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[Weekend] In his search for England, Julian Baggini expected to find racism, sexism and fear. He found something much more thought provoking. Anthony Giddens on why the rich should now be made to pay: The architect of Tony Blair's "third way" outlines 16 steps to a fairer Britain.Lunch with the FT: An interview with Peter Mandelson on Doha, Blair and Brown; and are the actions of France’s presidential candidates as good as their words? A review of The European Economy Since 1945: Coordinated Capitalism and Beyond. Kevin Phillips reviews How Countries Compete: Strategy, Structure, and Government in the Global Economy.  From Global Research, an article on the political economy of diamonds. Cash-22: How can the world’s poor save for a better life? Tim Harford investigates. A review on The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World. A review of The Shame of War: Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls in Conflict. From Newsweek, brinksmanship doesn’t always end in battle: America and Iran are barreling toward a collision. It doesn't have to be this way. We must keep talking to the Iranians, offering carrots even when these are contemptuously tossed into the gutter, because there is no credible alternative. How George H.W. Bush helped Saddam Hussein prevent an Iraqi uprising: An excerpt from Web of Deceit: The History of Western Complicity in Iraq, from Churchill to Kennedy to George W. Bush. Broken Arrow: Phillip Carter on how the U.S. Army broke in Iraq. Hillary the hawk? For years, everyone has assumed Senator Clinton's vote for the Iraq war resolution was an act of political calculation. But what if she actually believed in it? A partial list of some of the most egregious earmarks shows that, despite lofty rhetoric about the Iraq war, the new Democratic Congress is already feeding at the trough. According to the rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, any state legislature can present a resolution to impeach the president. Deborah Gordan and Stan Lofalia of MaineImpeach.org hope Maine will be the first state to do so. From TNR, an editorial on how Bush bends the law beyond recognition; and on the Kyle Sampson hearing: The Bushies finally admit their own incompetence! There are dangers when the super-rich decide their business success qualifies them to change the world or run the country. The greatest is the illusion of omniscience. David Moberg searches Barack Obama's career as a community organizer for clues to what kind of presidential candidate he would be. The presidential race in 2008 will resemble the 1968 election between Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey, when both parties jockeyed to provide a new course for an unpopular war. In 2008, it's Ronald Reagan vs. Bobby Kennedy: Both parties want to nominate reincarnations of their ideal statesmen. Guess which candidate stands to benefit? And style has been front and center in presidential politics this year. See what image consultants have to say about the candidates [Mar 30] From Sierra Leone, thousands of amputees, many of them civilian casualties of the country’s decade-long civil war, are languishing in destitution, with most unable to take care of themselves or their families. From South Africa, a look at why Africa needs its own OPEC. A review of Chief of Station, Congo: Fighting the Cold War in a Hot Zone. To so little end: A review of Chief of Station, Congo: Fighting the Cold War in a Hot Zone by Lawrence Devlin. From HNN, an article on the forgotten alliance of African nationalists and Western pacifists. How we killed our dreams of freedom: Across Africa, liberation movements that fought against colonial rule proved unable to sustain democratic governance. We cannot keep blaming the past. The man behind the fist: Robert Mugabe, a man of puzzlingly different identities, is a past master at holding on. Zimbabwe's tyrant still has plenty of friends: How African leaders appease Mugabe. Victims of indiscriminate killing, Africa's oft-maligned and much-misunderstood wild dogs may be the continent's most endangered carnivore. Can a conservation effort save them? From Frontpage, an interview with Houchang Nahavandi, former Minister of the last Shah of Iran. Christoph Bertram on getting to "Yes" with Iran. Iran on the Brink: What's it like waiting around to be bombed? Beyond the bluster: As her home and homeland square off, Iranian-born author Azar Nafisi urges Americans to think. Are 15 British Marines enough to make a war? A tit-for-tat contest with the Iranians is a foolish and reckless game. If Europeans won't come to the aid of the kidnapped British sailors, what good is the European Union? Timothy Garton Ash wants to know. Two cheers for apathy: Few people cared about the European Union's 50th birthday party. But apathy has its consolations. Joseph Stiglitz on the EU's global role: Fifty years after its birth, the EU is a success story; the time is right for it to lead a multi-polar world. Capital Warfare: A look at why the US risks losing its status as global financial leader. The Pragmatic Ideologue: Meet Zalmay Khalilzad, your new UN ambassador. Listen Up, Mr. President: Is Congress using the Iraq bills to send a message? Fred Kaplan investigates. Harold Pinter on why George Bush is insane. Mark J. Rozell, author of Executive Privilege: Presidential Power, Secrecy and Accountability, on Bush and the case of executive privilege. Bush's long history of tilting Justice: The administration began skewing federal law enforcement before the current U.S. attorney scandal, says a former Department of Justice lawyer. From The Hill, Democrats say McCain nearly abandoned GOP in 2001. Republicans across the country are warning that increasing public discontent toward President Bush, the Iraq war and the GOP brand in general threatens a meltdown. The inability of Republicans to change their ways in the face of massive unpopularity is downright spooky. And other satirists skewer politicians. Stephen Colbert goads them to skewer themselves [Mar 29] From Ethiopia, welcome to Jerusalem, Africa: Ethiopia's Orthodox Christians are among the oldest Christian communities in the world. Their hymns and prayers have been preserved and passed down over the ages. But with its numerous religious holidays, the Christian tradition also worsens the country's grinding poverty. While larger, wealthier Arab states plod on through dictatorships, Mauritania is moving from military rule to full democracy with ease. From Egypt's Al-Ahram, a special issue of on Women in Motion. From Prospect, London is diverse, dynamic and rich. It is also unequal, expensive and congested—and getting fuller every year. Can London's socialist mayor preside over a hyper-capitalist city-state while keeping it a decent place to live for most citizens? (and an interview with Mayor Ken Livingstone). A review of The Future of Europe: Reform or Decline by Alberto Alesina and Francesco Giavazzi. The Golden Moment: As the EU celebrates its 50th birthday, critics say it has one foot in the grave. But many countries now look there, not to America, as a model. Iraqis' bleak views of the United States: The first chapter from What They Think of Us: International Perceptions of the United States since 9/11. The Iraq war has left