Brendan Hoffman
Wine
Observation: Front vine
When Russia annexed Crimea, Ukraine lost its wine-making region. Now its vintners are clinking glasses with the west.
Music
Louder than bombs
US armed forces have a secret weapon: a jazz band that knows how to take a nation by storm.
Media
My Waterloo
With Ukraine’s staging of Eurovision in trouble, a Swedish superstar was asked to step in. How could he ever refuse?
Culture
Anchor Man
Veteran Lebanese journalist Hisham Melhem, head of Al Arabiya’s Washington bureau, speaks to Monocle about covering a winter of Arab rebellion from the US capital.
Affairs
Conflict managers
The Iraq war was big business for US military contractors. As the withdrawal of troops from the region becomes imminent, these firms are now looking to Africa as the next lucrative source of revenue.
