From Prospect, with Fidel Castro apparently on the verge of death, Bella Thomas returned to Cuba to visit old friends. Little has changed over recent years and life for most Cubans remains harsh. Yet western visitors continue to romanticise the place. A review of Exposing the Real Che Guevara and the Useful Idiots Who Idolize Him by Humberto Fontova. A review of The Origins of the Cuban Revolution Reconsidered by Samuel Farber. A review of Unvanquished: Cuba's Resistance to Fidel Castro.
Ever since the time of Juan Perón corruption has permeated Argentine society. Fraud and bribes are part of everyday life, and anyone wishing to do business compromises. Sometimes corruption may be a shortcut through bureaucracy, but when the system is both inefficient and dirty, there are no justifications. The Venezuelan government recently took over the nation's most popular TV station. Was it a move to return the airwaves to the people — or political retribution for airing anti-Chavez programming? Latin America cannot remain indifferent to Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez’s threats to close media outlets. Troubling Roots: How did Islamic radicalism grow in Guyana? A terrorist hub? The Caribbean region comes under scrutiny.
A new issue of the United States Army's Soldiers is out. Seduced by War: An interview with Andrew J. Bacevich, author of The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War. A review of Humanitarian Imperialism: Using Human Rights to Sell War by Jean Bricmont. Freedom's Just Another Word: Fred Kaplan on Bush's deluded speech to the world's oppressed. President Bush has delivered some of the most rhetorically unstable statements of this era — creating a world where power determines reality and words follow meekly behind. Who will be the last Bush loyalist? Whoever you are, don't forget to kill the lights.
There's one thing the US presidential contenders all have in common: God. The 2008 race is already well under way, and the first signs are of a resentful, defensive America. Ben Adler on how conservatives can't figure out why they hate TV. Beware the Bloggers' Bile: Liberal pundits are now as enraged as their foes. That may be a problem for the Democrats.
A review of No Excuses by Bob Shrum. When Barack Obama launched into his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, he was still an obscure state senator from Illinois. By the time he finished 17 minutes later, he had captured the nation's attention and opened the way for a run at the presidency. A behind-the-scenes look at the politicking, plotting, and preparation that went into Obama's breakthrough moment. A review of A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Carl Bernstein; and a review of Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Jeff Gerth and Don Van Natta Jr. (and more).
