From Monthly Review, a review of A People's History of the World by Chris Harman. Robert J. Shiller on the myth of "superstar cities". A review of Bound Together: How Traders, Preachers, Adventurers, and Warriors Shaped Globalization by Nayan Chanda. Will Robert Zoellick be able to get the World Bank back on its feet after the failed presidency of Paul Wolfowitz? Kenneth Rogoff investigates (more from Financial Times and more from The Economist and more).
From Newsweek, why another face-off between Washington and Moscow isn’t as impossible as you might think. From Foreign Affairs, Barack Obama on Renewing American Leadership and Mitt Romney on Rising to a New Generation of Global Challenges. Henry A. Kissinger on the lessons of Vietnam: Iraq desperately needs a political solution in the short term to make the war more manageable for the next president. Fred Kaplan on Bush's failed campaign to rebrand America: The administration believes public relations is a synonym for diplomacy. A look at what Bush and America have in common with another overreaching hegemonic power: The New York Yankees.
From The Guardian, America was in uproar last week when Jimmy Carter described George Bush's foreign policy as the worst in history. He broke an unwritten rule: Past presidents don't attack incumbents. Gaby Wood finds him unrepentant. Democrats beware: Attacking the incompetence of the Bush administration is too easy. Republicans have no answer to such criticisms, but they do not need one. Presidential Scouting Reports: A libertarian fan's guide to the World Series of politics. As America's presidential campaigns seek fresh sources of finance, hedge fund and private equity executives are finding their political voice. The thespian's new clothes: Actor Fred Thompson's bid for the Republican presidential candidacy has supporters deluded into believing he is the next Ronald Reagan. If you promise not to squeal to his bosses, Andrew Glass will tell you how to run for vice president.
From Rolling Stone, an interview with Grover Norquist. Jonathan Chait on white-collar crooks, dictatorships, and other conservative causes. Can conservatism be realistic about its own popularity too? George Will investigates. John Berlau on why Rush Limbaugh should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. And now that Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter has presented him with a grandson, maybe it's time for Grandpa to join PFLAG
