The Ally From Hell
Pakistan lies to us, sponsors militants who attack American troops, and may have knowingly harbored Osama bin Laden. With a friend like this, who needs enemies?
December 2011
In This Issue
Our fraught alliance with Pakistan, Walmart's impact on China, Oprah's misunderstood appeal, and more
Features
I Was Wrong, and So Are You
A libertarian economist discovers that our political leanings leave us more biased than we think.
What I Lost in Libya
While covering the Libyan civil war, the author was seized by Muammar Qaddafi’s forces and imprisoned in Tripoli.
How Walmart Is Changing China
Will the world’s biggest corporation succeed in transforming environmental standards?
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David Leventi The End of Chinatown
Does China’s rise mean the end of one of America’s most storied ethnic enclaves?
Dahl Taylor Why Veterans Should Get Their Own Court System
As troops surge back into domestic life, incarceration isn't always the answer
MASA All His Children
A sperm donor discovers his rich, unsettling legacy.
Aaron Ansarov/Aurora Images Circle of Life
Namibia is trying to save its lions by charging trophy fees to kill them.
Abbas/Magnum Photos Land of the Dead
Guanajuato’s Museo de las Momias conjures the epic brutality of Mexico’s past.
Stefan Volk/laif/Redux Siberian Paradise
At play in Russia’s “Sacred Sea”
Bryan Christie The Revolution in Photography
A new camera captures hundreds of images and lets you choose your own reality
Columns
Romney’s Business
The Republican contender touts his business experience—but does it really matter?
BBC/Paramount/The Kobal Collection; Columbia Pictures/Getty Images; Studio Canal/The Kobal Collection The Anti–James Bond
A new film adaptation of John le Carré’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy prompts a look at the various incarnations of his greatest character, George Smiley.
Books
Jesse Frohman/Corbis Outline The Greatest Gossip
A John Updike compilation, plus a history of the Bank of England
Books of the Year 2011
The Atlantic’s literary editor picks the five best of the crop.
ABC The Glory of Oprah
Why the “talkinest child” understands women and the power of television better than anyone else
Cherokee Productions/NBC/ Universal TV/The Kobal Collection The Rockford Style
Eastwood? McQueen? Why James Garner is the real star of his era.
Cover to Cover
Love and gambling at Niagara Falls; the evolution of James Wolcott; and more
Letters
Gallery
Poetry
Amr Dalsh / Reuters
Advice
Nishant Chokshi What’s Your Problem?
How to decode Justin Bieber lyrics, and other advice
