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[Weekend 2e] A new issue of Axess is out, including an introduction on The Limits of Tolerance; Annika Strom Melin went to Denmark and the Netherlands to assess the transformation of liberal dreams into the mindset of a new nationalism; and if people cannot identify with an idea of Europe, what can EU institutions really achieve? France's iconic cartoon warrior, Asterix, finds himself embroiled in a dastardly sex plot featuring drugs, blackmail and prostitutes imported from eastern Europe. There will be no place for Ankara in an enlarged European Union within the foreseeable future, predicts Geoffrey Wheatcroft. It is not a cultural, economic or religious issue, purely geographic -- a vision of Europe extending to the borders of Iraq makes no sense. Secular Europe's fundamental test: Islamophobia makes integration tough for the continent's 15 million Muslims. From New Left Review, a look at how the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has been recast for an age of humanitarian warfare; and an article on the impact of Chinese sovereignty on Hong Kong, and Pacific Rim protests against the WTO; and amid the complex cross-currents of the Latin American political scene, where to situate Lula’s Brazil? From Dollars & Sense, an essay on microcredit and women's poverty: Granting this year's Nobel Peace Prize to microcredit guru Muhammad Yunus affirms neoliberalism. An article on Abandoning the World Bank: Pitfalls When Right and Left Agree. A review of The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good by William Easterly. A review of The Fate of Africa: From the Hopes of Freedom to the Heart of Despair. A graphic showing the percentage of people in 11 different countries whose view of the United States was either favorable or unfavorable, and how that view has changed since the beginning of George W. Bush's presidency. And while you were at war: With its attention focused on Iraq, the Bush administration has ignored other critical problems, whose windows of opportunity are slamming shut

[Weekend] From Ukraine, the political trench warfare between President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych is shattering the Ukrainian people's dreams of a new beginning and moral rebirth. From France, despite its much-hailed equal rights laws and a woman leading the presidential campaign, the realm of French politics still remains one of the most sexist in all of Europe. Redrawing the map of Europe: New measurements show that Liechtenstein has a longer border and more Alpine real estate than it previously thought. From Foreign Policy in Focus, the Lao experience since the Communist takeover in 1975 suggests real limits to a development model that combines single party rule with market economics. From Opinion Journal, an interview with Desmond Tutu, a very devout politician. Although Kofi Annan's tenure was shadowed by political catfights, he leaves the United Nations as one of its most successful secretary generals. Justice, but no reckoning: It is a great shame that Saddam Hussein will not be held accountable for all of his crimes, and a far greater tragedy that he was allowed, sometimes with American complicity, to commit them in the first place. Alexander Cockburn says so long to our tyrant. From The Independent, the review of the year: Bush's America. And what should Congressional Democrats do when the Bush administration stonewalls their efforts to undertake oversight? 

[Dec 29] From India, an article on why we love to hate Arundhati Roy. From Australia, the response of Western governments to the terrorist attacks of 11 September, 2001 might be the defining characteristic of the 21 st century. From The East African Standard, an article on "tokoloshe", the disease of African presidents. From Middle East Quarterly, an essay on the Kurdish Case: Kirkuk is the Kurdish "Jerusalem", and an article on the Turkoman Case: Kirkuk's Turkoman roots must be recognized. From Alternet, despite the challenges presented by the current administration, the global justice movement has made impressive strides, and while many of the big stories in 2006 were bad news, there were hundreds of activist successes in 2006 that permanently changed the world. From Commentary, an essay on Jews, Muslims, and the Democrats; and is conservatism finished? The GOP’s poor showing at the polls does not carry anything like the ideological significance that some have assigned to it. The American Right achieved its political dominance in Washington over the past quarter century with the help of more than $3 billion spent by Korean cult leader Sun Myung Moon on a daily propaganda organ, The Washington Times, according to a 21-year veteran of the newspaper. From Foley to Frey: An article on the year in US scandals. Melting Down: Bret Stephens on how celebrities finally get what they deserve. And from The Village Voice, city rump: An ass-eye tour of New York with the editors of BUTT magazine

[Dec 28] From China, Liang Yumin killed himself, after village-level bureaucrats made his life hell. His offense? Being democratically elected to replace them. From France, Paris is alarmed at the prospect that its beloved main boulevard, the Champs Elysées, is becoming just another brand-driven shopping street. Happy Birthday: Next year marks the EU's 50th anniversary. Is liberalism dead in Central Europe? An article on the disturbing return of socialism and authoritarianism in the former Soviet bloc. From Financial Times, a look at how the US dollar bill’s standing as the world’s favourite form of cash is being usurped by the five-year-old euro. Will the dam break in 2007? Joseph Stiglitz investigates. Could 2006 go down as the year Americans began to think outside their political and economic boxes? Maybe, if a recent batch of essays and policy proposals is anything more than straws in the intellectual wind. To fully grasp the allure of Barack Obama—the Illinois Democrat and media sensation—it helps to start with his fellow senators from neighboring Indiana. Malice in the Middle: An article on Barack Hussein Obama and the history of bad middle names in politics. John Edwards begins testing his hunch that Americans, though focused now on the war in Iraq, can be won over to a campaign built on what he calls "the great moral issue of our time": Fighting poverty at home. The Washington Times gets picked up every day on C-SPAN, and by other major news organizations when it scores a big hit. But for a paper that only has a daily circulation of just 90,000 with inflated numbers, can that marvelous respectability continue? And a review of The New Bedside Playboy: A Half Century of Amusement, Diversion & Entertainment, edited by Hugh Hefner

