The Sunday Magazine for February 23, 2025
This week on The Sunday Magazine with Piya Chattopadhyay:
The third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war approaches during a dramatic reset in U.S. -Russia relations
In his new book Retired Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the former director for European affairs on the National Security Council and a key witness in the first impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump examines how U.S. foreign policy has historically catered to Russian interests – and how this approach has led to the current moment in the conflict.
Is your attention span really shrinking in the digital age?
Distraction has been called the defining 'cognitive crisis' of the day. But Marion Thain, the founder of the UK's Centre for Attention Studies says humanity has a long history of worrying about attention spans. Don't beat yourself for struggling to read a novel in the TikTok era, she says. But do pay attention to what you pay attention to.
Pope Francis - a Papacy like no other
Catholics the world over, are reflecting on the life and papacy of Pope Francis, who is critically ill in hospital. Among them - Michael Higgins, papal commentator and author of 'The Jesuit Disruptor: a Personal Portrait of Pope Francis'. He tells us why this papacy differed from others and what Pope Francis meant, when he described the church as a field hospital.
Mother of murdered journalist reveals what she learned by meeting his ISIS killer
When Diane Foley meets the ISIS man who kept her son in 21 months of brutal captivity before beheading him, her family opposes the meeting. Diane Foley and bestselling author Colum McCann speak with Chattopadhyay about the life and death of James Foley and the importance of listening to people you hate and who hate you.