Friday 5th February 2010
Europe and its cannibals
A spell-binding history of cannibalism in the middle ages: its use as a propaganda tool, and place in Christendom's self-image; the cannibal as a philosophical hypothetical, and a justification for colonialism; and Richard the Lionheart's fondness for "Saracen's head's all hot"
Schools and sex abuse in Sierra Leone
Girls in Sierra Leone are often forced into sex, and entrenched social attitudes make it difficult to tackle this problem
Gao Zhisheng and China's question
The disappearance of a Chinese lawyer after his arrest by China’s security agents amplifies the wider dilemma of the country’s political elite, says Kerry Brown.
Europe's role in losing Ukraine
On the eve of the crucial run-off in Ukraine's presidential election, Fabrizio Tassinari argues that enlargement fatigue in the EU has meant that since the Orange Revolution Ukraine has been offered no real prospect of joining Europe
Russian unemployment: massaging the stats
The economic crisis has hit Russian regions hard. Natalya Zubarevich deems government solutions to the resulting unemployment to be mainly a smoke and mirrors job, which conceals a real unemployment figure of 8%.
The blizzard of the world
The exhaustion of the planet and existing ways of life presents a creative challenge: exploring “uncivilisation”. Paul Kingsnorth introduces the Dark Mountain Project.
Iraq's shadow over Afghanistan
The Barack Obama administration’s plans for subduing the Taliban are endangered by continuing insecurity in Iraq
