Thursday linkage: Submarines, Singapore, Japan, China and more

• Hugh White's latest essay in The Monthly perhaps hasn't had the attention it deserves, since he makes the eyebrow-raising recommendation that Australia needs a minimum of 24 submarines (nb. that's more than Japan).
• What's the use of economics, and how should we be teaching it to the next generation?
• The graffiti and murals of Tahrir Square that marked the downfall of Mubarak are being whitewashed. (H/t MEI blog.)
• You often hear talk of China's re-emergence as a great power, on the premise that it once was an economic world heavyweight. But is it so?
• The Lowy Institute's Linda Jakobson: China's anti-Japan protests are different this time, and not in a good way.
• Singapore's prime minister wants a 'national conversation' about heart, hope and home. What does that mean?
• A survey of American think tanker attitudes to Japan.
• As I've said before, George Megalogenis' blog comes to life in the comments thread. Follow his conversation with readers, whom he provokes with this:

I believe the Australian public is on the verge of switching to a different idea of what sort of politician they think should run the country, and this will have implications for both Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott.