money matters

Silver Linings Martin Walker
This is not your grandfather's Great Depression. It's ours. And it will scar and mold and re-shape us in its own unique way.

Is Capitalism Moral? John Gray, Jagdish Bhagwati & Bernard-Henri Lévy, with Stephanie Flanders
The financial meltdown has spawned many questions. The John Templeton Foundation recently hosted a conversation about perhaps the biggest question of all: "Is capitalism moral?"

nation-building in america

Making Intelligence Reform Work Gordon Lederman
During the Cold War, a loosely confederated intelligence community was enough to counter the lumbering, bureaucratic Warsaw Pact. But in the age of globalization, U.S. Intelligence needs to operate as a single, networked enterprise.

Back to Basics John McLaughlin
Some truths about the relationship between policymaking and intelligence.

think again

Misleading Africa George B.N. Ayittey
To Western development experts, Africa remains a puzzle box of failure. But it's really no puzzle: Africa is rich; only its politics are poor.

Do No Harm Peter Reuter
The global dimension of the U.S. war on drugs needs downsizing.

immigration

Facing Facts about Immigration Peter Skerry
Today there is a sizeable gap between elite and non-elite opinion on immigration reform. Time to cut through the fog of fear and moralizing dividing them.

Bringing in the Banlieues Patrick Weil
French immigration dilemmas can no longer be denied.

Four Traps Daniel DiSalvo
Overcoming barriers to effective immigration reform.

showtime

Blood Sport Austin Long
What does the rise of mixed martial arts (MMA) say about American culture? And is it barbaric human cockfighting or a noble sport?

Popaganda Neal M. Rosendorf
Hollywood-produced movies like Kung Fu Panda paint Chinese culture in a positive light for all the world to see, which has Beijing wondering, "Why can't we do that?"

reviews

The Death of The Predator State Steven M. Teles
James Galbraith's prediction of the collapse of the nation’s financial system has earned him a well-deserved reputation for prescience. His understanding of recent history, however, is another matter.

The Comanches and Us Anna Simons
Historians traffic in characters and plots. They appreciate the extent to which timing, location and personality matter. Anthropologists, on the other hand, eschew the importance of contingency, inadvertence and timing, treating humans like predictable atoms, not willful Adams.

Punctuating History Kenneth Weisbrode
What you see of 1990s-era America depends on where you stand.

Mumbai Masala Noelle Daly
In Slumdog Millionaire, director Danny Boyle’s fast-paced, frenetic style suits the chaotic East-meets-West world of modern Mumbai.

Greenspan Shrugged Adam Wolfson
Are Ayn Rand and her adept Alan Greenspan to blame for our economic woes? Answering that question requires something more than parody and less than unqualified praise.

notes & letters

A Letter From Air Force Two Glenn Kessler
Traveling with the Secretary of State can be fun (and games).

The Law Adrift Ruth Wedgwood
The age-old scourge of piracy has come back to haunt us off the waters of Somalia. Our troubles in dealing decisively with the problem are largely of our own making.