And we examine how European defence has changed, and how Britain's celebrations hint at a world perhaps forever lost. Runtime: 25 min
