08 October 2001

From the Editor…

Welcome to the New Statesman website. Whether you are a new reader or an existing one - online or via the magazine - I hope you'll enjoy the great writing, fresh ideas and provocative debate that make the New Statesman Britain's award-winning current affairs weekly

Jason Cowley, Editor, New Statesman

Cover story

Don't panic: it's safer than you think

War on Terror: The Biological Threat - The biological terrorist has replaced the nuclear warrior as our worst bogeyman. Yet the facts don't bear out our fears

By Kenan Malik

Features

History and social democracy start again

By Jackie Ashley

Labour Conference 2001 - The PM laid on an inspirational performance in Brighton. The trouble was that Labour didn't have many delegates there to hear it. By Jackie Ashley

Gee, have you heard? There's a world out there

By Andrew Stephen

War on Terror: Washington - The US was so insular for so long that State Department buildings got tattier and tattier. Now, its eyes are opening. Andrew Stephen reports

A tool to fight bigamy, not terrorism

By John Agar

War on Terror: Identity Cards - The ID card is not just illiberal; it is also, as British history shows, very ineffectual. John Agarreports

A socialist guilt trip too far

By Patrick O'Flynn

War on Terror: Anti-Americanism - The left may go in for Yankee bashing, but for the Irish, as for Britain's blacks, the US is heaven. By Patrick O'Flynn

What you get for backing a tyrant

By Victoria Brittain

War on Terror: Africa - By supporting President Mobutu in the Congo, the US fuelled the rise of terrorism there, reports Victoria Brittain

A cosmic gaffe, but do we secretly agree?

By John Lloyd

War on Terror: Berlusconi - Despite later denials, the Italian premier meant it when he said that the west is superior to Islam. And the left, argues John Lloyd, implicitly holds similar views

In the dead zone, a hope for peace

By Helena Smith

Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots have been foes for almost 30 years. But some of the islanders have decided to end the civil strife - in defiance of their leaders

Essay

The New Statesman Essay - Before the pith helmets

By Maria Misra

India's early contacts with the British were benign and mutually beneficial, argues Maria Misra. All that changed when the Victorians decided to "improve" things

Interview

The New Statesman Interview - Bernard Kouchner

By David Lawday

France's health minister says Britain is wrong about the NHS - too little money, too much talk of privatisation. Bernard Kouchner interviewed

Regulars

New Statesman Leader

Blair: beyond the fine words

Paul Routledge

By Paul Routledge

I have proof that Bin Laden is a murderous, fanatical bastard: his gang was trained and funded by the United States

By Mark Thomas

War on Terror: Comment

There would be little to lament if the whole ITV Digital adventure was scrubbed out as a failure

By Robert Peston

How the events in New York came to Trinidad

By Darcus Howe

The PM is a distant relative of mine, you bastards. Let me into first class now!

By Lauren Booth

Competition - Win vouchers to spend at any Tesco store

Culture

American beauty

By James Marquand

The enigmatic Jackie Kennedy expressed herself through her wardrobe. James Marquand queues up to see an exhibition of her clothes, and finds nostalgia not only for America's queen, but also for an unfractious moment when corporations were not disdained