From Dissent, From Marx to Confucius: Changing discourses on China’s political future. An interview with John Pomfret, author of Chinese Lessons: Five Classmates and the Story of the New China. From Asia Sentinel, a series of articles on How Hong Kong Really Works. Tough and timeless: Mongolia’s physical isolation has kept its strong traditions and vibrant culture alive. There's not a lot to do when you're a closely watched visitor in North Korea except hit the karaoke at day's end. An interview with Charles L. Pritchard, author of Failed Diplomacy: The Tragic Story of How North Korea Got the Bomb.
From the US Department of State's eJournal, a special issue on Countering the Terrorist Mentality, including Walter Laqueur (CSIS): Terrorism: A Brief History; Bruce Hoffman (Georgetown): A Form of Psychological Warfare; Gabriel Weimann ( American): Mass-Media Theater; Jerrold Post (GWU): Collective Identity: Hatred Bred in the Bone; John Horgan (St. Andrews): From Profiles to Pathways: The Road to Recruitment; Mia Bloom (Georgia): Women as Victims and Victimizers; Mohammed Hafez (Missouri): A Case Study: The Mythology of Martyrdom in Iraq; an interview on terrorism and children; an essay on New Paradigms for 21st Century Conflict; and a look at Terrorism in 2006. The Bomb Under the Abaya: Judith Miller on women who become suicide bombers.
From Government Executive, a review of Richard Posner's Countering Terrorism: Blurred Focus, Halting Steps. An interview with Tom Farer, author of Confronting Global Terrorism: The Elements of a Liberal Grand Strategy. Entrapping Inflated Threats: Was the terrorist plot to blow up JFK Airport a threat or a joke? The vicious circle: Exaggerating the threat posed by terrorism leads to a more fearful society - - and may embolden extremists to carry out deadly attacks. Smokey and the Bandit: To borrow a buzz phrase from earlier this decade, if the President stops dancing the malaria dance, the terrorists will win.
From Democracy, A Thin Blue Line in the Sand: Iraqization is a dead-end strategy. But there is still some hope of saving the country, and it lies in an unlikely place: local Sunni militia and police; and now is no time to give up on supporting democracy in the Middle East. But to do so, the United States must embrace Islamist moderates.
From The Economist, how to be Islamic in business: Ensuring that financiers comply with sharia is becoming big business. In Saudi Arabia, a view from behind the veil: As a woman in the male-dominated kingdom, Times reporter Megan Stack quietly fumed beneath her abaya. Even beyond its borders, her experience taints her perception of the sexes. The Arab defeat: The Arab world is in a protracted and deepening decline that is less to do with the regimes that govern it than with its society and culture, says Hazem Saghieh.