the U.S. military “in a position of strategic peril,” retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey has warned in the wake of a recent trip to Iraq. How much do you know about the war in Iraq? Take a 15-question quiz to find out. From The New York Observer, Model U.N. predictor of things to come: Un-oh! Kid Kofis nose down baby Boltons, as U.S. takes it in chops; and Hillary’s Mystery Woman: Who is Huma Abedin? Senator Clinton’s closest aide never sweats; Oscar de la Renta wants to dress her. Chris Lehmann on The Pleasurers of the President. Peter Berkowitz on The Right Stuff. The GOP's Therapy Candidate: John Dickerson on the trouble with Fred Thompson. An interview with Hugh Hewitt on A Mormon in the White House: 10 Things Every American Should Know about Mitt Romney. The Early Money Myth: The first-quarter fund-raising figures for the 2008 presidential race arrive Sunday. Do they matter? The Myth of Voter Fraud: Firing a prosecutor for failing to find wide voter fraud is like firing a park ranger for failing to find Sasquatch. If you want to know what the career path of a “loyal Bushie” looks like, look at J. Timothy Griffin, a Karl Rove protégé who was slipped into the post of U.S. Attorney in Little Rock, Arkansas, and now is at the center of the controversy over whether the Bush administration has sought to politicize federal prosecutions. Fox's Ann Coulter 2.0: Conserva-babe and star-in-the-making Rachel Marsden has an, um, colorful past. What was Fox thinking? Joe Conason on ignoring the pundits and barking louder. Packet Politics: "Netheads" take on "Bellheads". Look out, Mrs. Clinton. Threats against prominent female writer Kathy Sierra reflect the worst of online discourse. But is speech any more hateful on the Net than elsewhere? From The Boston Globe Magazine, an article on the Manhattanization of Boston. And Eve Fairbanks on what a congressional cook-off says about Washington [Mar 28] From Northern Ireland, almost eye-to-eye: Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams take a big step towards self-rule. A review of Over to You, Mr Brown: How Labour Can Win Again by Anthony Giddens. Brigitte Mohnhaupt, a former leader of the notorious Baader-Meinhof Gang in Germany, has been released from jail after 24 years. The once influential “second left” in France has been eclipsed in the last generation by an older left still wedded to statist solutions. With creationism now coming in Christian and Muslim versions, scientists, teachers and theologians in France are debating ways to counteract what they see as growing religious attacks on science. A town that loves its illegals: Why a sleepy provincial French ville has been roused to rebellion by the arrest of 23 illegal Malian immigrants. Mr. Backlash: Meet Geert Wilders, a rising anti-Muslim star of the Dutch right. From Sign and Sight, a reply to Ian Buruma and Timothy Garton Ash: Pascal Bruckner pens some final remarks on the multiculturalism debate. From Newropeans, a look at why the EU needs a new capital city as a strong signal of its global role and responsibility (and part 2 and part 3). As Europe takes an increasingly visible military role, a look at some possible military scenarios — and the pitfalls of being drawn into a prolonged conflict. A post-modern model for Europe? Europe is only to be found in the process of creating it. The true way to define Europe is to build Europe. From Prospect, as the European Union celebrates its 50th birthday, one Europe-watcher imagines its next 20 years. The European Union’s absurd birthday bash says more about where the EU is headed than 1,000 bland pronouncements from the bureaucrats and politicians in Brussels ever could. From Time, here's 20 perks from 50 years of a united Europe. An interview with Bernard-Henri Levy: "Europe has lost confidence". From Telepolis, how really committed are Central and Eastern Europeans to environmentalism? From Open Democracy, Europe’s green power: The addition of a serious environmental dimension to the European Union's internal reform and soft-power diplomacy could yet make 2007 a year of vision; and Democracy in America and the money trap: Politics in the United States is being devoured by the sums needed to finance it. All-time hack award: Michael Currie Schaffer on the consummate Bushie who sank the Justice Department. Who's Blaming Whom: Paul Gottschling and Dahlia Lithwick on where the fingers are pointing in the Bush administration meltdown. From Foreign Policy, The Case Against George W. Bush: With prominent Republican Senators speaking out against a scandal-plagued White House, talk of impeachment has moved from the margins to the mainstream. That may seem politically far-fetched, but in fact, there is a strong case to be made. Impeachment threat is real: Growing scandals and abuses force impeachment into discussion. Democrats can't keep all the Bush scandals straight! From Salon, Glenn Greenwald on Drudge and the Politico: Poisonously joined at the hip (and more). It's a blogged world; we just live in it: The blogosphere rumor, coverage, malice and celebration around writer Cathy Seipp's death last week. And what is the role of the opinion column? Jonathan Chait and Franklin Foer explain [Mar 27] From Slate, Mesopotamia Split? Christopher Hitchens considers Peter Galbraith's proposal for Iraq. A Brokered Peace: U.N. mediation is the best hope for a political settlement in Iraq. Fighting the next war: The US should look outside its traditional military brass to stage a new era of unconventional war games. Four generals and five other officers in Pat Tillman’s chain of command are found responsible for “a series of mistakes” in reporting his friendly fire death, but no criminal wrongdoing. An anti-war tide on the rise: Within three weeks, the United States could face a constitutional crisis over President Bush's war policy in Iraq. But who’s against the next war? Democratic presidential hopefuls oppose President Bush on Iraq. Iran is a different matter. Perks and perils of a heavy gavel: The Democrats seem to have a restive populace on their side as they try to check President Bush. But how far, and how hard should they push? The Radical Cure: Impeachment is the only cure to shatter a cycle of corruption and pardon that has sickened the Republic. Robert Kuttner on the case for impeaching Alberto Gonzales. Stuart Taylor Jr. on why the US attorney general needs to have better qualifications than being the president's good buddy. What Congress Gets To Know: Walter Dellinger and Christopher H. Schroeder on how to end the standoff on executive privilege and the US attorney scandal. Never, Ever Land: An article on the US attorneys aftermath. A glimpse into government: A look at what those Justice Department emails really reveal. A look at how the battle over US attorneys has roots in '04 election. A high price for freedom: No matter what one thinks of the folks in the White House, it seems clear that they have been put in a bind by the Supreme Court’s bad decisions on presidential pardons. Worst Congress ever? An interview with Norman Ornstein on congressional corruption and representative government. An interview with Earl Black and Merle Black, authors of Divided America: The Ferocious Power Struggle in American Politics. Can the GOP become a national party again? A review