[Dec 27] Form Médecins Sans Frontières, do we need a world health insurance to realize the right to health? See You Annan: Leaving the United Nations, the Secretary General tells us why it's not working. Joschka Fischer on the curse of unilateralism. Did Turkmenistan’s President, Saparmurat Niyazov, really die of cardiac arrest or is he just latest victim of Bush’s "regime change" epidemic? A review of Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the US. Obituary: Former president Gerald Ford. What's LA's problem? The Los Angeles Times' "Opinion" page asked various Californians about the biggest troubles Los Angeles will face in 2007. Here's what they said. Many can plausibly lay claim to stinky media performances, but only a few can win a P.U.-litzer. Is Web 2.0 another bubble? Two technology venture capitalists debate whether there is a bubble in so-called Web 2.0 companies. Giving the people what they want: The YouTube cultural clearinghouse is a gift that keeps on giving, until it is taken away. Searching E-phemera: Want to find that cool Web page again? Look to this Net archive. And ads we hate: An article on the worst commercials on television

[Dec 26] From Perspectives on Politics, a symposium on The Global Politics of HIV/AIDS. A review of Mandela: A Critical Life and Mandela: The Authorized Portrait. The introduction to Law, Infrastructure and Human Rights. From Foreign Policy, an interview with Ken Menkhaus on the war in Somalia. Is there a two-state solution for Iraq? From The Weekly Standard, the Peace Party vs. the Power Party: Matthew Continetti on the real divide in American politics. A look at how socialists are finding life in the US a challenge. Gary Hart reviews Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope. A review of Woodward and Bernstein: Life in the Shadow of Watergate. Dont B a h8r: A list of quick text messages for the not-so-young generation. And imagine that, by one of life's more serious vicissitudes, you had to serve as someone's dog. Cheer up: you would do better than you think

[Dec 25] From Ethiopia, fighter jets hit Somali targets, declaring war, an escalation that could turn Somalia’s internal crisis into a religious conflict that engulfs the entire Horn of Africa. Since 9/11, Washington has felt the continent matters. But many Africans think America doesn’t. From Vanguardia, current citizenship laws in the European Union vary dramatically. The tension between freedom of movement and national self-determination of citizenship within the EU has the potential to create serious conflicts in the future. Quaero was supposed to be the European answer to Google, but the Franco-German project has collapsed. Now the Germans will focus on their own project, Theseus -- but the French still want to make Quaero a search engine of the future. Bigger, Better, More Expensive: It's not just high oil prices. In 2006, Russia tried to reassert its status as a cultural superpower with a cluster of high-profile events. From RAND Corporation, an article on globalization's unequal discontents. A review of Joseph Stiglitz's Making Globalization Work. Wolfowitz owes us an explanation: Accountability is one of those ideals, like justice or the triumph of right over might, that are wonderful in principle but usually disappointing in practice. If Iraq should descend into full-blown civil war, could its neighbors be drawn into a much wider conflict? In 1972, President Richard Nixon tried to use the Soviets to help solve the Vietnam problem. Will President Bush heed the lessons of his predecessor? John F. Kerry on how there's something much worse than being accused of "flip-flopping": refusing to flip when it's obvious that your course of action is a flop. Jonathan Chait on how Bush fooled the neocons. Eleanor Clift on Bush's worst lies of 2006. Reason's People of the Year: Screw Time magazine. Here's a list to ponder. And here's some last-minute holiday gifts for the dictators in your life!

[Weekend 2e] From American Political Science Review, a special issue on The Evolution of Political Science, including Benjamin Barber (Maryland): The Politics of Political Science: 'Value-free' Theory and the Wolin-Strauss Dust-Up of 1962; Andrew Bennett (Georgetown) and G. John Ikenberry (Princeton): The Review's Evolving Relevance for U.S. Foreign Policy 1906-2006; Mark Blyth (JHU): Great Punctuations: Prediction, Randomness, and the Evolution of Comparative Political Science; Bruce Bueno de Mesquita (NYU): Game Theory, Political Economy, and the Evolving Study of War and Peace; Philip E. Converse (Michigan): Researching Electoral Politics; James N. Druckman (Northwestern), Donald P. Green (Yale), James H. Kuklinski (Illinois), and Arthur Lupia (Michigan): The Growth and Development of Experimental Research in Political Science; and John S. Dryzek (ANU): Revolutions without Enemies: Transformations in Political Science pdf

[Weekend]  From Eritrea, Edward Denison, author of Asmara: Africa's Secret Modernist City, reports on the architecture and politics of a nation on its knees. From South Africa, Jacob Zuma has avoided conviction in two legal proceedings. His moral standing has taken a hit, but despite all this, he still has an excellent shot at becoming president. From Monthly Review, an interview with Obi Egbuna, founder of the Pan African Liberation Organization. On the 800th anniversary of his empire's birth, China and Mongolia both claim Genghis Khan as their own. The World Bank's François Bourguignon on a prognosis on globalization: The poor will get richer. From The Economist, an article on a right royal scandal that spawned Britain's popular press. A review of London: City of disappearances. Historian Andrew Roberts on the hazards of being a Thatcherite in Britain when he has "never known the country in such an anti-American mood". Partners in an unhappy marriage: A hoax Belgian TV show tricked the public into thinking their country had been split in two last week, but the reality isn't far from the fiction. A review of Girl in the Cellar: The Natascha Kampusch Story. From Mother Jones, Harpy, Hero, Heretic: Why Hillary Clinton stokes our deepest fears and darkest hatreds. Just how screwed are the Republicans? Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson, authors of Off Center, investigate. Perhaps, just perhaps, the 2006 mid-term elections will give pause to the "long-term trend" school—industry, actually—of American politics. National politicians could take notes from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's innovative new plan to help New Yorkers work their way out of poverty. Peter Singer on pigs, calves, and American democracy. From Nerve, an interview with Jerry Oppenheimer, author of House of Hilton. And a review of The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB's: A Secret History of Jewish Punk

