January/February 2011

Editor's Introduction
James S. Denton
Every now and then someone emerges on the world scene to lead not because of ambition but because of what matters: the strength and the enduring quality of their character; the nobility of their purpose; and the wisdom, compassion, and humility that has been evenly deployed during a full life’s span of challenges and tests. Most would argue that Vaclav Havel is such a leader. Rather than seek shelter in the life of privilege into which he was born, he suffered humiliation and isolation because he refused to capitulate on the fundamental values that underpin life and civilization as it should be. ... Read More

Power Play: Turkey's Bid to Trump Iran

Hillel Fradkin and Lewis Libby
The flotilla incident last spring was just an opener: Turkey has big plans for its own role in a tumultuous Middle East—and they don't have much to do with helping Tehran, much less the West.

Tanned and Rested: Vaclav Havel Marks His Return with ‘Leaving’

Michael Zantovsky
The Czech politician Vaclav Havel has played many roles—dissident, playwright, philosopher president. Now, as his former political director reports, the 74-year-old is making yet another comeback—as a filmmaker.

Menace à trois: Alliances with Iran and Turkey? Please.

James Kirchick
In Reset, former New York Times reporter Stephen Kinzer argues for shaking up our traditional ties in the Mideast—and getting more friendly with Turkey and Iran. James Kirchick explains why it shouldn't happen—and never would, anyway.

The Enemy We Need: Washington Courts a Repressive Uzbekistan—Again

Philip Shishkin
Uzbekistan has one of the most repressive political systems in the world, but these days the country’s strongman Islam Karimov is back in Washington’s good graces.

Anchors Away: American Sea Power in Dry Dock

Seth Cropsey
After a decade of counterinsurgency warfare, it's hard to remember that America's global leadership used to be—and still is—based on its naval power. But that shouldn't excuse utterly neglecting it.

No Man's Land: The Mystery of Mexico's Drug Wars

Gary Moore
What do two gangland massacres in a Mexican no-man's-land say about the country's nebulous world of narco politics and warfare? Gary Moore reports from the outlaw's roost Cerro Prieto, a.k.a. Dark Hill.

The No-Show: Why Values Should Have Mattered in Iraq

Melik Kaylan
The US took its blood and treasure to Iraq to topple a tyrant and build a democracy. But it forgot its most appealing asset, its liberal cultural values, allowing lesser forces to fill the void.

Average Joe: The Return of Stalin Apologists

Tomasz Sommer and Marek Chodakiewicz
A spate of new books posits that Stalin wasn't such a bad guy after all—just a strongman boxed in by the perils of history. The journalist Tomasz Sommer and the scholar Marek Chodakiewicz beg to differ.

Spoiler Alert: What Syria's President Really Wants

James H. Anderson
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad wants to play every one of his neighbors (not to mention the West) for all they're worth.

Big Boom: Robert Pape Remakes Terrorism Studies

Jordan Michael Smith
Meet Robert Pape, the man whose empirical research has helped reshape terrorism studies as we know 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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