With its vast lobbies and unfussy functionality, the concrete-and-glass Deutsche Oper building was considered an audacious statement of democratic ideals when it first opened in 1961 on the western side of the Berlin Wall…
In the past, Germany has been wary about showing off its assets. Not anymore. Monocle explores how the Goethe-Institut cultural centres are disseminating all things German, from New York to New Delhi. And free from gover…
The seemingly innocuous Paraguayan city of Pedro Juan Caballero, perched on the border with Brazil, is one of the region’s drugs capitals. Monocle meets the team charged with leading the fightback.
We are living in a revolutionary age and the old order is being destroyed. Trouble is governments don’t know how to cope. But the likes of Hezbollah do. Joshua Ramo, author of ‘The Age of the Unthinkable’, reveals why the…
NATO notices the Cold War is over and devises a new navy strategy. The US Army eyes the phone app market and in Ukraine, Russia is allowed to train its jet pilots.
Hilversum was the centre of Dutch broadcasting for the best part of a century, a model media city of daring architecture. Hit hard by changes in the industry, a period of self-reflection has the city searching for new…
With the stunning architecture of its Frank Gehry-designed performing arts centre and a star-studded roster of visiting talent, Bard College in Upstate New York is less like an academic institution, more like this summer’s…
Which countries get their way in the world without having to resort to military might? Who are the soft power leaders who know the value of well-placed aid or a good pop star? Over the following pages we name the top 25…
Thousands of Spaniards lost their citizenship as they fled Spain’s Civil War and Franco. Now Spain is offering its descendents the right to be Spanish. Should other countries who need migrants do more to encourage the…
The sheer breadth of countries covered by the defence-themed analyses in this issue illustrates the dizzying scale of modern-day conflicts. Some are in full flow, others are receding and many are threatened; all require our…
The towns of Blagoveshchensk and Heihe are divided by a river – and the very different routes the Russian and Chinese economies are travelling along. And there’s no doubt which town people want to live in.
Bikini Berlin is a newly redesigned complex mixing retail, culture and creative thinking about public space. Once a fading relic of the Cold War, intelligent ideas from its new tenants are helping to redefine the shopping…