Liberal Briefs
Cut through the noise. Where liberal analysis meets global complexity.
In an era marked by deepening polarisation and an increasingly fragile information ecosystem, where algorithmic systems privilege affirmation over deliberation, Liberal Briefs exists to restore rigour and integrity to public discourse.
By engaging leading scholars, practitioners, and sources of record, we interrogate prevailing narratives and surface the structural, historical, and ideological forces that shape them.
Our aim is to cultivate a space for critical inquiry and nuanced analysis, offering readers intellectually grounded perspectives on global complexity - unclouded by partisanship or oversimplification.
About Us
Founded on experience. Focused on complexity. Committed to nuance.
Liberal Briefs is an independent publication founded by Andrew O. McLeese, a strategist with a background in public policy, organisational design, and technological transformation. Drawing on experience across NATO, international consulting, and AI governance, the platform offers rigorous, evidence-based commentary on global affairs. With a commitment to intellectual honesty and democratic dialogue, Liberal Briefs challenges simplification and welcomes guest contributors from across disciplines.
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SOCIETY AND STRATEGY I The End of Moral Certainty: Reimagining Ethics to Rebuild Trust and Dialogue
In an age of polarisation and digital outrage, explore how rethinking moral certainty can help rebuild democratic trust. Drawing on philosophy, neuroethics, and misinformation research, follow the argument for a post-realist ethic grounded in humility, not dogma. A proposal for restoring dialogue in fractured societies.
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GEOPOLITICS I From Pariah to Partners - Why Aggressive Regimes Can’t Be Contained, They Must Be Transformed
Explore why foreign policy must move beyond containment strategies and engage with the internal political structures of aggressive regimes. Drawing on expert research and historical case studies, a strategysustainable peace depends on institutional transformation, democratic resilience, and long-term civic engagement.
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GEOPOLITICS I Power Without Mandate: The Perils of Germany’s Military Ambition
As Germany rearms at historic scale, the civic, strategic, and ethical legitimacy of its military ambition beckon interrogation. Can power without democratic mandate risks fracturing the very order it seeks to protect. A call for coherence, consent, and moral clarity in a post-pacifist state.
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TECH AND TRANSFORMATION I The Global Contest for Control: The Hidden Power Struggle Behind AI Governance
A deep dive into how the US, EU, and China govern AI, not through rules alone, but through influence, ideology, and institutional access. This essay reframes AI governance as a global contest over legitimacy, public agency, and the architecture of power.