of Not Your Father's Republican Party. Paul Krugman on the Emerging Republican Minority. How Bush helped the GOP commit suicide: A new study shows that unless the Democrats self-destruct, they could walk into the White House in '08, and might hold it for years. On a roll: The Democrats are riding the wave of various GOP scandals and embarrassments, but all hot streaks eventually end. From Esquire, an article on Chuck Hagel's historic moment, and what it means for a declining presidency. Here are some awesome facts about Fred Thompson. Observers say New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is eyeing a run in 2008 (and more). And a look at Mike’s Managerial Missteps: On issues like homeless families and school busing, the mayor’s vaunted CEO expertise hasn’t been much use. Can he turn around his second term? [Mar 26] From Sunday Herald, a series of articles on the questions that need to be answered about Scottish independence. For Europe, a moment to ponder: Over the last five decades, its union remade the Continent, but learning to speak with one voice might be harder. Adam Michnik on waiting for freedom, messing it up: Now that the dream of the European Union is within grasp, Poland and other Eastern European countries have begun to turn their backs on it. A contradictory continent: A review of In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century (and more). A review of The European Economy Since 1945 by Barry Eichengreen. Europe is leading the way to a world of reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Soon, though, the continent may no longer be alone. 2007 could shape up to be the year that the United States finally joins forces to meet the biggest challenge of the century. From FT, internet censorship is spreading rapidly, being practised by about two dozen countries and applied to a far wider range of online information and applications, as repressive governments no longer limit themselves simply to blocking access to websites they want to keep from their citizens, while dissidents find ingenious ways to hide digital traces. Fears of a YouTube Swiftboat: Campaign experts worry that the success of the Vote Different anti-Hillary Clinton spot will lead to misleading ads financed by anonymous donors with deep pockets. The presidential campaign came to MySpace in earnest this week with the launch of the Impact Channel. Can pols really be your online friends? Not so much. News media and politics, an uneasy union: Some prominent journalists have mates who work for a presidential candidate. They approach this potential conflict in different ways. An excerpt from Cable News Confidential: My Misadventures in Corporate Media by Jeff Cohen. Instead of grabbing the reader's attention, the design of most American newspapers gives the impression that the industry has stopped caring and is just going through the motions. University of Chicago economist Matthew Gentzkow's work may reshape our understanding of why newspapers make the political and business choices they do. Max Frankel on The Washington Back Channel: Leaks, backgrounders, favors, masked attribution: For decades, journalists and government officials have traded in a sort of information black market, manipulating one another and, to some extent, readers too. It’s not pretty — as the Libby trial revealed. But it’s crucial. The momentum equation: In physics, momentum is the product of velocity and mass. In politics, it's much harder to calculate -- but it may be growing in importance. And people who work in hard news often forget: They are submerged in it. They know the cast and they have followed the storylines and they can't help assuming their readers or viewers have similar knowledge. In reality, most people probably missed the crucial, earlier episodes, and subsequently can't quite relate to the story [Weekend 2e] From Great Britain, we can still pursue an ethical foreign policy: In spite of Iraq, more than 60 per cent believe it is right to intervene for humanitarian purposes. Why Iran seized the British Marines: The involvement of the Revolutionary Guard may be a sign that Tehran wants this to be seen as a message — Iran can cause bigger problems if it wants to. Iranians had showdown with US forces: According to a US Army report out of Iraq, American troops, acting as advisers for Iraqi border guards, were recently surrounded and attacked by a larger unit of Iranian soldiers, well within the border of Iraq. The UN Security Council unanimously votes to impose additional sanctions against Iran for its refusal to stop enriching uranium. Greatest Expectations: Holding Iran to not one, but three, double standards is "bonkers". The problem with nuclear weapons today can be summed up as follows: They are going out of fashion where they are needed most and coming into fashion where they are needed least. From PINR, an article on Pakistan's strategic goals and the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. The Great Game revisited: India and Pakistan are playing out their rivalries in Afghanistan. The Truth About Talibanistan: Islamic militants have turned the borderlands between Pakistan and Afghanistan into a new base for al-Qaeda. An inside look at the next battleground of the war on terrorism. The Two Afghanistans: A look at how a veiled culture adapts to modernity. An excerpt from Frontline Pakistan by Zahid Hussain. Why Musharraf survives: In a perilous balancing act, the Pakistani president skilfully juggles US demands with local interests. In the rapidly unfolding crisis in Pakistan, no matter what happens to President Pervez Musharraf -- whether he survives politically or not -- he is a lame duck. Al-Jazeera's achievement is to have become at once global brand, Arab window on the world, and challenge to western perspectives on the "war on terror". Fred Halliday visits the Qatar-based broadcaster. From Truthdig, Scott Ritter calls out Idiot America: When so few of our politicians, and even fewer of the citizens who elect them, understand the forces at work in Baghdad and beyond, is it any wonder the occupation has been a disaster? Peter Beinart on why Democrats should go for it: Despite today's conventional wisdom, Democrats didn't suffer in the 1970s for opposing Vietnam. And they're even less likely to pay a political price for trying to end the war in Iraq. From The Progressive, we who protest the war are not politicians. We are citizens. Whatever politicians may do, let them first feel the full force of citizens who speak for what is right, not for what is winnable. And from Rolling Stone, the Last Confessions of E. Howard Hunt: He was the ultimate keeper of secrets, lurking in the shadows of American history. He toppled banana republics, planned the Bay of Pigs invasion and led the Watergate break-in. Now he would reveal what he'd always kept hidden: who killed JFK [Weekend]  From Poland, the power of the Kaczynski twins rests on a coalition of left-wing populists and right-wing nationalists. It's an arrangement that is increasingly difficult to maintain. From Der Spiegel, can Germany and Poland be friends? How Russia is ruled: The Kremlin has learned how to concentrate power by apparently dispersing it. An interview with Garry Kasparov: "Russia is not a democracy". Fools and bad roads: Why are so many Russians meeting terrible