eagle & crescent

What Do Muslims Think? Amir Taheri
Unprecedented intellectual ferment in the Muslim world is likely to have a happier ending than many Westerners suppose.

The Irrelevance of the Middle East Philip E. Auerswald
Neither our 'energy insecurity' nor the danger of terrorism is all it's cracked up to be. The Middle East just isn't that strategically important.

Adventures in State-Building Harvey Sicherman
The best historical analogy for understanding the U.S. predicament in Iraq is older—and more useful—than you might think.

Fixing Public Diplomacy Michael Holtzman
The State Department needs to do "information" better, but we should privatize the "engage and persuade" business.

folks like us

A Conversation With Amy Tan Dana Gioia
Amy Tan and Dana Gioia plumb the power of storytelling within the American immigrant experience.

Born in the USA Nicholas Eberstadt
If demography is destiny, America's is greater than that of any advanced nation.

A Few More Good Men Lawrence Korb & Peter Ogden
Bigger is not necessarily better. Here are four principles for enlarging the U.S. Army and Marine Corps.

governance & growth

Survival of the Fattest Paul Collier
Not all aspects of democracy are created equal, especially the effects of resource wealth on economic growth.

Making Aid Work Stewart Patrick
Despite reforms, the U.S. foreign aid regime is still flawed.

potomac tales

Raising Cane James Snyder
America's "sugar daddies" may soon meet their match.

A Slice of Intelligence Life James Rosen
Bolling Air Force Base can be a spooky place.

reviews

L’Enfant’s Washington Francis Fukuyama
The grand, strange and illuminating story of Washington, DC, and the eccentric genius of its designer. Also included, a photo tour of the city by the author.

Islam in America Peter Skerry
Four new books try to strike a balance between fear and complacency over America's three million Muslim citizens.

Thinking about Thinking William Reinhardt
Douglas Hofstadter's 1979 book, Gödel, Escher, Bach, is now joined by I Am a Strange Loop.

Davos 2007:
The View from on High Frederick Kempe
Klaus Schwab's most recent extravaganza was "lite" on America. What a difference a year can make.

Reagan’s Brandenburg Concerto John C. Kornblum
Marking the 20th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's "Tear Down This Wall" speech.

notes & letters

The Pollbearer A.M. Spiegel
Notes on the pratfalls of democracy promotion.

The First Duty of Honest Men Adam Garfinkle
Critics of recent Administration tactics on Korea and Iran protest too much—sometimes way too much.