[Dec 22] From Turkmenistan, President Saparmurat Niyazov dies suddenly. Now the rest of the world is waiting to see what happens next, and more more on a tough season for tyrants. From Kazakhstan, an awkward anniversary: Twenty years on, Kazakhs weigh the fruits of rebellion. From Serbia, as elections approach, liberals hope that voters see their future in Europe, while the right appeals to notions of an honored but betrayed past. From Foreign Policy, here's a look at the Top Ten Stories You Missed in 2006. A year and seventy-two nominees later, Open Democracy readers vote for and against the world's primary Bad Democrat. Human rights award stirs controversy among Dominicans: The 2006 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award was recently presented to Sonia Pierre, a Dominican-born Haitian rights advocate, for her work towards securing the human rights of Dominico-Haitians. The durability of the economic recovery in Argentina has surprised many. But is the government mortgaging the country's future? With a life story that reads like an adventure novel, Bolivian VP Alvaro Garcia is Evo Morales' Karl Rove, and one of the most interesting figures in the new Latin left. Venezuelans take their constitution seriously; indeed, some take it everywhere. Enemies' Echo: An article on the shared political stylings of George W. Bush and Hugo Chavez. In his position as the Alpha Male, leader-of-the-pack, Bush may represent the vanguard of our species' future evolutionary development. As he eyes the White House, Newt Gingrich tries to distance himself from the Bush administration, but he helped the president make his biggest mistake. Can John Edwards sell his populism at Regency Hotel? Leading by 20 in Iowa, ex-Senator schmoozes, oozes across room from Hillary. And an article on Mitt Romney's religion: A Mormon president? No way

[Dec 21] From the Maldives, waving or drowning? 1,200 islands; 600,000 tourists; 300,000 natives; two countries. From India, an article on the national interest as a flawed notion; is the opposition to the veil out of a concern for women's rights or a desire to conform to western thinking?; and a review of Debates in Indian Philosophy: Classical, Colonial, and Contemporary. The General in his Labyrinth: Tariq Ali on Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US. Thieves, murderers, rapists; and how the Pushtuns' ancient tribal code is fighting for survival against radical Islam. Faith in the market: Behind the street markets of Italy, there is a network of African Muslims offering a new response to globalisation. European Union leaders want to move on from arguing about enlargement to arguing about a revived constitution. The introduction to Nationalist Politics and Everyday Ethnicity in a Transylvanian Town. Protecting precious places: Some healthy competition could be good for UNESCO. Lifestyles of the the poor and unknown: A survey shows people living in extreme poverty still have disposable income. How to grease a palm: Corruption has its own elaborate etiquette. Kama Sutra and feral cats: To understand contemporary Russia, consider its airports. From The Economist, Middle America's soul: If you want to understand America, turn that dial to a country-music station. The introduction Diverse Communities: The Problem with Social Capital. America the creative: Can statues of killer-bees and storytelling festivals stop the country's smallest towns from withering away? A look at what the consolidation of American banking has meant for its smallest operators. Here's what Congress can do to end business domination of federal policy. The Lobbyist as Reporter: Is this the future of the business press? The Blog Mob: "Written by fools to be read by imbeciles". And there's no shortage of people playing dirty tricks, or just being plain annoying, online. Here's a taxonomy to help you sort them out

[Dec 20] From Jamaica, an article on Michael Manley and the new global politics. From Libya, a court has sentenced five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death for knowingly infecting hundreds of children with HIV in hospital in Libya (and more on the global medical disaster). From Pakistan, an article on taxation and civilisation. From India, a review of Environmentality: Technologies of Government and the Making of Subjects. US and China: Who's subsidizing whom? Morgan Stanley's Stephen Roach on Ben Bernanke. Jimmy Carter on reiterating the keys to peace. The other Israel lobby: A new alliance, including financier George Soros and former Bill Clinton advisor Jeremy Ben-Ami, aims to take on the powerful lobbyist group AIPAC, and reshape U.S. policy. EJ Dionne on The Real America, redefined. Once again, GOP candidates are pandering to the religious right. The President in the room: Hillary Clinton's biggest issue? A certain someone in her background. Is Bernie Sanders the next George Aiken? Vermont historians point to surprising similarities. Libertarians to TNR: You really need us by Brink Lindsey. Bruce Bartlett on why the Libertarian Party is worse than a waste of time. Science fiction goes political: In books out now, President Chelsea Clinton hosts Osama bin Laden while most of the country lives under Sharia law. Hollywood doesn't care as much about Christmas or Christians as it does about making a profit. But just how much money do religious films make? YouTube journalism: Foreign Policy's Moisés Naím on how the website can turn any ordinary person with a camera into a journalist, a more powerful version of the "CNN effect". Witty women out to kill: Christopher Hitchens might do well to drop by Toronto. At the Cream of Comedy Awards last month, four of the six nominees were women. And a review of I Killed: True Stories of the Road from America's Top Comics

[Dec 19]  From Great Britain, a review of The English National Character: The History of an Idea from Edmund Burke to Tony Blair (and more); a review of Believing in Britain: The Spiritual Identity of "Britishness" and City of Laughter: Sex and Satire in 18th Century London; a review of Marking the Hours: English People and Their Prayers 1240-1570 by Eamon Duffy; and they come to Britain in their hundreds of thousands, all seeking refuge, asylum or just a better life. And for many, the first port of call is the Catholic Church. The meaning of multiculturalism can seem unclear. As a result, are we making a fetish of integration? Let's Just be Friends: The EU's tepid response to its ardent Balkan suitors would frustrate anyone. But they can't give up. From Slate, who deserves democracy? In the Palestinian territories, hypocrisy is the best policy. An interview with Rashid Khalidi on why Palestinians have failed to create a nation the grave situation in the Middle East. The Real Sunni Triangle: Christopher Hitchens on why there are only three options in Iraq. Top former State Department expert Wayne White explained to the Iraq Study Group's members why their preferred plan would most likely fail. They ignored his warning. Some autocrats are better than others. Now more than ever, choosing among them is the trick. The Banality of Evil: An article on Hussein and Eichmann on Trial. Form Newsweek, an article on the Republican Identity Crisis. From Reason, an interview with Bob Barr, Republican turned Libertarian. What do people see when they look at Barack Obama? Whatever they want to see. But what happens when he has to define himself? John Fund on why Barack Obama may not run. John Dickerson on the five best political moments of 2006. From Government Executive, as anticipated, the federal government flunked its audit for fiscal 2006, with 53% of its reported assets and 27% of net costs on the balance sheets of five agencies that could not be fully audited. Maybe we should be calling our government what it has literally become: a veritable gerontocracy. From New York, an article on reasons to love New York. Bed Bugs & Beyond: An outbreak of paranoia (and lint) sweeps New York City. And here's a list of 9 body parts you didn't know had names

