Issue 130
January 2007
Contents
Alexis de Tocqueville
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
The French aristocrat wrote the first great account of American democracy. But Tocqueville is misread if turned into a prophet or philosopher. We should see him as a travel writer and historian
Does the future really belong to China?
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
If China does not abandon one-party rule, will it stumble under the stresses of state capitalism? Or will it show that there can be a successful authoritarian road to modernity?
Can ageing be stopped?
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
Gerontologists consider the maximum lifespan for humans to be about 120 years. But with rising evidence for a genetic "death programme," which in principle could be amended, some researchers are starting to believe the limit could be extended
The DIY state
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
When it comes to public service reform, extra money and top-down rules can only achieve so much. A new ethos of self-help is needed, and its prophet is a former Catholic priest and industrial society critic—Ivan Illich
Exporting Englishness
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
Throughout the 20th century, English writers achieved success in the US by selling an elite image of the country based on Oxbridge and public schools. Can any other vision of English life strike a chord with Americans?
Lost legitimacy
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
The readiness of America, and sometimes Britain, to fight difficult conflicts in faraway places was one reason for victory in the cold war. But the end of the anti-communist struggle removed the moral justification for intervention and, as the Iraq war shows, a new source of legitimacy has yet to be found
Overburdened schools
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
The government is asking schools to do a lot more than simply educate our children—but schools are not the answer to every social need
"Idi Amin, my hero"
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
An adviser to the Ugandan president tells the story behind the making of The Last King of Scotland—and has a surprising conversation with Forest Whitaker
Anna and Alexander
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
There are critical differences between the killings of Litvinenko and Politkovskaya
Exceptional America
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
The Democrats need a new approach to foreign policy. Here's what it should be
Islamic Calvinists
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
Can Islamic states foster an entrepreneurial ethic? Look no further than Anatolia
Canada's comeback
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
The country that used to be synonymous with soft power is getting more muscular
Ditching Piaget
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
America is changing the way it teaches children maths. Britain should do the same
A good Grade
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
Michael Grade's defection is bad for the BBC, but could be good for British television
Private view
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
Powered by the insatiable demand of the global rich, China's contemporary art scene is booming. What a shame that so much of the work is no good
Between the lines
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
Publishing is a gloriously uncertain trade. Bestsellers cannot be manufactured, while low-key titles often achieve success through word of mouth
Musical notes
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra is badly cast with Renée Fleming. Plus, a young conductor shows how Brahms's 1st should be done
Widescreen
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
Why has mainstream cinema suddenly become so dark? The obvious reason is 9/11, but ageing audiences and Asian influences have also played a part
The executioner's voice
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
Jonathan Littell's doorstopper novel is not merely a feat of linguistic audacity—it also raises profound questions about history, morality and luck
The fat of the land
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
Individuals may not own countries any more, but land inequity is still a huge problem in both poor and rich nations. Is it time for a progressive land tax?
A kind of genius
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
Thomas Pynchon's new novel is full of sharp jokes and gorgeous writing—but it is also incoherent and emotionally distancing. Is the journey worth it?
Publishing confessions
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
After some spectacular flops in 2006, the celebrity memoir has been declared dead. But the man who helped to create the genre reckons we shouldn't write it off yet
21st century Juliet
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
If I marry Perry Paris, the family estate will be saved—but I love a builder boy
Notes from underground
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
This is my last column (at least from underground). Dear reader, I have finally been sacked. No doubt some of you think that I thoroughly deserved it
Brussels diary
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
The EU is looking for a new high representative for foreign affairs. Plus, Turkey's entry seems as far away as ever, but at least emissions trading is taking off
These islands
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
Ireland's new-found wealth is helping to banish centuries of Anglophobia. Next February, you will even hear "God Save the Queen" sung at Croke Park
Matters of taste
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
Thanks to an absurd new ruling, any tip or service charge you pay will now almost certainly enrich the restaurateur. It is best to tip in cash and in secret
Inefficient markets
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
Ken Livingstone rides to the defence of the stock exchange, just when it doesn't matter any more. Plus, accurate data does matter. Can we rely on the ONS?
France profonde
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
If Ségolène Royal wins the French presidency in May, a quirky regional experiment in participative budgeting for schools may become national policy
Lab report
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
It is difficult to see how a competent assassin would expect the cause of Litvinenko's death to stay unknown. Why was polonium chosen?
Washington watch
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
Barack Obama goes state-hopping, while John McCain frets about a challenge to his presidential bid from a Michigan Mormon
Out of mind
14th January 2007 — Issue 130
British psychiatrists are waiting nervously to find out if the new mental health bill will turn them into jailers rather than doctors
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