CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE
ALUN ANDERSON

is a former editor-inchief of New Scientist is the director of Policy Exchange

NICHOLAS BOLES

contents
Issue one hundred and twenty one April 2006

DEREK BROWER

is a journalist based in

St Petersburg
MARK COUSINS

is the author of The Story of Film (Pavilion Books)

is a former special adviser to Javier Solana
ALASTAIR CROOKE NICK CROWE

COVER STORY

was the drummer in the rock band Gay Dad

28
Working girls
ALISON WOLF

TONY D’SOUZA’s novel Whiteman will be published by Portobello Books in July

is the director of the Royal African Society
RICHARD DOWDEN ROBERT DRUMMOND STEPHEN EVERSON

is a psychiatrist

is writing a book on metaphysics and the mind is a contributing editor

DAVID HERMAN

to Prospect
MICHAEL IGNATIEFF is a visiting professor at the University of Toronto ROBERT JACKSON is a former minister for higher education ERIK JONES is a research associate in the international economics programme at Chatham House TIM JUDAH is the author of The Serbs (Yale University Press) TIM KING

For the first time in history, women in developed societies can take up any occupation or career they please. This has brought enormous benefits. But it has also had some less positive consequences— the death of sisterhood, a decline in female altruism, and growing disincentives to bear children.

is a writer living in France

OPINIONS

18 Beyond the grave
TIM JUDAH

was the founder and editor of that’s! magazine in China
MARK KITTO DAN KUPER

12 Tories remade
NICHOLAS BOLES

The Hague tribunal and Milosevic.

works for London Underground presents BBC4’s Art Safari is deputy editor

A leading David Cameron supporter responds to Robin Harris. INTERVIEW

BEN LEWIS

13 Back to 1967
ALASTAIR CROOKE

22 Craig Venter
ALUN ANDERSON

ALEXANDER LINKLATER

of Prospect
ALEX MCBRIDE

is a criminal barrister

Hamas’s failure to recognise Israel is less of a problem than it seems.

The maverick who led the privatesector human genome sequencing programme has plans for clean energy.

ANDREW MORAVCSIK

is a professor of politics at Princeton University

14 Trust vs efficiency
PETER TAYLOR-GOOBY

PHILIP OLTERMANN

is a freelance journalist and editor is director of Global Partners, www.global-partners.co.uk

Why is it that the NHS can deliver the goods yet still not command trust?

ESSAYS

34 If torture works…
MICHAEL IGNATIEFF

GREG POWER

16 Farewell Ali
NICK CROWE

IAN STEWART

is professor of mathematics at Warwick University is director of the

Can we trace the Mississippi blues back to western Africa?

The debate over torture is not as simple as it seems. An unconditional ban may have a high price.

PETER TAYLOR-GOOBY

ESRC risk network
ALISON WOLF

38 University challenges 17 Keep on whipping
GREG POWER ROBERT JACKSON

is a professor at King’s College London

The Power inquiry’s suggestion of reducing the power of whips is wrong.

British higher education cannot remain a nationalised industry. We are edging towards a mixed economy.

4 PROSPECT April 2006

www.prospect-magazine.co.uk

SPECIAL REPORT

44 After Berlusconi
ERIK JONES

April’s Italian election should see the defeat of Silvio Berlusconi. Then what?

arts&books
COLUMNS

WITNESS

62 Widescreen
MARK COUSINS

50 That’s China!
MARK KITTO

Mexico comes to Hollywood.

My Chinese magazine empire was snatched from me by the state.

64 Private view
BEN LEWIS

Rembrandt and the art of authorship. COLUMNS

10 Out of mind
ROBERT DRUMMOND & ALEXANDER LINKLATER

71 Smallscreen
DAVID HERMAN

Jeremy Isaacs’s memoirs.

Alcoholism and free will.

72 Cultural tourist 19 Washington watch
TUMBLER

Valery Gergiev’s air miles. Plus Under the radar.

Is Cheney on the way out?

77 Musical notes 27 Common law
ALEX MCBRIDE STEPHEN EVERSON

FICTION

Is Mitsuko Uchida best on CD? WEB EXCLUSIVE Government minister David Lammy on social cohesion and national service
www.prospect-magazine.co.uk

Arresting developments.

56 Sogbo’s wife
TONY D’SOUZA

42 France profonde
TIM KING

The bailiffs are after José Bové.

What am I doing here, teaching African villagers about Aids and craving one of their women?

48 Out of Africa
RICHARD DOWDEN

REVIEWS

A historic hospital.

66 The network biography
PHILIP OLTERMANN

FORTHCOMING Fred Pearce asks if desalination can solve the world’s water problems Jane O’Grady considers some new books on the self Robert Cooper reviews David Runciman Harry Reid on “Anyone but England”-ism
THE NEXT ISSUE OF PROSPECT IS PUBLISHED ON 20TH APRIL

55 Brussels diary
MANNEKEN PIS

The triumphs of John Monks.

Biography used to investigate the nature of individual talent; now it explores the social networks through which reputations are made.

80 Notes from underground
DAN KUPER

67 Split-screen Russia
DEREK BROWER

Ticket clerk subculture.

REGULARS

Some new Russian films glorify a mythical past, while others explore the nightmares of a decaying country.

6 Letters 8 News & curiosities plus Enigmas & puzzles IAN STEWART 13 Numbers game THE CRUNCHER 78 The generalist DIDYMUS 79 The list

69 The threat from Europe
ANDREW MORAVCSIK

Like many Americans, Jeremy Rabkin sees danger abroad. Islamic terrorism? The rise of China? No—it’s Europe.

PROSPECT April 2006 5