After Gaddafi— The strongman’s departure is not necessarily the end of the Libyan crisis, writes Aryn Baker in a dispatch from Tripoli. “Unless it is done right,” she says, “it might be just the beginning.”
Dictator Dilemmas — In an essay for AJE, Dani Rodrik mulls the ethics of advising the likes of Gaddafi and his sons. We ought not disengage completely, he says, for fear of “dirty hands.”
Watch Dogs — An opposition party has released a scathing report on corruption at the highest levels of Russia’s government, reports Amy Knight on NYRB’s blog. There challenge now, she says, is to distribute their findings — no small feat considering that Putin controls the airwaves.
Road Toll — Asia’s latest public health crisis? Traffic accidents, reports Geoffrey Cain from Phnom Penh.
The Royal What? — The Independent has the best take yet on the upcoming nuptials. The event is like your awkward relative who “behaves in a deeply weird way in a public place,” writes Johann Hari, and should induce “stomach-shriveling embarrassment” across the nation. Cheers!
Disappearing Act— Ai Weiwei is as famous for his criticism of Chinese authorities as for his provocative art. In detention, he’s become the symbol of a worrying, country-wide crackdown, finds TIME’s Austin Ramzy.
Power Plays — Pakistan is not divided between civilian and military rule — the military is firmly in control, argues Apoorva Shah in the Wall Street Journal. As such, American and Indian diplomatic efforts must focus on Chief of Army Staff Ashfaq Kayan, the “man in the shadows” with real political might.
In Pictures — Light Box features Gilles Sabrie’s dark, dreamy photographs from Beijing’s labyrinthine subway system.
