Films — Affairs

We pull up a bar stool in Amsterdam at the inaugural Night Mayor Summit to hear from pioneering night watchmen and urban provocateurs in cities around the world.

This city of 13 million nurtures a balance of hi-tech efficiency and traditional neighbourhood values – and it’s a combination that wins the Japanese capital the top spot for a second year running. Our film focuses on its nocturnal delights, from sunset sports to the public-transport system, restaurants to late-night shopping. (You can also buy our Tokyo travel guide, available now at the [Monocle Shop.](https://monocle.com/shop/books-and-music/travel-guides/the-monocle-travel-guide-tokyo/))

The ups and downs of our annual global ranking covering the world's most liveable cities – who's in and who's out?

From diplomacy to government, business to media, how do we create a vibrant nation? To coincide with the publication of [“How to Make a Nation: A Monocle Guide”](https://monocle.com/shop/books-and-music/books/how-to-make-a-nation-a-monocle-guide/), Steve Bloomfield posed this question to panellists and delegates at our Quality of Life Conference in Vienna.

Monocle's Steve Bloomfield and photographer Zed Nelson travel to São Tomé to report on the corruption and misguided ambition that have been a blight on the fortunes of this tropical African island.

The republic of Nagorno-Karabakh in the Caucasus lies in purgatory. Despite its violent history, peace and PR is seen as the fastest route to normality; we visited just before the flare-up in 2016 to see if it can succeed.

Can good design cut through the babble? Who are the media players that still engage us in print and beyond? How can technology become less demanding and more friendly? And what happens when we stop meeting face to face? This film set up the digital-versus-analogue debate at Monocle’s Quality of Life Conference in Vienna.

Can good design cut through the babble? Who are the media players that still engage us in print and beyond? How can technology become less demanding and more friendly? And what happens when we stop meeting face to face? This film set up the digital-versus-analogue debate at Monocle’s Quality of Life Conference in Vienna.

Monocle’s second Quality of Life Conference kicked off in Vienna with a set of urban provocations. Here are Monocle’s top 10 city fixes.

How to Make a Nation: A Monocle Guide reveals all you need to make a happy, vibrant and successful nation. It’s a book that delivers inspiration whether you are a new citizen or a freshly elected PM. Monocle films goes behind the scenes to talk to the editors of the book and look inside the covers. Available to order now at [The Monocle Shop](https://monocle.com/shop/books-and-music/books/how-to-make-a-nation-a-monocle-guide/).

Monocle’s new book, “How to Make a Nation: A Monocle Guide”, explores all the elements you need to make a happy, vibrant and successful country. From designing a better parliament to choosing a flag, creating social capital to taking care of our young and old, this is a book about the small – and big – things that can make our nations work better for everyone who calls them home. Buy now at [The Monocle Shop](https://monocle.com/shop/books-and-music/books/how-to-make-a-nation-a-monocle-guide/).

As Perth attempts to shed its reputation for being nothing more than a mining city we explore the architecture, art and hospitality initiatives that are shaping this outpost.

Like many sovereign states, the Holy See pursues an active foreign policy. We visit the Vatican's foreign ministry, where world peace is always on the agenda. To find out more about the Vatican’s foreign ministry, read our [article](http://monocle.com/magazine/issues/90/vatican-foreign-policy-keep-the-faith/).

While flexing military and economic muscle can yield the most dramatic changes, a nation’s soft power can achieve more worthwhile outcomes. Our sixth annual survey puts the spotlight on the nations that use their gentler sides to gain influence.

Once a byword for all that ailed African nations, Ethiopia is again playing to its strengths – and its booming capital, Addis Ababa, is at the centre of the resurgence.