deaths? From The New Federalist, a series of articles on Belarus, Europe’s last dictatorship. The costs of non-Europe: A look at how Serbia loses from its frosty relationship with the European Union. The EU has an image problem, for sure, but that doesn't mean it's not working. The EU’s architects were practical politicians who realised that closer relations between European nations could only be achieved through economic growth and the interchange of commerce, ideas and peoples. As the following articles show, that day has come - almost - to pass; pro-Europeans have two broad and incompatible views about the future of the European Union. From New Statesman, a special issue on Scotland: Time to break free? Lunch with the FT: Street revolutionary and MEP Daniel Cohn-Bendit is still full of fire. Mugged by reality: The Economist on how it all went wrong in Iraq, and the Republican Party is among the war's victims. The 21st-century answer to Bob Hope: With the USO short on big-name acts and the military trying to entertain troops in remote bases, unknown bands are braving battle zones to build their fan base. From National Journal, voting with their outrage: The outcry over the handling of Hurricane Katrina, the Iraq war and the Walter Reed fiasco could turn the conventional wisdom that has ruled the federal budget debate for 30 years on its head; and the Watchdog Growls: Democratic committee chairmen have put administration officials and big business back on the hot seat. But it's questionable whether good government or politics is the motivation. According to Jim: Senator Webb is turning out to be more multi-dimensional and more progressive than anyone could have expected. Penn, Inc.: From "office park dads" to "mom-fluentials," Mark Penn's focus on dubious micro-targeting and affluent swing voters has influenced American politics for too long. Is the uproar against General Pace the beginning of a religious persecution? David Ignatius goes inside the Bushies mentality and their disdain for public servants. Deval Patrick, according to one nationwide analysis, holds the strongest governorship in the country. Does he have what it takes to wield that power? In Utah, an opponent of the "culture of obedience": Mayor of Salt Lake City Rocky Anderson has become a national spokesman for the impeachment of President Bush. No, Texas is not all about Bush: Lone Star State has proud socialist past. And Eric Alterman on The Many Man-Crushes of Chris Matthews [Mar 23] From Boston Review, a special section on what helps poor countries grow: Nancy Birdsall on Inequality Matters: Why globalization doesn't lift all boats; Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee goes Inside the Machine: Toward a new development economics; a case study on health care in Cambodia; and a case study on corruption in Indonesia. The works of Amaryta Sen have relevance and implications for economic and human development in Africa and elsewhere. Sen's Development as Freedom emphasizes individual liberty and social compromise. Everything should be made as simple as possible, remarked Einstein, but not simpler! Consider the design of economic policy. An interview with Francis Fukuyama on the challenge of positive freedom. From Global Politician, a look at why the European Union must be destroyed to prevent "Eurabia"; and an article on the retreat of the Western world order. From Sign and Sight, Europeanisation, not Islamisation: Bassam Tibi argues for Euro-Islam as a bridge between civilisations. From AEI, Bernard Lewis delivers the Irving Kristol Lecture on Europe and Islam. From The Nation, Richard Wolin reviews Why the French Don't Like Headscarves: Islam, the State, and Public Space; Integrating Islam: Political and Religious Challenges in Contemporary France; When Ways of Life Collide: Multiculturalism and Its Discontents in the Netherlands; Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance; and Ethnicity and Equality: France in the Balance. No Sex, Please, We’re French: The 2007 presidential election campaign in France is demonstrating just how deep crypto-conservatism runs. Why are we still so obsessed with the Victorians? A review of The Making of Victorian Values: Decency and Dissent in Britain, 1789-1837. From Open Democracy, there is still much to learn from the European Union's inheritance. Here are six lessons from an assessment of the EU's fifty-year experience. Over five decades the postwar European states have struggled to define a common purpose. But what exactly should the EU's mission be? Juergen Habermas says Europe's governments should "dare democracy" and hold a referendum on the future of the bloc. An interview with Francis Fukuyama: "Europe's 'soft force' disappears outside its borders". Each year, the European Union dishes out massive amounts of money. Often, funding goes to ill-conceived or unnecessary projects. But there may be a way out of the waste. The $1 federal budget: What is the best way for Washington to spend 100 cents? John Lloyd says politicians try too hard to deal with every complaint. If you are unhappy with politicians' civic solutions? Stop moaning, and create your own. Roger Simon on the politics of instant gratification. And star power, or: How Jonathan Cohn learned to stop worrying and love the front-loaded primary schedule [Mar 22]  Kaveh Moravej (Manchester) and Gustavo Díaz (Complutense): Critical Issues in Contemporary Counter-Intelligence pdf. An interview with Lawrence Wright, author of The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (and a review). From Terrorists to Statesmen: The Middle East peace process, frozen to the point of lifelessness, may be starting to thaw. Ex-Marine Matinee Idol on Al-Jazeera: Josh Rushing, star of 2004’s " Control Room", heads to Iraq this week—as a broadcast journalist. Why did Donald Rumsfeld fail at military acquisitions reform? The same reasons he failed at everything. More on Rumsfeld: His Rise, Fall and Catastrophic Legacy by Andrew Cockburn. John Yoo on breaking up the FBI: The agency is too large and bureaucratic to effectively fight terrorism. From YaleGlobal, by turning its might against Iraq, America’s post-9/11 militarism squandered a historic opportunity to defeat terrorism; but those who blame only the West for Middle East violence should also look closer to home. They cheered the U.S. invasion; they offered to help, signed on as translators, risked everything they had to work for the United States. But when they had to run for their lives, America slammed the door. The GOP’s Iraq PTSD: The Republican candidates are shell-shocked over the war. But talk—remember “straight talk”?—may be the only thing that can help them. Candidates and Killers: It's getting harder and harder to tell them apart. Reformers vs. the Old Guard: Will fiscal conservatives retake the GOP? Four key members to watch in Congress. Who's watching the president? The GOP abandoned White House oversight, and the results were disastrous. The Hill is Alive With the Sound of Hearings: Norman Ornstein and Thomas Mann update their essay "When Congress Checks Out". The argument that eight federal prosecutors — including David Iglesias — were fired for “performance related” reasons is starting to look more than a little wobbly. How U.S. attorneys were used to spread voter-fraud fears: Long before it fired eight U.S. attorneys for political reasons, the Bush administration had politicized their jobs by making them push a favorite GOP talking point. When Less Is More: Dahlia Lithwick on the nutty legal syllogism that powers the Bush administration. From The Weekly Standard, scenes from the Gingrich campaign: Don't rule out Newt in 2008. From Reason, no Newts: Don't get too excited about a Gingrich '08 run.  