[Dec 18] IR, American foreign policy, and the law: From CUP, the introduction to Agents, Structures and International Relations: Politics as Ontology; the introduction to Delegation and Agency in International Organizations; and the introduction to Law as a Means to an End: Threat to the Rule of Law. In his last speech as UN secretary general, Kofi Annan took a parting shot at George Bush's policies, accusing the US of committing human rights abuses in the name of fighting terror. For Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, being compared to Adolf Hitler is better than being asked about civil liberties in Iran. Negotiating with Iran and Syria can pay off, but only if we know what we're doing; and negotiating with adversaries can be useful, but this time we'd have to give up too much. The war in Iraq has produced many casualties. One lesser-noticed one may be the death of an idea -- the idea that the culture of a nation or region can be transformed quickly by well-intentioned foreigners. Tyranny, realism and Jeane Kirkpatrick: David Rieff on how liberals today sound an awful lot like the neoconservative realists of the Reagan era. Daniel Drezner on the Grandest Strategy of Them All: Two major public statements, coming less than a week apart, nicely capture the confusion besetting US foreign policy these days. The capital awaits a masterstroke on Iraq, and even a radical proposal of Darwinian proportion is part of the buzz; but can US foreign policy in the Middle East ever be successful if members of Congress fail to recognize the fundamental nature of the region’s religious terrain? Rarely win at Trivial Pursuit? The State Department is overhauling the Foreign Service exam, but will modernizing how it builds the nation’s diplomatic ranks come at a cost to applicant quality? (and try the Foreign Service Exam). The Vanishing: Christopher Caldwell on why hardly anyone mourns the collapse of George Bush’s authority. A review of Guantanamo and the Abuse of Presidential Power. A review of Way By Other Means: An Insider’s Account of the War on Terror by John Yoo and Before the Next Attack: Preserving Civil Liberties in an Age of Terrorism by Bruce Ackerman. And the introduction to The Constitution of Law: Legality in a Time of Emergency

[Weekend 2e] From PINR, an article on current geostrategy in the South Caucasus. From The National Interest, J-Curve Economics: Robert VerBruggen on a theoretical argument for development, not democracy, in Iraq. Choosing Victory: Frederick Kagan has a plan for success in Iraq. Spencer Ackerman on Fred Kagan's disastrous plan for "victory" in Iraq. A review of Confronting Iran: The Failure of American Foreign Policy and the Next Great Conflict in the Middle East; Hidden Iran: Paradox and Power in the Islamic Republic; and Iran's Nuclear Ambitions. From Time, an interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Why they deny the Holocaust: On top of nearly constant anti-Semitic propaganda, much of the Muslim world hasn't even heard of it. Many Israelis and their American allies are sleeping through the rise of the virulently anti-Arab Avigdor Lieberman. How likely is a nuclear attack on the United States by a rogue state or a non-state actor, i.e., terrorists? How likely does it have to be? D.C.'s Achilles' heel: Bruce Ackerman on how all government branches need succession plans in case of a catastrophic terrorist attack. From TAP, excess baggage: The conservative attack on government has left a major mess for Democrats to clean up. From National Journal, House Democrats are racing the clock to be in a position to deliver on their promises when they take charge on Jan. 4. They still have formidable legislative and organizational challenges to overcome. John Dean on refocusing the impeachment movement on administration officials below the president and vice-president: Why not have a realistic debate, with charges that could actually result in convictions? A review of Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency by Lou DuBose. From Human Events, Richard Viguerie, author of Conservatives Betrayed, on what Karl Rove didn't want to hear. From TNR, social conservatives rain on Mitt Romney's parade, and watch the macho men of 1994 weep like babies. Barackwater: For now, Obama's scandal is too small to hurt. Barack's ready: Look beyond Obama's two years in the Senate and you'll see that he's well prepared to run for president. The Hippie Era Just Won't Die: More than 36 years after the '60s ended, that decade remains at the center of the political divide. An article on who Americans are and what they do, in census data

[Weekend] From the United Arab Emirates, political analysts expressed cautious optimism over the prospects for greater democracy ahead of the country's first parliamentary elections. From CUP, the introduction to Ethics in Action: The Ethical Challenges of International Human Rights Nongovernmental Organizations; and the introduction to Who Believes in Human Rights? An interview with Rebiya Kadeer, the Uighur Dalai Lama. From the North American Congress on Latin America, an article on the death of the defense of dictators. The Economist and the Dictator: Just what is the connection between Milton Friedman and Augusto Pinochet? The introduction to Antitrust and Global Capitalism, 1930–2004. From The Dissident Voice, an article on libertarianism, the public interest and the limits of volunteerism. From Rolling Stone, Paul Krugman on The Great Wealth Transfer: It's the biggest untold economic story of our time: more of the nation's bounty held in fewer and fewer hands. And Bush's tax cuts are only making the problem worse. From Truthout, George Lakoff on building on the progressive victory. Sen. John McCain launches an assault against the independent blogosphere. From American Heritage, an article on how NASCAR conquered America. A Very Ecumenical Christmas: Why conservatives despise the phrase happy holidays. From CJR, and it's that time of year again for the newsweeklies: Christ as Cover Boy time; and a review of The Race Beat The Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation. Fa La La La La: It's about that time of year for the blues to set in, and although they're obviously besetting the world of journalism, the media should realize that things are not quite as bad as they seem. Perez Hilton's gay witch hunt: The MSM's favorite "gossip gangsta" claims he outs celebrities in the name of civil rights. But to his detractors, he's a self-serving lowlife. And you’ll work in this town again: How low does a human being have to sink before Hollywood shoos him away and he can’t get an Oscar?

