Taliban Tourists
The US army's "catch and release programme" in Afghanistan puts allied troops in grave danger and is destabalising in the long term.
Politics, Ideas and the Arts
A Bee in his Bonnet
Richard Dawkins cannot grasp the distinction between knowledge and wisdom. This puts him at war not only with religion, but the entire tradition of Western philosophy
Made in China
A 108-metre-high Eiffel tower, "Venice Water Town and "Thames Town"? It's the Middle Kingdom's new craze for architectural replicas
Call More Midwives
Since the inauguration of the NHS, governments have increasingly paid lip service to midwives. We must not let this precious asset be further marginalised
Default Lines
An arcane deal for the UK to write off a chunk of Argentina's debt in exchange for an end to squabbling over the Falklands was turned down by the British government. It
ONLINE ONLY: What’s the Difference Between Heroin and Cigarettes?
With heroin addicts, doctors focus on harm reduction—why don't they do the same with smokers?
ONLINE ONLY: Shelf Life
The Pleasure of Thinking is a window on the eclectic library and well-oiled mind of Theodore Dalrymple
ONLINE ONLY: Will Shale Gas Save the British Economy?
A tax windfall from fracking in the North East would merely delay the inevitable day of reckoning for a bloated public sector
ONLINE ONLY: A Healthcare System Suffocated by Bureaucrats
Jeremy Hunt claims events at Stafford Hospital were a betrayal of the principles of the NHS. In fact, they were their apotheosis
Rights and Wrongs
The Case of Lilian Ladele, hounded out of her job as a registrar for her Christian beliefs, is evidence of a rising religious intolerance
Star of the East
Blogger Han Han targets the official media and politicians but his omissions of subjects like Tibet highlights the limits of dissent in China
Pyrrhic Victory
Alex Salmond is pinning his success on the high-risk gamble that the EU will accept an independent Scotland as a full member. It won't