Affairs
Trump’s new Air Force One plane is bringing the president down to earth
The president’s Qatari-gifted Boeing 747-8 might be more risk than reward.
Latest in Monocle Radio
Latest
Europeans might be ready to talk to Russia but they’re struggling to find the right envoy. Who might make Putin listen?
The EU is facing growing pressure to mediate talks with Russia – but picking the best person for the role could be the hardest job of all.
Inside Monocle’s summer issue launch party in Abu Dhabi
Peak summer in the UAE has long been treated as a season of strategic skedaddling. People’s apartments are shuttered, automated out-of-office messages are switched on, restaurants are suddenly easy to book and anyone with…
How relaxing are Japan’s electric baths? The answer might shock you
Hidden among Japan’s steaming bathhouses is a tradition that has bathers quite literally buzzing. Despite what you think about combining water with electricity, the “denkiburo” proves that some rules are made to be broken.
How Tokyo made it to the top of Monocle’s 2026 Quality of Life Survey
Our Tokyo bureau chief tells us about daily life in the calm, clean and ambitious Japanese capital.
Good cities point the wayfaring stranger in the right direction
Wayfinding is an art form and one too often neglected. There is a whole industry built around this craft that seeks to manoeuvre us around airports, hospitals and cities using signs, graphics and clever…
For democracy’s sake, France’s centre-left should reopen ‘bars-tabacs’
Where ‘bars-tabacs’ close, votes for the far-right rise. Why not bring them back?
JD Vance is attempting to write his political future. His boss has other ideas
In the US vice-president’s new book, ‘Communion’, Vance seeks distance from Trump by positioning himself as just a regular guy.
How to cool cities naturally, without resorting to air conditioning
Humanity has adapted to environmental challenges. But to mitigate the effects of a warming world, cities must look to the past to glimpse a better future.
Trump weaponises architecture ahead of the US’s 250th birthday
Donald Trump is busily attempting to recast the US capital in his own image – but why does that image seem to resemble the ‘Germania’ envisioned by the Nazis?
A national birthday is a rare opportunity for the US to put political differences aside – if only people could agree how
The 250th anniversary of the US’s Declaration of Independence is an opportunity for a divided nation to come together. Alas, president Donald Trump has other ideas.
