Darfur—the crisis explained

The collapse last year of African Union-led talks aimed at resolving the Darfur crisis leaves a solution as far away as ever. A Sudan expert who advised the AU during the talks explains the background to the conflict and asks whether it constitutes genocide

Putin's patrimony

Russia's economy is more dependent on natural resources than in Soviet times. This "oil curse" means a brittle economy and an unstable political system based on the fusion of power and property. Watch out for the coming Putin succession crisis

The future of proof

The use of computers means that modern mathematical proofs can run to millions of pages. Such proofs can never be fully verified by humans alone. Does this mean, as some argue, the death of proof?

When the music stopped

Classical recording did more than just capture musical sound forever—it gave rise to a whole culture of appreciation based on common ownership of records and CDs. That culture is dying as major labels slash recordings and the internet returns music, once more, to the ether

The big question

We asked 100 writers and thinkers to answer the following question: Left and right defined the 20th century. What's next? The pessimism of their responses is striking: almost nobody expects the world to get better in the coming decades, and many think it will get worse

The big question

Left and right defined the 20th century. What's next?

The big question

Left and right defined the 20th century. What's next?

Barack Obama

His unusual background and his ability to use it to articulate a hopeful version of the American dream have turned Barack Obama into a political star. But is the US ready for its first black president?

Pervez Musharraf, interviewed

The president and military strongman of Pakistan discusses the war in Afghanistan, a possible resolution to the Kashmir dispute—and becomes the first leader to back the idea of western governments buying up Afghanistan's poppy crop

Putin's patrimony

Russia's economy is more dependent on natural resources than in Soviet times. This "oil curse" means a brittle economy and an unstable political system based on the fusion of power and property. Watch out for the coming Putin succession crisis.

Labours of love

Dan Kuper

After being sacked from the tube, Prospect's diarist begins a new life above ground—on a building site

The power of Orfeo

Stephen Pettitt

As the world's first great opera celebrates its 400th birthday, its new-found popularity may signal a welcome expansion of opera companies' repertoires

The sheikh's birthday

Tom Chatfield

Fifty years young today, and we have a wonderful birthday surprise for our leader

Reclaiming the placebo

Margaret McCartney

Alternative medicine is bunk, but makes good use of the placebo effect. Orthodox practitioners should be allowed to do the same

Reasonable extremist

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a strident defender of the rights of Muslim women—so why do so many liberals attack her?

House proud

Big Brother has often played an important role in challenging stereotypes—the most recent series was no exception

Numbers games

A new bill proposes independence for the Office for National Statistics—but it doesn't mean what it says

The nannyish state

Even well-informed people make choices against their own interests. Should the government help them help themselves?

Private view

Ben Lewis

Andreas Gursky's photographs are famous mainly because of their massive price tags. But what's really important about them is the revolutionary idea of photography they embody

Between the lines

Jason Cowley

Zadie Smith is the closest we have to a literary celebrity, but her unwillingness to appear in public means we know little about her. Of course, this merely enhances her appeal

Raine's sterile thunder

TS Eliot's greatness as a poet is established beyond all doubt. So why do critics feel the need to defend him against all charges of misogyny and antisemitism?

Irony and genius

Daniel Kehlmann's bestselling novel offers a comic view of some of Germany's great thinkers. In doing so, it mocks the very idea of German high culture

A French force

Nicolas Sarkozy has star appeal. But to judge from his political testimony, he lacks a coherent political philosophy and has few ideas about how to arrest France's decline

Letter from Argentina

Nick Pearce

The use of the corpse as a political weapon has a long history in Argentina. The body has become political because of the country's arrested political development

Confessions

Lucy Kellaway

Most newspaper confession columns are completely phoney, including my own. I do have a juicy secret and I'm sure you would like to hear about it—except there's no way in the world I'm going to reveal it here

Rivers of Babylon

Nibras Kazimi

Iraq is now home to several messianic Shia cults, all awaiting the return of the twelfth Shia imam, or Mahdi. In his name they carry out endless reprisal killings, many using their latest weapon of choice—the electric drill

Lab report

Philip Ball

The dwindling brigade of climate change sceptics, up against an overwhelming scientific consensus, are now turning to economics. How long can they hold out?

Brussels diary

Manneken Pis

Why does the once combative commission appear to be abandoning the consumer and siding with big business? Plus, Spain sides with Russia over the new plan for Kosovo

Speculations

Geoffrey Miller

Why have we not encountered intelligent extraterrestrial life? We used to assume that the aliens had blown themselves up. But perhaps they just got addicted to computer games

Will's words

William Skidelsky

Grayling's little question

AC Grayling

In fact

prospect

Editorial

David Goodhart