Contents cover story 33 The great money mystery he Bank of England has created £200bn. Where did it all go? faisal islam dispatches 29 Letter from Tehran he trashy soap opera transfixing Iran. christopher de bellaigue opinions 18 Against legalising drugs ampaigners are taking liberties. alexander linklater 20 Two cheers for Iain Duncan Smith

Welfare reform is welcome—up to a point. graeme cooke 21 How not to end a war

Learning from the Soviet experience in Afghanistan. victor sebestyen 22 The Cayman question he Tories and the tax haven. philip clothier 23 Selling sterilisation

Is it wrong to pay drug addicts to be sterilised? zack adesina 23 Tolerance test for New York

Why Muslims should heed objections to the Islamic centre near ground zero. aatish taseer features 40 A shot in the dark

I’ve spent the last decade trying to photograph the real Burma. nic dunlop 46 Reading the tea leaves

What the Tea party means for the American political establishment. james crabtree 52 What does Russia think?

utin and Medvedev disagree on how to modernise the country. mark leonard 58 MacIntyre on money

Has the financial crisis vindicated a moral philosopher’s critique of global capitalism? john cornwell science & technology 62 A new way of doing science he internet is transforming scientific research. martin rees 65 Female Viagra just isn’t sexy he real problem with female sexual dysfunction. suzi godson 66 Death and the internet

We can live on after death through software. yorick wilks arts & books 71 E-book angst

As the sales of e-books finally start to soar, what effect will they have on the act of writing? tom chatfield 75 The social policy roots of the financial crisis Who’s to blame? mark hannam 76 Science in motion

Wayne McGregor is one of choreography’s great pioneers. emma crichton-miller 77 Food aid is killing us

What has happened to Ethiopia since Live Aid? patta scott-villiers 78 Emperors of the White House

David Remnick’s gossipy biography of Obama is no match for a skilful portrait of the last 12 presidents. andrew adonis memoir 84 An oarsman’s lament

A great British rower was denied his dream of winning Olympic gold. josh raymond regulars 6 Prospect recommends 10 Diary 11 Dr Pangloss tom chatfield 12 Everyday philosophy nigel warburton 13 Number cruncher peter kellner 16 Letters plus stephen collins’s cartoon strip. 93 Enigmas & puzzles ian stewart 94 The generalist didymus 95 The Prospect list columnists 5 If I ruled the world andrew martin 8 Political notes anne mcelvoy 14 Economy class tim leunig 67 Sporting life david goldblatt 68 Matters of taste alex renton 96 Dear Wilhemina correspondents 26 Washington watch renegade 27 Brussels diary manneken pis 28 China café mark kitto science & technology 64 Lab report philip ball 66 The month ahead anjana ahuja arts & books 74 Cultural notebook sam leith 80 Private view ben lewis 82 Words that think for us edward skidelsky 82 The way we were ian irvine 83 Widescreen mark cousins This month 90 FiveBooks karl rove on conservatism november 2010 · prospect · 3