The Obama Doctrine(s) — The American Prospect critiques President Barack Obama’s foreign policy. “Obama doesn’t have a doctrine of foreign policy; he has a style,” writes Joshua Foust. “As a result, his decisions are often constrained not by guiding principles but by circumstances.”
Pyrrhic Victory — Will Osama bin Laden’s virulent ideology continue to spread after his death? In Southeast Asia, it most certainly will, predicts terror expert Maria Ressa.
Taking Exception — The Washington Post‘s Richard Cohen tries to shatter the myth of American exceptionalism. “[It] ought to be called American narcissism,” he says. “We look perfect only to ourselves.”
Fictional Heroes — Andrew Sullivan calls attention to an Economist post which argues that the mission in Abottabad owes more to Lestor Fraemon (of The Wire) than Jack Bauer (of 24). If you don’t know what that means, you should reevaluate your priorities, or, click here.
Kill the Witness — In recent months the Chinese public has been shocked by multiple cases of drivers killing accident victims in hopes of evading legal responsibilities, writes Austin Ramzy from Beijing.
Paper Tigers — In a cover story for New York magazine, Wesley Yang asks what happens to “Asian-American overachievers” when school is over and test-taking ends. A great read.
Russian Woes — Stricken by poverty, drowning in moonshine and ignored by the Kremlin, the population of Pskov is decreasing at an alarming rate — and right on the European Union’s doorstep, reports Simon Shuster for TIME.
In Pictures — On Light Box, David Levi Strauss mulls the White House’s decision not to release photographs of Bin Laden’s corpse.
