Lithuania might be small but this plucky Baltic nation’s proximity to Russia means that it is ramping up its military might. Monocle meets its newest conscripts.
Despite Finland’s many forests, its furniture designers are struggling to source enough wood for their products. We visit three firms adapting to meet the challenge.
It may be the state’s long history of living off the land but Iowans are up-with-the-sun kind of people, ready to roll up their sleeves and set to work. Indeed, this has become Iowa’s pitch as an industrious crossroads of…
In an age of ideological division and looming environmental catastrophe, a nation’s ability to ensure its citizens’ safety is more important than ever. Here, we meet some of the people around the world who are working to…
Size isn’t everything – but the scale of a city can determine your trajectory in both business and life. Our fifth Small Cities Index puts the spotlight on 25 places around the world that offer the best of metropolitan…
Vietnam’s rapidly growing economy is becoming increasingly appealing to foreign investors, who are tempted by the dynamism of the country’s emerging middle class. Here, we explore the city at the heart of this transforma…
Subjects tackled by our essayists this issue: how the rise of AI might not have detrimental effects on human workers; why silicon chips might trigger a war in Asia; how Saudi Arabia needs to spare a thought for foreign…
Fiona Wilson reporting from Okinawa prefecture: With territorial disputes in the East China Sea intensifying, the Japan Coast Guard has had to rapidly evolve to contend with new threats. We drop anchor at Ishigaki Island…
In the desert outside the UAE’s capital, a vast film set is becoming a trusted shooting location for Hollywood, Bollywood and beyond. The Twofour54 complex is at the heart of a nascent movie industry, where government…