[Weekend 2e] From The Intercollegiate Review, Daniel Mahoney (Assumption): Conservatism, Democracy, and Foreign Policy; James Kurth (Swarthmore): The U.S. Victory in Vietnam: Lost and Found; Bradley C. S. Watson (Saint Vincent): Creed & Culture in the American Founding; a review of A World Beyond Politics? A Defense of the Nation-State by Pierre Manent; a review of Return to Greatness: How America Lost its Sense of Purpose and What it Needs to Do to Recover It by Alan Wolfe; and a review of Look Homeward, America: In Search of Reactionary Radicals and Front-Porch Anarchists by Bill Kauffman. A review of The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success by Rodney Stark. Damon Linker reviews What Paul Meant by Garry Wills. A religion professor buys a sailboat and visits every location that Paul the Apostle visited: A review of Sailing Acts : Following an Ancient Journey. From Dissent, essays on George W. Bush and the Latest Evangelical Menace; and on Beyond the 'M' Word: The Tangled Web of Politics and Marriage. From New Politics, Deanne Bonnar (BU): The Wages of Care: Change and Resistance in Support of Caregiving Work; Helen Lachs Ginsburg (Brooklyn) and Marguerite G. Rosenthal (Salem State): The Ups and Downs of the Swedish Welfare State: General Trends, Benefits and Caregiving; an essay on Empowering People with Disabilities; an article on Foster Care; and an essay on The Political Economy of Psychotherapy. A review of When Affirmative Action Was White by Ira Katznelson. A review of Caught in the Crossfire: Kids, Politics, and America’s Future. Among your qualifications, an MBA at Household U.: Returning to the work force after raising a child requires sales skills. UCLA's Joel Handler on welfare reform's hollow victory. A review of In Our Hands: A Plan to Replace the Welfare State by Charles Murray. And that extra $10 million from Wall Street burning a hole in your pocket? The bad news is that not everything is for sale, or readily available, plug-and-play or cash-and-carry

[Weekend] Potpourri: From Slate, Christopher Hitchens on our short national nightmare: How President Ford managed to go soft on Iraqi Baathists, Indonesian fascists, Soviet Communists, and the shah in just two years; and why pardoning Nixon was wrong: Ignore the cost-free magnanimity of Ford's rehabilitators. You had it right the first time. A look at the extraordinarily interesting life of presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. From Workers Solidarity Movement, an essay on anarchism, insurrections and insurrectionalism (and a response). The politics of friendship: When friendship is present in public life, the modern political world is suspicious. It needs to relearn a lesson from classical Greece. The trouble with troubled teen programs: An article on how the "boot camp" industry tortures and kills kids. Does America need a Foreign Legion? Americans are beginning to consider adopting one of the defining policies of late empire: the mass military recruitment of foreigners. A review of One Nation, One Standard: An Ex-Liberal on How Hispanics Can Succeed Just Like Other Immigrant Groups by Herman Badillo. The Spychopath Who Loved Me: If there’s a pop cultural icon in dire need of being revisited—and revised—at this historical moment, it is Bond, James Bond. And the Lazy Top 10 Anything: Late December is the point where lazy editors tell their lazy pundits to knock out a couple of hundred words structured around the topic

[Dec 29] From Mother Jones, the talking way: In Navajo country, traditional justice, modern violence, and the death penalty collide in a debate unlike any in America. As doubts grow about the humanity and constitutionality of lethal injection, California, Florida and Maryland have shut down executions. America's flight from the death penalty continues. From Writ, an article on the constitution, capital punishment and clemency proceedings. From Legal Times, in search of a criminal: Donald Rumsfeld's name tops the list of accused of war crimes. An essay on the Age of Intolerance: Its consequences for America and the world. From The Weekly Standard, believe it or not: Joseph Epstein on presidents and their convictions. Rep. Robin Hayes (R-NC) says stability in Iraq hinges on "spreading the message of Jesus Christ". How would four of the greatest war leaders in history have handled Iraq? Genghis Khan, law and order; Julius Caesar, diplomacy and power; Abraham Lincoln, focus on the real foe; and George Washington, the crying game. Juan Cole on the top ten Iraq myths for 2006. A review of Target Iran: The Truth About the White House's Plans for Regime Change by Scott Ritter. From Counterpunch, Norman Finkelstein on the ludicrous attacks on Jimmy Carter's book Palestine Peace Not Apartheid. From Forward, the old antisemitic stereotype of Jews obsessing about money has been re-energized of late in several pop-culture venues. But is this image really all that antisemitic? And Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun, has indicated that he is looking to redirect his magazine’s energies away from Israel and toward a greater focus on interfaith matters

