17 March 2008
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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
Cover story
The war that changed us
It began with a blinding flash and promises of speedy victory. Five years on the mission far from accomplished. Neal Ascherson opens this Iraq Special
Features
After they go
The US invasion unleashed chaos in a fragile region; the withdrawal of troops could prove equally destabilising.
Follow the money
George W Bush undertook to bring prosperity to the Iraqi people. Yet while oil revenue is soaring, precious little seems to be reaching the streets of Baghdad.
“Teaching the British reduces the killing”
"I never tell people about my work. A lot of people have been killed for working with the British or Americans."
Regulars
The Politics Column
A Budget with looming shadows
There were no rabbits in his hat. Hanging over Darling's speech was the spectre of global economic uncertainty. Plus don't miss Donald Hirsch's analysis
The Politics Column
It's still about child poverty
For ten years, Labour has been shifting resources to the least well off. Why are the poor still with us?
Only radical change will do
We need massive devolution of power to reverse the centralising excesses of Thatcher, Blair and Brown
Veni, vidi, vici . . . No 4018
Set by Dipak Ghosh The five important elements of a short story are characters, setting, plot, conflict and theme. These were all well represented in Ernest Hemingway's tiny "For sale: baby shoes, never worn", which he supposedly claimed was his best work. We asked you for short stories, in ten words or fewer, about some topical news item
Culture
Blues sisters
The term has become one of abuse, but the "Bluestockings" were brilliant women who struggled for the right to be both clever and feminine.
Secret history
The British pop Establishment has shown a long-standing resistance to black musical influence
Performance
Terrifying beauty
McVicar's heroine inspires loathing and lust in a brutally explicit production Salome Royal Opera House, London WC2
Film
Freak show of the famous
A cast of celebrity impostors makes for astute commentary on Hello! culture Mister Lonely (15) dir: Harmony Korine
Television
A national embarrassment
Never mind the food, Delia Smith's on-screen manner is hard to stomach Delia BBC2
Radio
Code name: Fancypants
The eccentric story of the FBI provides fertile ground for a documentary series
Books
Hero of our time
The death of Sergio Vieira de Mello in a suicide bombing in Baghdad in 2003 shocked and saddened the world. This charismatic UN diplomat, idealistic yet also very practical, seemed one of the best hopes for our unstable times. But does his biography misread the conclusions to be drawn from his life and work?
The shock of the newish
Images of Change: an Archaeology of England's Contemporary Landscape Sefryn Penrose and contributors English Heritage with the support of Atkins Heritage, 200pp, £17.99
Home from the wars
We Are Now Beginning Our Descent James Meek Canongate, 304pp, £16.99
There’s no alternative
Suckers: How Alternative Medicine Makes Fools of Us All Rose Shapiro Harvill Secker, 296pp, £12.99
Community service
Fighting the Banana Wars and Other Fairtrade Battles Harriet Lamb Rider Books, 256pp, £10.99
Observations
Toll of toxic trailers
Two and a half years after Hurricane Katrina 114,000 people are still living in cramped trailers - now it seems many have been exposed to a cancer-causing chemical
Dangers of democracy
Proponents of liberal democracy so eager for Anwar should realise that he is playing a dangerous game
Save the Sisters
For nearly 30 years, Southall Black Sisters (SBS) has been synonymous with black British feminism and activism
They must be barking
The US's 43 million dog-owning households are being urged to pamper their pooches with bottles of fortified water
