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Autocracy

Commentary

Is Burma Turning On China?

How Burma's pivot away from its longtime economic partner debunks the myth of China's diplomatic prowess.

Crushing the Radical Axis

The alliance of Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas has been dealt a blow by the Arab Spring. Will it prove fatal?

Russian Protests Won't Stop Putin

Despite the recent unrest, Vladimir Putin is on track to be elected president once again.

Essays

Romancing the Throne

Dynastic survival. Diplomatic alliances. Religious supremacy. Ahh, the good old days of monarchical marriage. From the drunken George to the uppity Victoria, what was once the realm of high politics is now the domain of celebrity culture.

The Good Autocrat

A stark contrast exists between the tyrannical rulers of the Middle East and the benign despots of East Asia. The precepts of Enlightenment thought dictate freedom for all, but Confucian leaders offer a heretical alternative to Western ideals.

Ahmadinejad vs. The Ayatollah

A battle royal between the president and the supreme leader has engulfed Tehran. The result? Khamenei and his allies are methodically and ruthlessly establishing the planet’s most unabashed theocratic despotism.

Hegemony with Chinese Characteristics

At its core, ideology fuels the epic struggle between Washington and Beijing. Deeply insecure about its own legitimacy, the Communist Party seeks the subordination of its regional neighbors to appease the nationalist wing of its body politic.

Ghosts of Fascists Past

Engulfed by bank failures and street protests not seen since the Great Depression, Europe appears ripe for a fascist renaissance. This century's scapegoat: Muslim immigrants. Is the Continent ripe for a fascist renaissance?

Zoroaster and the Ayatollahs

Iran's culture wars between its Persian imperial past and Arab Muslim influence have been raging since long before the 1979 revolution. 

Blogs

Regime Change, Humanitarianism and Syria

Muddied thinking on Syria is leading the United States toward dangerous conclusions.

Hungary and the Reversibility of Liberal Democracy

Hungary is steadily backing away from its democratic principles. Is the United States next?

China in the Persian Gulf

U.S. pressure on Iran is backfiring. China is making sure of it.

Books & Reviews

Eyes and Ears of the Arab Spring

The English-language news channel of Al Jazeera consistently is first on the scene of Mideastern developments, and its journalists provide smart analysis of global events. It may be today’s most influential television-news operation.

Adolf & Eva

Wild speculations by amateur psychoanalysts painted Hitler as a pervert of every caste and creed. A new book unearths the surprisingly mundane truth: he adored the young, fun-loving, Elizabeth Arden–wearing, cigarette-smoking Eva Braun.

What Rawls Hath Wrought

The human-rights movement is nothing more than an unattainable utopian dream used to justify moral ends through ruinous wars of intervention.

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February 12, 2012