[Dec 28] From The Economist, democracy defiled: The coup makes a comeback in 2006. Christopher Hitchens on how the distance between hope and despair in Iraq can be measured in minutes. From ZNet, an essay on the metropolitan left and the Muslim world; and a look at how to stop the imperial designs of the Capitalist (Left): Singur, a case in point. From Political Affairs, a review of A Postcapitalist Politics by J.K. Gibson-Graham. From Business Week, a cover story on Crowd Wisdom vs. Google's Genius: The founder of Wikipedia plans to take on the giant by offering search results that tap the knowledge of people across the Web. From The Christian Science Monitor, a look at how John Kenneth Galbraith understood capitalism as lived, not as theorized; and an article on Milton Friedman, objective scientist first, free-market promoter second. Tyler Cowen on how Universal 401(k) accounts would bring the poor into the Ownership Society. A review of Work Over Welfare: The Inside Story of the 1996 Welfare Reform Law. Myths and the middle class: Americans' optimism and perfectionism are constantly mugged by reality. Consider why this will continue. Dennis Prager on how the Culture War is about the authority of a book. A liberal-bashing book by Judge Robert H. Dierk Jr., The Tyranny of Tolerance: A Sitting Judge Breaks the Code of Silence to Expose the Liberal Judicial Assault, is causing a stir in political and legal circles and prompting some to say it could cost him his job. From Writ, why the public/private distinction should not govern the courtroom: The Supreme Court's flawed decision in Carey v. Musladin. Do men have less psychological gender than women? And this holiday season, sugarplums won't be the only things dancing in our heads. A look at the 12 Neuroses of Christmas

[Dec 27] Form World Political Science Review, (a special kind of registration is required), Anton Derks ( Brussels): Populism and the Ambivalence of Egalitarianism: How Do the Underprivileged Reconcile a Right Wing Party Preference with Their Socio-Economic Attitudes? The first chapter from Red and Blue Nation? Characteristics and Causes of America's Polarized Politics by William Galston and Pietro Nivola pdf. A populist's nostalgic ode to an America gone by: A review of Look Homeward, America. Christ, Christmas, and Capitalism: An interview with Rev. Robert Sirico on the Acton Institute. Although it is already the largest company in the world, Wal-Mart still is something of a start-up. A review of Targeting in Social Programs: Avoiding Bad Bets, Removing Bad Apples by Peter Schuck and Richard Zeckhauser. A review of The Importance of Being Lazy: In Praise of Play, Leisure and Vacations. A review of Defiant Gardens: Making Gardens in Wartime. A review of The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World. A review of books on World War II. And a review of The President, the Pope, and the Prime Minister: Three Who Changed the World

[Dec 26] From NYRB, Richard Posner and David Cole debate How to Skip the Constitution. A review of Linda Greenhouse's Becoming Justice Blackmun: Harry Blackmun's Supreme Court Journey. The meaning of Brown vs. the Board: The 1954 opinion did not establish colorblindness as a legal principle. There is no ambiguity to be decided in the high court's current cases. Shelby Steele on racism: fact or faith? The truth is intolerance is no longer tolerated. A review of Immigrant America: A Portrait. The Right has a jailhouse conversion: A look at how conservatives came to embrace prison reform. Going universal: The American healthcare system is, simply put, a mess, but we may finally be ready to fix it. To get better at caring for the dying, doctors could add one question to every discussion they have about patients with terminal illnesses: "How good is this patient’s end-of-life care?" And Peter Singer answers readers' questions about the ethics of billionaire spending and philanthropy

[Dec 25] From TNR, Mitt Romney says he takes his Mormonism seriously. Maybe the rest of us should, too. From The New York Times Magazine, a cover story of the hispanicization of American Catholicism. Five scholars of religion -- Diana L. Eck, Richard John Neuhaus, Reza Aslan, Alan Wolfe, and Mark A. Noll -- offer their perspectives on what can and cannot be accomplished through interfaith exchange. Amid the useless bloodshed of the Crusades, the story of the early 13th-century friar Francis of Assisi suggests an extended clash of civilizations between Islam and the West was not preordained. A history of the War on Christmas: If history is any guide, this year's cease-fire of the Yuletide battle won't last very long. John Seery on Max Weber, Christianity and an egghead's eggnog tidings. Sam Harris on 10 myths and 10 truths about atheism. A review of What Paul Meant by Garry Wills. From Slate, we're watching you, slacker: Do hardworking employees make their lazy colleagues more productive? Jacob Hacker on the rise of the Office-Park Populist: Today educated and highly skilled professionals face rising risk and uncertainty. Will their anxiety create a new politics? Genetic Prints: How one company tapped the desire for really, really personalized consumption. From Orion, green rage: Radical environmentalists are caught between their love of the Earth, trespass of the law and the US government's war on terror; and James Howard Kunstler on making other arrangements: A wake-up call to a citizenry in the shadow of oil scarcity. A review of Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning; Field Notes from a Catastrophe; An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warning and What We We Can Do About It; and The Weather Makers: How We Are Changing the Climate and What it Means for Life on Earth. And on Jefferson’s lump of coal: In an anonymous pamphlet, Clement Moore roasted Thomas Jefferson like a chestnut on an open fire

[Weekend 2e] More from American Political Science Review: James Farr (Minnesota), Jacob S. Hacker (Yale), and Nicole Kazee (Yale): The Policy Scientist of Democracy: The Discipline of Harold D. Lasswell; Amy Fried (Maine): The Forgotten Lindsay Rogers and the Development of American Political Science; Luis R. Fraga (Stanford), John A. Garcia (Arizona), Rodney E. Hero (Notre Dame), Michael Jones-Correa (Cronell), Valerie Martinez-Ebers (TCU), and Gary M. Segura (Washington): Su Casa Es Nuestra Casa: Latino Politics Research and the Development of American Political Science; Michael T. Gibbons (USF): Hermeneutics, Political Inquiry, and Practical Reason; John G. Gunnell (SUNY-Albany): The Founding of the American Political Science Association: Discipline, Profession, Political Theory, and Politics; Michael T. Heaney (Florida) and John Mark Hansen (Chicago): Building the Chicago School; and Emily Hauptmann (WMU): From Opposition to Accommodation: How Rockefeller Foundation Grants Redefined Relations between Political Theory and Social Science in the 1950s pdf 

