Issue 145
April 2008
Contents
Writing the nation
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
The "state of the nation" novel is back in fashion, with recent examples from Hanif Kureishi, Sebastian Faulks and Louis de Bernières. But many of these books focus too closely on "authentic" period detail at the expense of convincing characters and stories
Myth of the new cold war
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Russia was not a liberal democracy under Yeltsin, and neither has it reverted to totalitarianism under Putin. But America's long-established religiously inspired concern about "losing" Russia is once more at the centre of debate
Bipolar nation
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
A big shift in our understanding of mood disorders is under way, with many depressed people now being reclassified as bipolar. But is trading antidepressant drugs for mood stabilisers a sign of progress, or just the latest diagnostic fad?
Whispers in the desert
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
It is conventional wisdom that there were no WMD in Iraq. Yet there remains a dissenting minority who don't accept this. Their views may be easily dismissed, but cynicism about Iraq's WMD should not feed complacency about the continuing threats from the region
A liberal Israel lobby
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
The power of the "Israel lobby" in the US is hard to measure exactly. But its hawkish positions do conflict with the views, and interests, of most American Jews. So why isn't there a more dovish lobby to counter it? One is, finally, about to be unveiled
An Arabian fantasy
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Dubai has transformed itself from a dusty trading outpost to the self-proclaimed leader of a resurgent Arab civilisation. It is undemocratic, and relies on an underclass of immigrant labour—but so far has avoided internal strife. Will its luck hold?
A Cairo conversion
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
I moved to Cairo and fell in love with a beautiful Egyptian doctor. We decided to marry, but first I had to convert to Islam. It didn't take long
Muhammad Yunus
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
The Bangladeshi economist has helped millions by pioneering microcredit. Now he has a new idea—social business—which he believes can eliminate world poverty
Exit Mugabe
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
The scale of Zanu-PF's loss in Zimbabwe's election, along with strong pressure from South Africa, are closing the door on Robert Mugabe's reign
Cristina Kirchner
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Argentina's president has given no sign that she aimed for office for any reason other than to satisfy her vast ambition
The emerging moral psychology
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Experimental results are beginning to shed light on the psychological foundations of our moral beliefs
Comment (2)The Kosovo precedent
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
The west's recognition of Kosovo's independence has given fresh impetus to other separatist movements. Consider Abkhazia
A Liberal tragedy
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Herbert Asquith mismanaged Ireland and sleepwalked into world war. Little wonder his centenary is neglected
You broke it, you own it
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
The EU's approach to Kosovan independence was cackhanded. Now it has to look after the province
The adman as artist
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Advertising went through one revolution in the 1960s. It may now be experiencing another
National derision
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
The Goldsmith review was widely mocked, but a modern idea of citizenship is no laughing matter
The impossible made possible
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Most "impossibilities" in physics are really just very difficult engineering problems
¡Adiós, Hugo!
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Despite superficial signs of strength, Hugo Chávez's regime is in terminal decline
Prada prostitutes
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Memoirs by high-class hookers may be cartoonish, but no less so than accounts that cast prostitutes as victims of rapacious male sexuality. There are many types of prostitute, just as there are many reasons for men to visit them. A grown-up debate about sexuality must acknowledge this
Musical arguments
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Alex Ross's history of 20th-century music covers an impressively vast terrain. But its preference for "popular" over "difficult" modernism means that it fails to grapple with the artistic battles of the period
Borderline essays
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Too many histories of literary and intellectual culture are stuck in the elegiac mode. Stefan Collini avoids this trap in this bracing collection. He is one of the finest essayists we have
Mucking out the media
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Nick Davies's critique of journalism hits many of the right targets, but it is marred by a radical's complacency and the promiscuousness of its charges. This is not quite the book on the British media that we need
Puzzles of development
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Dani Rodrik avoids the single-template prescriptions of both the Washington consensus crowd and the anti-globalisers. His thoughtful and modest book shows that there are many routes to economic development
Private view
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Antony Gormley is the Dan Brown of the art world: simple and accessible, his work is loved by the public as much as it is reviled by serious critics
Performance notes
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
This spring sees three major versions of Eugene Onegin—not so long ago, it wasn't even in the repertoire. Plus, women dominate at the Philharmonia
Smallscreen
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
The new Five News has broken the mould of news bulletins. Macho newshounds may sneer, but viewers like it, and other broadcasters may follow
Man in the water
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
I'd be completely lost without my Jenny. Has Josiah Green the lighthouse-keeper been courting her?
China café
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Fear and poverty still hold millions of Chinese back. And inflation is hitting the poor hard. No wonder my 73-year-old neighbour walks for three hours to get a haircut
Washington watch
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Could Puerto Rico's delegates decide the Democratic nomination? Clinton's strategy to win the super-delegates. Plus, McCain's foreign policy adviser greybeards
Matters of taste
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Despite the boom in fine wine, decent bottles can still be found for a bargain—if you stick to the really great vintages. Plus, why Evelyn Waugh was no wine buff
This sporting life
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
This year's Gold Cup excited more attention than a horse race has had in years, but racing still struggles to find sponsors. Plus, Premier League indifference to the FA Cup
Lab report
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Just when British astronomers thought it was safe to go back into the sky… Plus, the discovery of tiny bones in Micronesian caves sends hobbit-watchers into a flap
Brussels diary
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
There may soon be a new EU foreign policy supremo—but not if Javier Solana can help it. Plus, the EU leaders won't cut down on their use of cars, and Sarko starts a Club Med
Between the lines
27th April 2008 — Issue 145
Blurbs and trailers used to tease, not spoil. But these days they ruin things by telling you exactly what you are going to read or watch. We need a campaign for real blurbs