the first "soft" superpower?

Making Progress: A Conversation with Fernando Henrique Cardoso Walter Russell Mead talks with former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso about matters past, present and future.

A Word of Welcome Thomas A. Shannon, Jr.
from the U.S. Ambassador to Brazil.

The Cordial Brazilian William Waack
Brazilians too readily accept recycled images of themselves.

Getting Real Roberto Giannetti da Fonseca
Chinese currency manipulation is pushing Washington and Brasília together.

Brazil's Journey Carlos Eduardo da Silva
Constructive moderation is the lodestone of Brazil's way in the world.

Connecting American and Brazilian Interests Rubens Barbosa
U.S.-Brazilian cooperation needs careful tending in changing times.

radicals

Ending al-Qaeda Carl Ciovacco, Howard Gambrill Clark & James Van de Velde
Now that Osama bin Laden is no more, we should push our advantage. We have a most unusual source to show us how.

Reform School for Radicals Marisa L. Porges
Deradicalization programs are justified by their indirect effects.

Playing with Fire James Kirchick
Shades of gray envelop political Islam in autocratic Central Asia.

The Americanization of Islamism Mohamed Nimer
The surprisingly hopeful history of Islamist radicalism in America.

America's Radical Idealists Strike Again Steven A. Cook
Did Bush's "forward strategy for freedom" birth the Arab Spring? Umm, no.

What Would War with Iran Look Like? Jeffrey White
The outcome of any U.S.-Iranian military conflict is far too complex to predict.

reviews

Tribal Realism Roger Sandall
Robin Fox explains how cousin marriage in Iraq relates to the meaning of Antigone.

Land of Charm and Cruelty David Martin Jones
Cambodia's demons thrive on the international community's largesse.

Judging Henry Clay Ronald J. Granieri
Coming to terms with the historical legacy of the "Great Compromiser."

Califormula for Dysfunction Bruce E. Cain
Gimmicks can't mask basic political disagreement; they only make things worse.

Retroview: A Countercultural Conservative Joseph R. Wood
The centenary of E.F. Schumacher, author of Small Is Beautiful.

notes & letters

Class War Patrick S. Roberts
Europe's student protests point to deeper social and political dilemmas.

Vacation Note: I Go to Rio Neal M. Rosendorf
Carlos Saldanha's animated blue macaw is Hollywood's soft-power gift to Brazil.