The Economist’s week ahead By The Economist Enjoying this
newsletter? Get it in your inbox every weekend, as well as our daily
round-up of The Economist’s best journalism, by signing up for free
here. The latest in our series of book recommendations, “The
Economist reads”, concerns the greatest scientific mystery of all:
the brain. Enjoy unravelling it. This weekend brought home to
Britain’s governing Conservative Party the jeopardy it faces at the
general election. As we have written, it fared dreadfully in a series
of local and other election contests held late last week. In London
the incumbent (Labour) mayor, Sadiq Khan, easily defeated his
Conservative challenger. The writing is on the wall in enormous
lettering for Rishi Sunak’s government: Britain’s voters are
furious. Other electoral contests are under way, too. Voting continues
in India. Our sister publication, 1843, has published a profile of the
most prominent opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi. Spoiler alert: Mr
Gandhi may hail from a storied family of prime ministers, but he is a
hapless politician who will lose badly when results are published
early in June. In the European Union elections are nearing for the
European Parliament, also in June. The question to ask there is
whether far-right parties, notably in Germany, France and Italy, are
set to become dominant. You can follow the race in the coming weeks
with our newly published poll tracker. (And keep up with the American
election one with our Biden-Trump poll tracker.) Europeans this week
may be more pre-occupied by the presence of an awkward visitor.
China’s leader, Xi Jinping, is spending five days in France, Hungary
and Serbia. Will he get a warm welcome? Considering China’s active
support for Russia under Vladimir Putin, Europeans should be deeply
wary of the Chinese leader. In our latest issue Chaguan, our China
columnist, offers a preview of the visit. Look out for our subsequent
reporting on it. As a senior Ukrainian general told us in an interview
recently, Russia is gaining strength on the battlefield in Ukraine. A
looming offensive could threaten Ukrainian forces, including in
Kharkiv, the second city. The country most actively providing Russia
with parts, electronics and tools that support the Russian armed
forces? As our article on the topic spells out, it’s China. Worries
in Europe are multiplying. Our latest cover story paid heed to
warnings from France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, who fears that a
combination of threats—military, economic and electoral—amount to
mortal danger for the continent. In his lengthy interview with us, he
set out exactly what that means. For some lighter relief, let me
recommend (as ever) our Dateline game. Just don’t complain to me
that the questions are too easy. And for a new way to keep up with our
latest stories then go to this link (from your phone) and join our
WhatsApp channel, where you will hear from us a couple of times per
day. Last week I sought your views on the campus protests in America,
and you responded in droves. Thank you—we really do read every
reply. Bonita Bryant writes that “If I were 75 years younger, I’d
want to join the camps”, mostly to show antipathy to Israel’s
leader, Binyamin Netanyahu, who has “caused so much suffering”. In
contrast Sybil Kelly, who did protest in the ’60s against the
Vietnam war, sees the current demonstrators as “naive”, in part
because they ignore horrors in Sudan, repression in China and beyond.
Finally, Ian Stewart predicts that an Israeli attack on Rafah, if it
comes, will be the cause of larger and longer protests that will, in
turn, put great electoral pressure on Joe Biden. Thank you for
reading. If you have any recommendations for books on the brain and
consciousness, or feedback on this newsletter more generally, reach me
at  economisttoday@economist.com. Adam Roberts, Digital editor
Recommended reads These books reveal why the brain is the biggest
mystery of all The human brain—the enigmatic organ of thought—is
the most intricate object in the universe, a tangled orchestra of
hundreds of billions of cells generating precise electrical impulses
that make up a mental symphony. Understanding how these harmonies
conjure thoughts, memories and emotions is perhaps the greatest
scientific question of all—the brain seeking to understand
itself—and yet the question remains unanswered after 150 years of
investigation by many of the best brains. Fortunately, they have made
some progress. These books elegantly summarise what is (and is yet to
be) known about brains. Why are Arab armed forces so ineffective? When
Arab air-defence crews helped fend off Iran’s attack on Israel in
April, they drew much praise. And yet Arab states are not usually
lauded for their martial prowess; many have lousy military
reputations. They have been repeatedly humiliated in wars with Israel.
They proved ineffective during the 1991 Gulf war; Egypt deployed two
armoured divisions but America quickly sidelined them when they
struggled to overcome even limited Iraqi resistance. Other Gulf
countries, such as Saudi Arabia, provided only a handful of troops.
More recently, despite considerable American military support, the
Saudi-led intervention in Yemen descended into a quagmire. In English
local elections Labour won where it needed to Sir Keir Starmer had
plenty of choices to take a victory lap after local elections in
England on May 2nd. The Labour leader could have nipped to Swindon,
home to a classic marginal constituency, where Labour increased its
majority on the council. He could have visited Nuneaton, a bellwether
seat in the Midlands, where the party snatched control. In the end Sir
Keir plumped for Northallerton Town football club in North Yorkshire.
Labour had just won the first ever mayoralty of the region, which is
home to some of the safest Tory seats in the country. That would have
upset the local Tory mp, one Rishi Sunak. Most read by subscribers
this week Emmanuel Macron’s urgent message for Europe How South
Africa has changed 30 years after apartheid How disinformation
works—and how to counter it America’s fiscal outlook is
disastrous, but forgotten Working from home and the US-Europe divide
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