The scrap iron flotilla

A new book recalls the exploits of five ageing Australian destroyers – Stewart, Waterhen, Vendetta, Voyager and Vampire – in the Mediterranean during World War Two.

The less you know, the better you sleep

While Putin and Xi bulldoze remembrance of the past in Russia and China to shore up their oppressive regimes, the west must also acknowledge its its history to face the future with greater resolve.

Stalin’s war

Initially allied with Nazi Germany in its carve up of Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union played a major role in its final defeat, and a new book examines the role of the Soviet tyrant Joseph Stalin in these apocalyptic battles.

Law, politics and intelligence: a life of Robert Hope

In Law, politics and intelligence: a life of Robert Hope, Peter Edwards delivers a masterclass in the governance, or lack of it, of Australia’s security and intelligence services in the post-war era.

Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods”

Spike Lee’s new film film tells a vivid tale of African American life from the battlefields of Vietnam to a return to a civilian world ungrateful for their wartime service.

Combating the perfect weapon

The new cold war is being fought in cyberspace on a continuing basis and with ever more sophisticated technologies as the Western powers confront growing intrusions from adversaries ranging from Russia and China to Iran and North Korea.