While John McCain and the conservative activists who compose the Republican grassroots share many positions, a significant portion of the grassroots just doesn’t like him. Can a Republican presidential candidate survive without kissing the ring of tax-hating Grover Norquist? Obama’s Identity Crisis: Although he presents himself as a healer of differences, the presidential candidate’s own racial struggle paints a conflicted portrait. And every four years, a special class of candidates emerges from among the contestants in the Presidential primaries: those who are really running for Vice President [Mar 21] From Great Britain, dour, workaholic and socially awkward: that's most voters' view of the Chancellor. But as he readies his bid for Number Ten, a softer side is emerging. Britain wonders if more elections equal more democracy: In the House of Lords, once a lord, always a lord, or should the voters have a say in the matter? A review of Villains' Paradise: A History of Britain’s Underworld (and more). Englishness is less an essence than a mirror, in which observers of every stripe see their own images: A review of The English National Character. Freak Fucker: An article on representations of sexuality in U.K. disability art. British documentarian L awrence Barraclough learned to live with less, and broadcast images of it to the entire world in " My Penis and I". From Vanity Fair, Brits Behaving Badly: A tour of such New York British hangouts as Soho House, the Red Lion, and Tea & Sympathy left the author, an Englishman, blushing: what makes his fellow expats such a thoroughly annoying lot? God Bless England: A toast to the WASP that makes our culture work. London (The Other New York.): An extensive examination of London’s challenge to our city’s global preeminence. From finance, to fashion, to urban planning, to music and even restaurants, should New Yorkers be minding the world’s-greatest-city gap more carefully? From US News, Improving America: Here are 30 lessons Americans can learn from the rest of the world. From Mclean's, the Reagan Glam: Why can't we party like it's 1989? In Washington back then, parties mattered -- not party lines. Serving at His Pleasure: Radar takes a look at America's 10 horniest presidents. The Proof is in the Progeny: Each child named with a presidential surname is a living memorial to that president. So if we count these living memorials, we'll know who the best US presidents really were. American history offers some clues about qualities that tend to show up in our great leaders. Here's a scorecard of what to look for. Nowadays, a candidate can seem too experienced: In polls, voters say they want experienced nominees to run for president. But star power still seems to matter more. Fred Thompson is shaking up the GOP presidential field. And he's not even running yet. Obama the Magic Negro: The Illinois senator lends himself to white America's idealized, less-than-real black man. Can Gore let it rip? Al Gore's pledge to Democrats after the 2000 election: Next time he runs for president, things will be different. A tale of two bigots: Ann Coulter calls John Edwards a 'faggot' and everyone condemns her. Peter Pace says homosexuals are immoral and gets a free pass. Why? How to smear a Democrat: Is Edwards gay? Is Hillary a bitch? Does Obama care only about blacks? Republican spinsters want you to think so. A review of Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning. And Mark Schmitt on why a billion-dollar election isn't a bad thing [Mar 20] Jeffery Sachs on rapid victories against extreme poverty: Focused steps taken now could rapidly put the poorest poor on a self-sustaining course to productivity and health. Mozambique ranks 168 out of 177 countries in the United Nations development index, with 54% of its people below the poverty line. Yet the statistics are improving – the economy has a steady annual 8% growth rate and there are megaprojects coming on line.  Independence? Try aid-dependence: Colonialism didn't cause Africa's problems, and aid alone won't fix them. A Slow Emancipation: Kwame Anthony Appiah on how in Africa as in America, slavery’s legacy continues to unfold across the generations; and more on why the chains of slavery have not yet been broken. A review of The Trader, the Owner, the Slave; Enslaved: True Stories of Modern Day Slavery; The Trade: Bristol and the Transatlantic Slave Trade; and A Short History of Slavery. Why Ayaan Hirsi Ali is wrong: Halleh Ghorashi argues only openness to migrants' decisions can help steer clear of cultural fundamentalism, and more on Ali's Infidel. Is the Western world an idea? A culture? A geopolitical system? An economy? A conqueror? A scapegoat? Sasha Abramasky on defining the indefinable West. From The New York Review of Books, George Soros on Israel, America & AIPAC. From FT, Tony Judt on speaking out against the American need to block criticism of Israel. Following Khalid Sheikh Mohammad's dramatic confession last week, Michael Scheuer reveals the dark truth behind the war on terror and talks of the toll that the conflict with Islamic extremism has brought to Western humanitarian values. The Successful Iraq: David Silbey on how the United States defeated an insurgency in the Philippines. So, Mr. Hitchens, weren't you wrong about Iraq? Hard questions, four years later. Betrayed: George Packer on the Iraqis who trusted America the most. War at home: Lawrence Kaplan on how the Vietnam war is being replayed in Iraq. Seymour Hersh goes behind a Vietnam-era general’s dismissal. There’s no need to reclaim the Reagan legacy: President Bush is what Mr. Reagan would have been given the opportunity. What is it about conservative administrations that lead them into disgrace and indictment? Incompetence isn’t at the core of these scandals—ideology is. Tom DeLay, the fiery former House majority leader, knows why his party lost control of Congress last year. And he is not to blame (and an interview). Several controversies in the past six years of the Bush administration -- including two in the news last week -- bring Shakespeare's King Lear to mind. End the presidential pardon: Letting Thanksgiving turkeys off is stupid; giving convicted crooks a free pass mocks justice. Glenn Greenwald on why it is vital to find a way to combat one of the right wing's favorite (and most deceitful) tactics: argument by anecdote. And a review of R. Emmett Tyrrell's The Clinton Crack-Up: The Boy President's Life After the White House [Mar 19] From Christianity Today, an article on the larger meaning of Anglican leaders' demand that the Episcopal Church change its ways. An interview with Anika Rahman, president of Americans for the United Nations Population Fund, on women's and reproductive rights. Feminism and the ethics of reconciliation: The failure of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission to do justice to women rape victims was not a simple oversight