The Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration, aka the Peace Palace, houses a crack team striving to resolve international disputes and bring about world peace. It may sound idealistic, but its services are increasingly in demand.

Haiti is picking up the pieces – but sooner or later another natural disaster will strike. Here, Monocle looks at the best nations to call in a crisis and tools you need for the job.

When it comes to disasters, the first few hours make all the difference to rescue and relief efforts. And the better the kit, the greater the chance of saving lives. But is it time for a permanent rapid reaction force?

Israel’s violent history means that its hospitals have much to teach other countries about how to deal with major bloodshed on their streets. Rambam Medical Center in Haifa is offering medics pioneering training in handling mass casualty situations.

Israel’s National Search and Rescue Unit, made up entirely of volunteers, is always one of the first teams to arrive in major disasters, including the earthquake in Haiti.

Côte d’Ivoire are seen as Africa’s best chance for World Cup glory. The secret to their prowess is the ASEC Mimosas academy, which not only trains, but also educates young Ivorians – the best of whom have gone on to become some of the world’s top footballers.

Offering an alternative lifestyle to Shanghai and Beijing, Dalian is a vibrant student city with an easier pace of life. You might not have heard of it but this is one of the world’s biggest outsourcing centres.

Mitsuoka makes models based on classic cars and it works unlike most other automakers in that every car is handmade in its workshop in Toyama. This gives it the edge in an industry that’s lifting itself out of the doldrums.

As vocal political battles rage on over the country’s democratisation, Monocle speaks to Turkey’s media stars about the role newspapers have in shaping the nation.

Starting on a shoestring, Benjamin Sommerhalder moved from making his own magazine to building up a small publishing house with a gallery and shop space. And on the way he’s kick-started an old-fashioned publishing boom.

It used to be known for its trashy urban landscape but now Brisbane is showing the world that this 1980s child has come of age. Its young generation of architects is transforming the skyline with elegant buildings – and winning big commissions abroad.

There was a sense of optimism at this year’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie as Swiss watchmakers predicted a return to sunnier economic climes and unveiled a host of high-end timepieces to underline their bullishness.

Dai Nippon Printing’s new training centre, by architect Kenya Ishihara, was designed to inspire its employees. With a spa and views of Mount Fuji, it seems more like a retreat than a place of work but with this incentive we bet the staff never miss a training day.

Law firms aren’t usually known for innovative interior design but there is nothing stuffy about this Stockholm office. Colour, bespoke furniture and unusual materials help create a perfectly judged space, while respecting the need for privacy.

Sweden cracks down on "sickies", Hungary's and Slovakia's war of words, and Paris trials electric-car sharing.

Our regular dispatch from Washington looks at adoption in the US, plus Canada gets ready to party.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's Me and My Motorcade, Taiwanese and Chinese students rise above old rivalries, and Dehli's High Court turns digital.

We give Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni the once over for this issue's Style Leader, plus Uganda's police chief goes on a "fat attack".

An Australian town with new-found pilgrim pulling power, French Polynesia the rebellion, Australian students get wily, and the next Guantánamo.

Vietnam orders $1,8bn worth of submarines to keep up with the neighbours, Peru gets kitted out to deal with a guerilla resurgence and Russian upgrades its stealth bombers.

Zimbabwe becomes a convenient customer for unwanted US banknotes and Japan starts doling out cash to cheer people up.

The Bavarian Opera's new magazine, a cinema that's a community hub in Japan and our regular columnist gives us an update on newspaper Mint. Plus, the latest in our series on gallery owners and a Q&A with the founders of a recently opened New York art buying consultancy.

Film reviews for Lion's Den and Lebanon, our picks of books and music releases and culture "czar" Robert Bound's column.

The redesign for the Flemish Parliament in Brussels, a new collection from furniture designer Gesa Hansen, plus a Japanese architect who relocates neglected rural buildings to a new life in the city.

Deceased vintage denim brand The Stronghold is resurrected in Los Angeles, new collections are launched by Gloverall, Yuketen and Pedro García, and we ask Lindberg's CEO about its new luxury sunglasses range.

Thanks to a strong leader, oil discoveries, new direct flights to Europe and a prime-time drama set in St John’s, it’s boom time for this Canadian province, leading everyone from Norwegian engineers to New York art directors to relocate here.

The Echiré cooperative has been churning out butter for more than a century. It must have been doing a good job too, as some of the world’s best restaurants won’t use anything else. Monocle looks at what makes Echiré a better butter.

Buyers braved the cold to make it to this season’s Pitti Uomo menswear show, with numbers up on last year. A sense of calm about the future was reflected in the relaxed fit of items on show.

Now that spring’s in the air again it’s time to lighten up with crisp cotton shirts, jackets and cardigans for a stroll around Tokyo’s back streets.

It’s time to refresh with American classics and Italian tailoring mixed with some Japanese sharpness. Cardigans, lightweight jackets and blazers are perfect for clever seasonal layering.

From headphones to vegetable juice, here’s Monocle’s run-down of the latest essentials for every part of your life.

With typical egalitarian flourish and quirk, New Zealand’s national carrier has come up with an innovation that will expand the horizons of horizontal leisure travel. Plus overleaf, we discover a new Hong Kong hub, a cosy Cape Town bistro, inspired accommodation in Melbourne and Berlin and pancakes in Tokyo.

In the second of our series on niche airlines, we take a trip on one of two planes – one red, one blue – run by the tiny, but ambitious, Fuji Dream Airlines.

It’s one of the most important meals of the day and a morning ritual we’re never willing to sacrifice. Whether it’s a croissant or miso soup, a hearty breakfast and a punchy coffee will perk you up for the day. We’ve rounded up the components for a perfect start, from the tastiest muesli recipe to the finest coffee makers and the best morning reads.

The Moroccan city famed for its Art Deco architecture is in the middle of a huge regeneration project, making it the perfect time to invest.

Aki Arjola, a former food magazine editor and founder of a food shop in Helsinki, takes us on a tour of his neighbourhood.

The almighty Master Shibatayama, a former Grand Champion sumo wrestler, chooses a traditional Japanese restaurant in Shinjuku for his Last Meal. He runs a sumo school in Tokyo and is the author of several books on regional sweets, which are his weakness.

In Trollhättan, you feel those who work for Saab – many of whom have done so for their entire working lives – would do it for free, such is their loyalty to the company. But with Saab’s future in the balance, the town is beginning to attract technology start-ups and to transform itself into the hub of Sweden’s film industry.

Where did the past 36 months go? Our editor in chief Tyler Brûlé surveys the editorial floor on the eve of our third birthday.