[Weekend] A new issue of the Journal of World Systems Research, including Peter Turchin (UConn), Jonathan M. Adams (Adelaide), and Thomas D. Hall (DePauw): East-West Orientation of Historical Empires and Modern States; Kathleen C. Schwartzman (Arizona): Globalization from a World-System Perspective: A New Phase in the Core; Clifford L. Staples (North Dakota): Board Interlocks and the Study of the Transnational Capitalist Class; Manuela Boatca (Eischtatt): The Effect of Economic and Cultural Globalization on Anti-U.S. Transnational Terrorism 1971-2000; a review of The Endgame of Globalization; a review of The Globalizers: Development Workers in Action; a review of The Decline of the Welfare State: Demography and Globalization; a review of Richard Falk's The Great Terror War; and a review of Noam Chomsky's Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy pdf. From The New York Review of Books, Michael Tomasky reviews "Work Hard, Study...and Keep Out of Politics!": Adventures and Lessons from an Unexpected Public Life by James A. Baker III and The Iraq Study Group Report: The Way Forward—A New Approach; and a review of Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog from Iraq; Baghdad Burning II: More Girl Blog from Iraq; Night Draws Near: Iraq's People in the Shadow of America's War by Anthony Shadid; and In the Belly of the Green Bird: The Triumph of the Martyrs in Iraq by Nir Rosen; and at the annual memorial ceremony for Yitzhak Rabin, we pause to remember Rabin the man, and the leader. We also look at ourselves. From Human Rights Watch, an article on the "hoax" that wasn't: The July 23 Qana ambulance attack. A look at how US intervention infuriates even mainstream Muslims, giving Al Qaeda and other jihadists a boost. And a Congo lesson for Bush: On the similarities between King Leopold's disastrous invasion of Congo and the war in Iraq

[Dec 22] From The New Federalist, an essay on the rise of American nationalism. A review of George Soros' The Age of Fallibility. To classify information for reasons other than the safety and security of the United States and its interests is a violation of democratic principles. From Foreign Affairs, a review of Finding the Target: The Transformation of American Military Policy by Frederick W. Kagan and War Made New: Technology, Warfare, and the Course of History, 1500 to Today by Max Boot. A review of Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy. A review of Union 1812: The Americans Who Fought the Second War of Independence. From Exile, War Nerd Gary Brecher declares war on the most overrated, over-filmed, and lamest war in history: World War Two. Why does he hate it? Because it's made morons of all of you. The next abortion fight isn't about Roe; it's about foreign aid. By now, Mary Cheney must have inspired an entirely new chapter in "What to Expect When You're Expecting." Expect your pregnancy to provoke a national controversy. Welcoming Baby, or Not: Are men, machines, and hospitals really necessary for a healthy childbirth? How to cure a sex addict: What kind of counseling did Bill Clinton get? From The Nation, an article on looking at the longstanding debate in the black community over personal responsibility through the lens of hotghettomess.com. From Free Market News, an article on true conservatism vs. neo-conservatism.  From Slate, the jury snub: Seth Rosenthal on a conservative form of judicial activism; and the unanswered questions: Digging through the bottom of the " Explainer" mailbag. A review of Big Babies: Or, Why Can't We Just Grow Up? by Michael Bywater. From Swans, a special issue on 2006: A year in review. Here's a look at the best and worst ads of 2006. And folks, it's just a cheeseburger: An article on the best, worst and weirdest car names

[Dec 21] From Foreign Affairs, Tony Blair on a Battle for Global Values; an article on Saving Afghanistan; and a look at The Challenge of Global Health. From Monthly Review, an article on socialism and the knowledge economy: Cuban biotechnology. An essay on Fidel's Final Victory. From Foreign Policy, the growth of the nuclear club provides more opportunities for terrorists. That means the world needs a new strategy of deterrence. What could help keep the right ingredients out of the wrong hands? Bomb birth certificates. Francis Boyle, a professor of international law who drafted the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989, says the Bush administration is developing illegal bioterror weapons for offensive use. From Slate, the urge to surge: Fred Kaplan on the latest bad idea for Iraq. What has Bush learned from his mistakes? Nothing. An article on John McCain and the Iraq numbers game. Tzvetan Todorov on how the foundations of democracy are at risk as soon as a country accepts, as the United States did with the war in Iraq, lies and illusion. A review of Richard Posner's Not a Suicide Pact: The Constitution in a Time of National Emergency. From Esquire, a review of The Enemy at Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11 by Dinesh D'souza. Quite Contrary: Andrew Sullivan on Mary's baby and the right. The Left Behind video game encourages you to celebrate the birth of Jesus by wasting dozens of people at a time, using a variety of Christ-sanctioned weapons. A century after its birth Pentecostalism is redrawing the religious map of the world and undermining the notion that modernity is secular. Yes, Virginia, there is a Festivus: The Seinfeld-fueled, secular pseudo-holiday has grown by leaps and bounds over 9 years. Post-modernism is the new black: How the shape of modern retailing was both predicted and influenced by some unlikely seers. Immigrant labor or machines? Why automation remains a poor replacement for low skilled workers. And Bill Gates predicts that the next hot field will be robotics

[Dec 20] From Human Events, here's a list of ten principles of conservatism. Is the right more generous than the left? A review of Who Really Cares? The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism. An article on the many reasons to take a Victorian view of prostitution.  Sex workers' lit ruined my sex life: A review of Indecent: How I Make It and Fake It as a Girl for Hire; Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper; and Stripped: Inside the Lives of Exotic Dancers. A review of The Politics of Lust. A look at how religious morality obstructs the fight against AIDS. Family planning is family values: The anti-contraception crowd argues that birth control transformed America. It did—for the better. Fore shame: Did the Vatican steal Jesus' foreskin so people would shut up about the savior's penis? From Christianity Today, a review of On Religion by John D. Caputo (and a response). A review of Karen Armstrong's Muhammad: A Prophet of Our Time. From The American Muslim, Jihad and ethics: A survey of the current literature. An article on anarchist ethics: A utilitarian approach. An article on how human rights always lead to human wrongs. A look at how tolerance for a war's death toll depends on how you look at it. Howard Zinn on the uses of history and the War on Terrorism. Iraq, Bush and writing long: An interview with Tom Engelhardt. Niall Ferguson on building family dynasties: A how-to guide. From Slate, the best "Human Nature" stories of 2006: William Saletan on the prurient, the revolutionary, and the outrageous; and the sovereign vs. the idiot: What kind of gift-giver are you? John Judis on the best empire book ever, and other cool holiday gifts. To see the embodiment of our economic system in action — for better and worse — one need look no farther than Goldman Sachs. From The Village Voice, the sinner within: How Brian McLaughlin betrayed the labor movement and conned us all. And an interview with Linda Hirshman on commanding women

