- New research on how China selects its leaders shows it is avoiding some typical traps for an authoritarian country.
- Both sides of Egypt's struggle claim the will of the people. There is no middle ground.
- Egypt facing a decade of civil war?
- 'Social science has always had a hubristic ambition to draw a straight line from its general findings to particular policy proposals.' The alternative is to muddle along, but we must learn to muddle better.
- Arms Control Wonk's Jeffrey Lewis recommends a new account of the 17-year quest to secure the dangerous legacy of Soviet nuclear testing.
- Simon Jenkins on 'the most bizarre act of state censorship of the internet age', the destruction of hard drives owned by The Guardian.
- What The Economist's Big Mac Index reveals about China's defence spending.
- America's Pacific strength is in maritime power, so why is it cozying up to so many countries on China's borders?
- A map of the world which shows you just how big China's population is. The world is divided into five regions, each with a population equal to that of China:
