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The Future of the American Idea
As The Atlantic celebrates its 150th anniversary, scholars, novelists, politicians, artists, and others look ahead to the future of the American idea
Web-only
INTERVIEWS
The Story of a Magazine
Veteran editor Robert Vare talks about why he loves magazine journalism, what makes The Atlantic distinctive, and the challenges of whittling down a "best of" collection of Atlantic writings
The Autumn of the Multitaskers
Neuroscience is confirming what we all suspect: Multitasking is dumbing us down and driving us crazy. One man’s odyssey through the nightmare of infinite connectivity
A Man for All Reasons
In the debate over the war on terror (and just about everything else, too), neocons and liberals, theocons and Christian pacifists, idealists and realists have all called upon the writings of the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. What does the promiscuous invocation of his work tell us about the man—and about his would-be acolytes?
Web-only
INTERVIEWS
Everybody Loves Reinhold
Paul Elie, author of "A Man for All Reasons," discusses the contested legacy of Reinhold Niebuhr, whose mantle everyone, regardless of political orientation, wants to wear
I Sing of Fizzy Fluid Retention
The decline of spinsters? Smoke-free living? Drawing on a vast new statistical compendium, our commentator unearths, examines, and extrapolates the hidden challenges to America.
America’s Elegant Decline
Hulls in the water could soon displace boots on the ground as the most important military catchphrase of our time. But our Navy is stretched thin. How we manage dwindling naval resources will go a long way toward determining our future standing in the world.
The View from There
What living in England, Japan, and China has taught one American about the character of his own country
POETRY
Calle Plácida Luz de Luna
POETRY
October Crossing
Toiling in the Dream Factory
Editor’s Choice: Moviemaking in Hollywood’s classical period was colossally complex, backbreakingly difficult, obscenely expensive—and it almost always failed.
No Girlfriend of Mine
One woman’s estrangement from Hillary Rodham Clinton
The Great Assimilator
Saul Bellow’s genius lay in combining the high and the low, the reflective and the active, the ivory tower and the ghetto.
Cover to Cover
A guide to additional releases
TRAVELS
In Twain’s Wake
Mint juleps and Magic Fingers on the Mississippi [Web only: Video: Mississippi Melodies]
FOOD
The Art of Aging Well
A cult destination in London has revolutionized cheesemaking, winning converts as far afield as Vermont.
CULTURE AND COMMERCE
A Tale of Two Town Houses
Real estate may be as important as religion in explaining the infamous gap between red and blue states.
Word Court
By the pocketbook; "etymologic" debates