[Dec 19] We Are All Waiters Now: Why higher taxes would make Americans happier, and why, despite this, we still won’t raise them. From Mother Jones, why you could soon be paying Wall Street investors, Australian bankers, and Spanish builders for the privilege of driving on American roads. Sebastian Mallaby  on capitalists we don't trust: Modern societies worship innovation. When tech wizards get rich, people tend to celebrate. But this healthy admiration for success is subject to exceptions. A review of The New Capitalists: How Citizen Investors Are Reshaping the Corporate Agenda. How will the cosmopolitan class behave as their role in the world economy continues to strengthen? Robert Shiller on the new cosmopolitans. War on Christmas talking points: Jonathan Chait on the case against gift giving, and James Surowiecki on how the more we spend on Christmas, the more we waste. What does Christmas mean to our most fervent non-believer? An interview with Richard Dawkins. From National Review, an interview with Melanie Morgan, co-author of American Mourning: A Story of Two Families. A review of Robert Kagan's Dangerous Nation. A review of Max Boot's War Made New. A review of Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone. A review of many books on war. The New York Times Book Review asks a range of writers to recommend titles they find particularly illuminating.  From CUP, the introduction to The Endurance of Nationalism: Ancient Roots and Modern Dilemmas; the introduction to The Origins of the Slavic Nations: Premodern Identities in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus; and the introduction to Sweeping the German Nation: Domesticity and National Identity in Germany, 1870-1945. A review of Firestorm: Allied Airpower and the Destruction of Dresden and Blitz: The Story of December 29, 1940. A review of Villa Air-Bel: World War II, Escape, and a House in Marseille. A review of Auschwitz Report by Primo Levi. A farcical attack on Hitler taboos: A video hit on YouTube destroys the myth of the cult figure, reflecting a new mind-set about the Fuehrer, says one of its creators. The introduction to From Roosevelt to Truman: Potsdam, Hiroshima, and the Cold War. And a review of Khrushchev’s Cold War: The Inside Story of an American Adversary

[Dec 18] What should a billionaire give – and what should you? Here's Peter Singer's case for donating more than you’re comfortable with. A review of The Authentic Adam Smith: His Life and Ideas. Preaching to Wall Street: A former commodities trader turned pastor and his faith healer wife are doing their best to dispel Satan from their financial district. A push to fix the fix on Wall Street: After five years of stepped-up post Enron-WorldCom oversight, are we in the midst of a regulatory retreat? From CUP, the introduction to International Environmental Law: Fairness, Effectiveness, and World Order. A review of The End of the Line: How Overfishing Is Changing the World and What We Eat. Measuring a diamond’s true price: An economy of benefits and anguish springs from a carefully built complex of carbon. Have yourself a carbon-neutral Christmas: Can a budding consumer movement be an effective weapon in the fight against global warming -- or is it just another salve for the guilty conscience? The politics of Ebenezer Scrooge: Miser or free-market player? The first copies of A Christmas Carol appeared 163 years ago today but Scrooge's true character remains a topic of debate even now. For atheists, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. Holy Rudolph, the star of Wal-Mart, the iPod in the manger—yes! This is an especially exciting time to be a heathen. An article on the A-Z of atheism. Agent provocateur: His ideas about organized religion's children's stories have earned him death threats, but France's best-selling philosopher, Michel Onfray, remains defiant. In the new year, those ideas will finally be translated into English. Brace yourself. University of Virginia's David Burnett on atheism and the Courts. Block That Branch: Why can Congress take cases away from the courts? The introduction to Total Lobbying: What Lobbyists Want (and How They Try to Get It). A review of There Goes the Neighborhood: Racial, Ethnic, and Class Tensions in Four Chicago Neighborhoods and Their Meaning for America by William Julius Wilson and Richard P. Taub. If one is looking for a publication that upholds a left of center viewpoint, it won't be found these days in In These Times.  Stan Goff on why he is no longer a Marxist. And a review of Gleanings from an Unplanned Life: An Annotated Oral History by James L. Buckley

[Weekend 2e] From Policy Review, Iraq: Last Chance: A political settlement before any withdrawal; Victor Davis Hanson reviews Fiasco: The American Adventure in Iraq; the scapegoats among us: Blame-shifting after 9/11; and a review of Guests of the Ayatollah: The First Battle in America's War with Militant Islam. A review of Beautiful Evidence by Edward Tufte and The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation.  Public paranoia and a credulous establishment media that have failed to aggressively report on 9/11 have allowed a cult-like "Truth Movement" to fill in the gaps. From Conversation with History, an interview with Anatol Lieven and John Hulsman, authors of Ethical Realism. The introduction to Can Might Make Rights? Building the Rule of Law after Military Interventions. The introduction to Inside Rebellion: The Politics of Insurgent Violence. From The Remnant, is Christ the King a liberal? An article on Conservatism, President Bush and the Iraq War. Daniel C. Dennett on why protecting democracy comes before promoting faith. A new Jerusalem in sub-Saharan Africa: A review of The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South. From FT, there has to be someone out there: It seems to me a certainty that another being in another part of the cosmos must be reading a column printed on pink