but is constitutive of the symbolic order dominating the political landscape. A review of Transitional Justice in the Twenty-First Century: Beyond Truth Versus Justice. A review of The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World. A review of International Migration and Global Justice. A review of The Citizen and the Alien: Dilemmas of Contemporary Membership. Ilan Pappe, author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, on The History of Israel Reconsidered. Inside America's powerful Israel lobby: AIPAC's three-day summit included fiery evangelical oratory, adoration for Dick Cheney, and new plans for going after Iran. The next time you see Cheney behaving oddly, don't automatically assume that he's a bad man. Recall, if you will, a nasty barb hurled at him back in 2005 by Democratic Congressman Charlie Rangel: "I would like to believe he's sick rather than just mean and evil". A review of Tom DeLay's No Retreat, No Surrender: One American's Fight. Ben Adler on why we shouldn't ignore Ann Coulter. From Time, a cover story on How the Right Went Wrong. The White House bungling of the US attorney firings shows how a once-fearsome administration has become a second-rate paranoid operation. What if Alberto Gonzales and Harriet Miers had been confirmed to the Supreme Court? Dahlia Lithwick investigates. The Fall-Guy Quiz: Do you have what it takes to take the rap? Blogs can top the presses: Talking Points Memo drove the U.S. attorneys story, proof that Web writers with input from devoted readers can reshape journalism. The role of the Internet is expanding in the 2008 election cycle. With at least 13 candidates in the running so far, it is a way for campaigns now to show concrete momentum and garner crucial early attention, but will voter fatigue figure in long 2008 campaign? How to Stop the Fox Propaganda Machine: The "Sliming Bowl" is well under way, and Fox's influence is too big and too damaging to ignore. Can the progressive Internet media and blogosphere bring it down? Re-branding the media: It seems like every week debuts a new media brand, each appealing to a different political niche. And Douglas Rushkoff on how you may be Time’s Person of the Year, but big media is still in control [Weekend 2e] Europe: From Great Britain, the introduction to Trade Unions and the State: The Construction of Industrial Relations Institutions in Britain, 1890-2000; an article on the revival of Tory philosophy; Tony Blair on The 21st Century Challenge; the knight-errant of the human race: A review of Yo, Blair! by Geoffrey Wheatcroft; Defeatism, Defeatism, Defeatism: Ross McKibbin reflects on ten years of Blair in power; here's a trip back in time and a brief history of our "moral panic"; and one of Britain's best-loved patriotic tales has been debunked as a borrowed piece of enemy propaganda. From France, Jacques Chirac is standing down from the French presidency. His political career has certainly been long, but how distinguished has it been? (and more from Der Spiegel); after 12 years of unkept promises, Chirac leaves a confused France longing for someone completely different; a review of books on Ségolène Royal; André Glucksmann on why he chooses Nicolas Sarkozy (and a response) François Bayrou, the extreme centre's champion, is a surprise third candidate is changing the calculations in France's presidential election; and on the evolution of neoliberalism in France: An article on Libération, from Sartre to Rothschild. From Germany, give me my dog back or I'll let in the neo-Nazis: A village is fighting to keep out far-right extremists after getting into a dispute with a businessman over his dog; and almost 62 years after his death, Adolf Hitler could lose his German citizenship. Hanseatic realpolitik: Hamburg is a city always ready for the next deal. Ich wäre gerne European: European identity as confusion of tongues? The Tower of Babel casts its shadow over Marco Pautasso's experiment in authentic European essay writing. A review of The European Union Decides. The European Union has been far more successful than anyone expected when the Treaty of Rome was signed half a century ago. But it now has three big problems to solve. From The Hindu, an encounter with a Polish Gandhian: An interview with Lech Walesa. The Failure of the West's "Ostrich" Policy: With the Serbs and Albanians unable to reach common ground, it's now up to the United Nations to determine the future status of Kosovo. It won't be easy. According to a new study, the international community has failed miserably. And disturbance at the Ungdomshuset: Scandinavians are not known for reaching an impasse, much less for rioting over squatters’ rights. Last week Beth Milton woke up in an urban war zone (and more from n+1) [Weekend] From East Timor, the situation remains tense in Dili, in the wake of an operation to capture renegade East Timorese army officer Maj. Alfredo Reinado (and more and more and a timeline). From Brazil, the Museum of the Portuguese Language vividly unites language and cultural identity; and an article on Gilberto Gil and the politics of music. Form Turkey, a court this week temporarily shut off access to YouTube in the country after a video insulted founding father Atatürk. Others moved to defend the Turkish hero in cyber space; and a look at how even the tamest video can turns political. From Open Democracy, a gain for the public domain: After a surprising breakthrough in negotiations, the scene is set for a full debate on intellectual property rights and human development. Globalization’s Other Face: So the Internet has changed everything about globalization, but did we mention it makes a mean gazpacho? The World Food Programme has come up with a radical new idea to pre-empt drought-related famines: insurance. With globalization and child labor, the cause can also be a cure: In providing jobs for millions of Africans, the globalized chocolate industry must also avoid engaging child labor. Is democracy the best setting for strong economic growth? Daron Acemoglu and Ed Glaeser discuss the delicate relationship between economic growth and broader political freedoms. After the 1997 Asian crash, Joseph Stiglitz began to ask whether the IMF's laiseez-faire policy was flawed, and whether capital market controls might be called for. With the latest sell-off, Stiglitz may be winning the argument. An interview with Stephen Roach, chief economist at Morgan Stanley, on why the markets may be due for another fall. Sustaining the unsustainable: Global investors are worried about many things. Why is America's current-account deficit not one of them? A new issue of NBER Digest is out, with summaries of papers on globalization and poverty; the effects of education on health; and why do house prices rise faster in some cities? From Fortune, an article on the richest city in the world--no, it's not Dubai. What's the world's most expensive city? No, it's not Oslo.   "Welcome to Asia's Latin City”, proclaims a giant poster in the Philippine city of Zamboanga, referring to its Spanish-derived dialect. Las Vegas as a disgusting, vile, God-forsaken hellhole of a city, and an unlikely venue for an erudite academic conference, especially a political science conference during wartime. The Smog of Race War in LA: Battles between the city's black and Latino gangs are the outcome of a dismal racial and economic situation. The introduction to Black on the Block: The Politics of Race and Class in the City. Why America’s streets are safer today than a generation ago: A review of The Great American Crime Decline. Where courtrooms and communities meet: The first chapter from The Trial in American Life. Unnatural Selection: There's a thriving industry built on the scientific selection of jurors—but the jury is out on just how accurate it is, or whether it gives legal adversaries an edge. And on how America became obsessed with the polygraph—even though it has never really worked: A review of The Lie Detectors: The History of an American Obsession [Mar 16] From The Nation, Perry Anderson reviews James Traub's The Best Intentions: Kofi Annan and the UN in the Era of American World Power and Stanley Meisler's Kofi Annan: A Man of Peace in a World of War (and more). Troubled waters on UN oceans treaty: The US has been the major stumbling block to a worldwide agreement on ocean governance and fixing damaged seas. From Financial Times, the New Seven Sisters: An article on the oil and gas giants that dwarf western rivals (and an interview with Nader Sultan, Luis Giusti and Carola Hoyos). From LRB, a review of The Revenge of Gaia by James Lovelock; Climate Change 2007, the report of the IPCC; Heat: How to Stop the Planet Burning by George Monbiot; The Party’s Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies; and The Economics of Climate Change: The Stern Review by Nicholas Stern. Immanuel Wallerstein on climate disasters and three obstacles to doing anything. Europeans do it better: In an overpopulated and warming world, isn't it weird that governments are making it easier for women to have more children? From Monthly Review, an essay on Israel in the U.S. Empire. Taming Leviathan: These are both the best of times and the worst of times for the American-Jewish lobby. Bloggers vs. the Lobby: Israel’s propaganda fortress faces a surprising new challenge. From The Washington Monthly, no time to go wobbly, Barack: The international system isn’t broken, and you can lead it; Condi’s conundrum: Will Rice get Powelled? Laura Rozen investigates; and Wesley Clark on averting the next Gulf war: The troop “surge” in Iraq is also a signal to Iran—but stopping Tehran’s nukes for good will require a different kind of leverage. An interview with Chalmers Johnson, author of Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic. From Vanity Fair, as a former CIA agent, Robert Baer knows how mercenaries work: in the shadows. But how did a notorious former British officer, Tim Spicer, come to coordinate the second-largest army in Iraq—the tens of thousands of private security contractors? From Foreign Policy, pressure is mounting on the international community to stop Iran’s nuclear program, and key U.S. lawmaker Tom Lantos says he knows how to do it. He’d present countries with a choice: Either you’re with the United States, or you’re with Iran. I am Sullied No More: Faced with the Iraq war's corruption, Col. Ted Westhusing chose death before dishonor. A review of Blood Brothers: Among the Soldiers of Ward 57. Here comes another "crime wave": Will any candidate have the fortitude to link America's crimes abroad with crime at home? Caught in the Spin Cycle: When the selling of the war turned as sour as the war itself, Lewis "Scooter" Libby was in trouble. His perjury trial exposed the White House P.R. machine–and the first hint of a split between his boss, Dick Cheney, and President Bush. Are neo-cons history? Jacob Weisberg wants to know. And a room of his own: George Bush wants his library to propound his message

[Weekend] Potpourri: From Economic Quarterly, an essay on The Contributions of Milton Friedman to Economics pdf. From The Nation, after all these years, will Reagan's budget chief David Stockman go to jail for cooking the books? William Greider investigates. From Mother Jones, an interview with Ralph Nader. Can one person slow global warming? Here's 51 ways to save the environment. Should progressives take Ann Coulter seriously? Sam Berger and Ben Adler debate. Viewers to a Kill: An interview with Jeremy Kahn, on the growing problem of witness intimidation and the challenges of reporting a story about it (and more on "Stop snitching"). What's an opinion worth? Sean Gonsalves on how to combat the anti-intellectual virus. An interview with Michael Wallis, author of Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride. More on Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the Making of History by John Patrick Diggins. Tasting their own medicine: Republicans complain about the congressional shaft. Here's the secret to "American Idol": Don't think of it as a singing competition. More than anything, "Idol" is a political game, an exercise in building support and rallying fans. Nerds Just Wanna Have Fun: Nerds in New York and Boston are taking barroom banter to the next level. The evidence for a recent national rise in crime is murky -- and implementing get-tough remedies to address the alleged wave would be misguided. The intellect behind Islamic radicalism: A review of The Power of Sovereignty by Sayed Khatab. The Zuni Way: With 90 percent of its members still living in their ancestral homeland in northwestern New Mexico, the Native American tribe is among the continent's most cohesive. But why? A review of Chuck Schumer's Positively American: Winning Back The Middle-Class Majority One Family at a Time. Alvaro Vargas Llosa on why perfect totalitarianism is impossible. Even though the Internet tag NSFW (Not Safe for Work) is assumed to have something to do with sex, it is more about class, politics, and how much money you make. The Power of Babble: MIT researcher Deb Roy is videotaping every waking minute of his infant son's first 3 years of life. His ultimate goal: teach a robot to talk. From Military Times, Staff Sgt. Walter Campbell has finally received the promotion he’s waited over a year for. His new title: Funniest Person in South Texas. An excerpt from R. Emmett Tyrrell's The Clinton Crack-Up. All the president's privileged men: Sanford Levinson on how moves to subpoena Karl Rove and colleagues look likely to cause constitutional deadlock.  