Fall 2009

Editor's Introduction
Lawrence F. Kaplan
Writing in World Affairs last year, George Packer noted that, on the home front, the Iraq War was “an abstraction that routinely shades into caricature” and that “the image of Iraq is flickering and formless.” The indictment here was largely, and justifiably in my view, directed at press coverage of the war. I recall a discussion in 2006 with an Army officer, who charged that the media were ... Read More

Talibanistan: The Talibs at Home

Nicholas Schmidle
If you think the Talibs aren't the rainmakers in AfPak these days, try to collect a measly debt—much less win a war—without them. Our correspondent did. (And he still hasn't heard from Western Union.)

Dear Mr. President . . . Read Your Kipling

P. J. O'Rourke
Rudyard Kipling was the voice of British imperialism. Perhaps President Obama should read a few of his poems, lest he forget how well things went in Afghanistan 100 years ago.

The Cosmopolitan Tongue: The Universality of English

John McWhorter
This century promises the death of most of the world's languages, but John McWhorter assures us we probably won't miss them.

American Brethren: Hebrews and Puritans

Jim Sleeper
From the first Thanksgiving to The Scarlet Letter, the Puritans are well known to most Americans. But as Jim Sleeper reminds us, Cotton Mather and his tribe took more than one of their strokes from the ancient Hebrews—and the influence lives on.

The Big Story: Our Embattled Media

Marcus Wilford
News coverage of the Iraq War will be studied by future journalists and officers alike. ABC's Marcus Wilford offers an initial assessment of what worked—and what didn't.

The Ugly American: A Rhodes Scholar Goes South

James Kirchick
The New Republic's James Kirchick chronicles the misadventures of a bobo abroad.

Mullahs on the Verge: Iran's People, Iran's Pulpits

Abbas Milani
Despite the tension mounting between Iran's leaders and practically everyone else—at home and abroad—Abbas Milani argues that the West should address the problem with smart diplomacy, not smart bombs.

Feeble Critiques: Capitalism's Petty Detractors

Jagdish Bhagwati
Last year's financial crisis has been touted as a cataclysm akin to the fall of Communism, but Jagdish Bhagwati argues that such comparisons exaggerate the problem—and free marketers need not apologize for liberal policies.

Restraining Order: For Strategic Modesty

Harvey Sapolsky, Benjamin H. Friedman, Eugene Gholz and Daryl G. Press
The world may still need a lot of help, but as Harvey Sapolsky and his colleagues argue, it's time that we divvy up some of the work among our allies.

Spoilers: The End of the Peace Process

Elliott Abrams and Michael Singh
Elliott Abrams and Michael Singh show how the Middle East peace process has been fatally misguided—and what should be done to fix it.

In the May/June Issue

Bacevich, Diehl, Hayden, Perle, Rieff, Wolfowitz, and others debate the lessons of Iraq. Juan de Onis on Latin America’s divide, Riviera on China’s pollution, and Michael Zantovsky on “Iron Curtain.” Plus Scottish independence, and more...

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