The new cold war

To view this email as a web page, click [here.]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [undefined]( The Arctic - the world's last frontier - is at the centre of a new geopolitical rivalry. In this week's cover story, Kristina Spohr profiles the race between Russia and China to control the region's lucrative shipping lanes and natural resources. "Both think big," Spohr writes, "but Xi Jinping's China has far deeper pockets and operates with much greater diplomatic shrewdness than Putin's Russia." Elsewhere, Paul Mason writes on the coming Tory Brexit meltdown, Mehdi Hasan asks if Donald Trump could simply refuse to leave office and Helen Lewis explains why the media faces a stark choice: "put up paywalls, or accept serfdom in the kingdoms of Facebook and Google". Also this week, I interview philosopher Nassim Nicholas Taleb about his new book Skin in The Game, Martin Fletcher explores whether Sinn Fein could thwart a "hard Brexit" and Sigrid Rausing reports on Cape Town's struggle to avoid drought. All this, plus Stephen Bush on the battle between Unite and Momentum for control of Labour, Sanjana Varghese on why students are supporting their striking lecturers and Amelia Tait on why she won't take an Uber. Enjoy and you can subscribe [here](. George [@georgeeaton]( Editor's Picks ["I hope for Goldman Sachs' bankruptcy": Nassim Nicholas Taleb on Skin in the Game]( George Eaton meets the Lebanese-American risk analyst. [Stephen Bush on Unite vs Momentum as left takes on left in the Labour Party]( Replacing the party's general secretary with a thoroughbred Corbynite is a priority for the Labour left. The question is: who? [Why students are coming out in support of their striking lecturers]( Sanjana Varghese on the anger at a higher education model that treats staff as service providers and students as consumers. [Is Jeremy Hunt preparing to check out from his role in the cabinet?]( Kevin Maguire's weekly dose of gossip from around Westminster. [Cape Town is running out of water and Day Zero is looming]( Sigrid Rausing on how South Africa's capital is reaching crisis point. [www.NewStatesman.com]( [Anoosh Chakelian on when "social experiment" immigration TV goes wrong]( Misleading documentaries about ethnic minority communities have a profound effect on both their subjects and audience. [Nicola Sturgeon has leverage over Theresa May on Brexit - and she's threatening to use it]( Chris Deerin argues that the Scottish Parliament's relationship with the London mothership has always been testy. Now it is nearing constitutional crisis mode. [podcast]( To unsubscribe click: [here](