From Radar, here's ten April Fool's Day pranks that bombed. The art of fooling around: What makes a great April Fool's joke? On April Fool's Day, 1982, Argentine troops invaded the Falkland Islands. Dan Bjarnason looks back at "a meat grinder of a war" -- and the Canadian who became a local hero in the process. And in 1982, Anthony Barnett argued that Britain's decision to wage war with Argentina in the south Atlantic was triggered by its deep political culture. Twenty-five years on, he looks afresh at the entrails [Mar 30] From Perspectives on Politics, Ira Katznelson (Columbia): At the Court of Chaos: Political Science in an Age of Perpetual Fear pdf. On foreign policy, shades of agreement: Will the end of the Bush era bring the parties together on war and peace? The WWE and Political Campaigning: The time has come to admit to ourselves that young America's polite indifference towards partisan politics and the wrestling industry stems from the uncomfortable but increasingly undeniable fact that the two have grown indistinguishable from one another. Heather Cox Richardson, author of West From Appomattox: The Reconstruction of America after the Civil War, on why Reconstruction explains our politics today. Lincoln and the Greatest Question of All: A review of Lincoln Emancipated: The President and the Politics of Race. From TNR, money changes everything: A review of Andrew Carnegie and Mellon. Income gap is widening, data shows: The top 1 percent — those with incomes of more than $348,000 in 2005 — received their largest share of national income since 1928. A review of The Science of Success: How Market-Based Management Built the World's Largest Private Company. The government's iron fist is not the consumer's friend: Does the Supreme Court have a problem with free markets? From Governing, an article on public management and the end of geography. From LRB, an article on the political economy of carbon trading. If we want to save the planet, we need a five-year freeze on biofuels: Oil produced from plants sets up competition for food between cars and people. People, and the environment, will lose. The Human Footprint: Has civilization gone too far? It’s not a footprint—It’s an energy print pdf. A review of Useless Arithmetic: Why Environmental Scientists Can’t Predict the Future by Orrin H. Pilkey and Linda Pilkey-Jarvis. Johann Hari reviews Six Degrees: our future on a hotter planet. To coldly go: Scientists travel to the bottom of the world to investigate the climate, the universe and the limits of life itself; and a look at how Antarctica is a geographical and political anomaly. Can we survive on the Moon? Overcoming the hazards of lunar life may depend on exploiting the paradoxical potential of the moon's gritty dust. Deep Impact: A new NASA report on killer asteroids ought to spook people into action. NASA will likely shut down its think tank Institute for Advanced Concepts, which funds research into futuristic, and often far-out, ideas in spaceflight and aeronautics. Disaster Man: An interview with William Langewiesche on Inside the Sky: A Meditation on Flight. From California Literary Review, an interview with Allen Shawn, author of Wish I Could Be There: Notes From a Phobic Life. Marty Klein on how America’s war on sex is no abstract political idea, and it's now playing in cities across the country. More on I'd Rather Eat Chocolate: Learning to Love My Low Libido by Joan Sewell. Let's Talk About Sex: A pushback against federally-funded abstinence-only sex ed finally gathers steam. And the Kids Are Alright: Emily Bazelon on what the latest day-care study really found [Mar 29] From TAP, why economists can't see the economy: Economic theory and economic fact have long since parted company. And since we structure the world according to the theories of economists, this imperils just about everything. Did Freakonomics spoil economists? Noam Scheiber investigates. Here's a guide to clever--and serious--economics papers, and an illustrated take on the Freakonomics phenomenon. The first few chapters from The Essential John Nash. Corn-Fed America: Curt Ellis says that today’s successful farmers are economists, not gardeners. Greening globalisation: A plan to link climate-change policy with biodiversity loss renews the twenty-year-old idea of sustainable development. Is a carbon rationing scheme a solution to global warming? Democrats (and a few Republicans) are heading into complex terrain as they devise major legislation to address global warming. A guide to the coming fight. Is the South's hold over American politics on the wane? A review of Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South by Thomas F. Schaller. What causes lefties to turn into conservatives? Jonathan Chait reviews Why I Turned Right: Leading Baby Boom Conservatives Chronicle Their Political Journeys. Scaring the pants off men: Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and other strong women in politics are sending right-wing men into a fury. Too bad. Mommies Unite! You’ve got nothing to lose!: A review of The Feminine Mistake: Are We Giving Up Too Much? An interview with Susan Seligson, author of Stacked: A 32DDD Reports From the Front. A review of Size Matters: How Height Affects the Health, Happiness and Success of Boys — and the Men They Become. From Psychology Today, has the quest to find the perfect soul mate done more harm than good? Psychologists provide insight into how the never-ending search for ideal love can keep you from enjoying a marriage or a healthy relationship that you already have. Raising Pagans: When Daddy is Catholic and Mommy is a Witch, what's a couple to teach their children? A review of Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know — and Doesn't. Jacob Weisberg on the strange views of Andrew Roberts, George Bush's favorite historian: A review of A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900. 1919 was one of those years that make you glad you live now: A review of Savage Peace: Hope and Fear in America, 1919. From History & Policy, a historical perspective suggests that policies to promote individuals' right of identity registration, as called for in human rights conventions, are not economic luxuries but necessities for encouraging broad-based, liberal market development. We know ourselves by the papers we keep: Michael Dirda reviews Who Are You? Identification, Deception, and Surveillance. David Rivkin and Lee Casey on how closing Guantanamo would hurt the war effort, and wouldn't appease the critics anyway. Former Army interrogator Tony Lagouranis explains what torture is really like -- and what happens to those who inflict it. Have the car-bombers already defeated the surge? Mike Davis on the weapon no one can stop. And gone parkin’: A surprising amount of traffic isn’t caused by people who are on their way somewhere, but by those who have already arrived and are looking for a place to park [Mar 28] From Secular Web, No Darwin, No Hitler: An article on spinning natural selection; and how should one choose between different religions? Raymond D. Bradley on the rivalry between religions. Passion Takes It Higher: The most influential annual gathering of young evangelicals plans to go global. An interview with Charlene Cothran, editor of Venus, a magazine for African-American gays and lesbians, on how she renounced homosexuality and came to Christ. Are we there yet? Katha Pollitt sees a "real revolution" in women’s consciousness, but says much work remains. A review of A Political Education: Coming of Age in Paris and New York by Andre Schiffrin.  Founders, Strivers, and Slackers: A review of Great Expectations: The Troubled Lives of Political Families by Noemie Emery. From In These Times, an article on the lessons of Sacco and Vanzetti. Each accusation on The Top Ten List of Stupid Leftist Ideals is, in reality, an assault on various humanist principles. An interview with Ron Jacobs, author of The Way the Wind Blew: A History of the Weather Underground. Dispatches from the Lunatic Center: A review of Chris Hedges' American Fascists and and Dinesh D'Souza's The Enemy at Home. From Grist, could mainstream readers handle eco-news if it came in the shape of Julia Roberts and Evangeline Lilly (and, uh, Chip Giller)? Would green really prove to be the new black ink? And a look at how biz magazines spotlight the sustainability revolution. Exactly how big is your eco footprint?