Issue 120
March 2006
Contents
No more heroes
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
Leo Strauss, father of neoconservatism, is not the fascist thinker of left-wing caricature. But neither is he a figure with whom democrats can feel comfortable. He believed in virtue rather than liberalism
Realism rules (still)
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
In America—although not Britain—realist fiction has been excoriated by postmodernists and their cheerleaders in literary criticism. But realism is nothing like as naive as its opponents claim
The return of macroeconomics
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
The monetary and fiscal framework created in Britain after 1992 has enjoyed a long run of success. But with tougher times ahead, critics are wondering how much of that success is down to the new rules and how much to benign global conditions
A Damascene conversion
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
I had been living in Damascus for barely a month when my Norwegian friend Isak told me he was on the verge of converting to Islam. Then the Danish cartoon row erupted
Should Muslims turn a blind eye to the cartoons?
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
Two Muslims disagree about the appropriate response to the cartoon controversy
AJP Taylor
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
The historian AJP Taylor was one of the first "telly dons." But over the years, those of us who admired him, as a scholar, stylist and gadfly, have gradually been disabused
Misreading Iran (again)
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
The west usually gets Iran wrong. Talk of air strikes and sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme suggests we are continuing to do so
A Danish drama
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
Jyllands-Posten, the newspaper that published the infamous Muhammad cartoons, is based in my home town and still sits on my family's coffee table. This is the real story of how a provincial newspaper's prank turned into a global crisis
Magnified grievances
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
Watching the Danish cartoon saga unfold in the Palestinian territories, it became clear that the media and politicians were ironing out the subtleties and subtexts of the story
How should we study religion?
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
A philosopher and a theologian debate the correct approach to the study of religion
Comment (2)Going it alone
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
The Hamas victory in the Palestinian election has made the unilateral approach more attractive to Israel. This is why Kadima are likely to win this month's Israeli election
The angry east end
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
The postwar working class felt betrayed by immigration and new welfare rules
Spoiling the party
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
The Thatcherite who gave David Cameron his first job says he is not impressed
No deal-ever
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
Instead of resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict, both sides just want to contain it
A sense of awe
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
Portrayals of the Prophet underestimate his grandeur, but they are not "banned"
Too much respect
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
Liberals argue that a more diverse society requires less diverse opinion. Nonsense
A long voyage
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
As in India, the maintenance of social peace requires strict controls on free expression
Reading Richard and Judy
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
Borrowing the idea from Oprah Winfrey, one television book club has reshaped British fiction. What do publishers make of R&J's choices?
India's anti-diplomat
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
This is the most unflattering portrayal of a people ever written by one of its own image management specialists, and its author has been promoted for it
The Lovelock apocalypse
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
The Gaia theorist has dire prophecies about global warming, but his enthusiasm for nuclear power and attacking green shibboleths remains undimmed
Moral bombing?
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
Area bombing of German cities in the second world war was unnecessary, but was not a crime. Sometimes ends can justify means
Widescreen
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
After a ten-year absence from the cinema, the English national character is in the frame again, even for US directors. What does England look like now?
Private view
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
Gilbert and George are the godfathers of modern British art. Without them, the trite messages and facile innuendo of Britart would have been unthinkable
Musical notes
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
An intriguing programme at the QEH highlights the transformative effect of Hungarian folk music on Bela Bartók—and vice versa
The orphan and the mob
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
Were it not for the need to pee, Jude might discover the secret of his birth
Tillyard's tales
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
The state does not work in Italy, but thanks to small families, "associative" life is thriving, as we discovered when my son joined the local football club
Washington watch
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
The Republican right is rallying around George Allen as the presidential candidate for 2008. He has one vital thing on his side—good connections in sport
France profonde
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
Will Ségolène Royal be the Socialist presidential candidate next year? Not if the rest of her misogynistic party have anything to do with it
Lab report
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
A new astronomical discovery means that we will either have to lose Pluto as a planet, or admit that our solar system has far more planets than the textbooks say
Brussels diary
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
The cartoon controversy is a no-win situation for the EU, and it means double trouble for the Danish premier. And what will Roger Liddle do next?
Common law
22nd March 2006 — Issue 120
As a criminal barrister providing a comprehensive service to my clients, it is important that I am ready to provide fashion suggestions