The Southern Captivity of the GOP The Republican "capture" of the South, which helped to give the party control of both houses of Congress, has been so complete that southern cultural values and political agendas now hold the party as a whole in thrall. The result is a problem at the national level that the Republicans cannot easily overcome. As this southern control grows, the party alienates voters in other regions -- even conservative voters. by Christopher Caldwell Web-Only: Is the Party Over? An Atlantic Unbound Roundtable on the fate of the GOP, hosted by Atlantic senior editor Jack Beatty.

The Social Contradictions of Japanese Capitalism The economic woes of Asia have been much written about -- in purely economic terms. But behind many of those woes lies a social crisis in Japan, whose modern young people inhabit a pre-modern society. It is a crisis that perhaps only a social revolution can resolve. by Murray Sayle

Reports Notes & Comment: A Good Climate for Investment The steps we need to take to protect the environment could create a surge of economic growth. by Ross Gelbspan Urban Planning: Moving the Bell Neither the Liberty Bell nor Independence Hall is enhanced by its present setting. A brilliant new master plan reconfigures these central elements of Philadelphia's urban landscape. by Witold Rybczynski Personal File: That Was Me on TV At the bottom of every talk-show lineup is the becalmed position known as the author's slot, where our correspondent has spent much of his television career. by Roy Blount Jr. Fiction & Poetry Correspondence A poem by Teresa Cader Electric Wizard A short story by Elizabeth Stuckey-French Web-Only: Wise Kids, Childish Adults An Atlantic Unbound interview with Elizabeth Stuckey-French. From the Greek Poems translated by Brooks Haxton Web-Only: Children of Orpheus A companion essay by David Barber on the lyric poets of Greek antiquity. Browse and search The Atlantic's online archive. The seahorse symbol indicates that an article is supplemented with audio, an author interview, or other Web-only sidebar.		Arts & Leisure Travel: Beyond Prague The Czech Republic's capital may be considered passé by some, but the countryside resides in that happy state between ripeness and unreadiness for tourism. And, of course, there is the beer. by James Fallows Food: Better Butter The words "fresh sweet-cream butter" describe a very fine kind of butter indeed. But butter can get even better than that. by Corby Kummer Books "Discovering" Young Poets The Yale Younger Poets Anthology, edited by George Bradley by Peter Davison How McKinley Begot Franco Empire by Default, by Ivan Musicant; Cuba Libre, by Elmore Leonard by Francis X. Rocca Brief Reviews by Phoebe-Lou Adams Other Departments 77 North Washington Street Contributors Letters (Send a letter to the editor.) The June Almanac At Last Count Speaking Volumes by Jason Kowal The Puzzler by Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon Word Improvisation by J. E. Lighter
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