Contents November 2011

In Prospect 9 If I ruled the world

We should appreciate the present. steven pinker 10 Recommends 12 Diary 14 Letters plus stephen collins’s cartoon strip.

Opinions 16 Interview james macintyre talks to Vince Cable. 18 Infinite jest

The art of caricature. pj o’rourke

19 What do you think?

The problem with opinion polls. peter kellner 22 Europe’s only fan?

Poland’s election result is a relief for Europe. anne applebaum 22 Going down

The coalition will not improve social mobility. paul johnson 24 Keep the press free

Don’t limit freedom of speech. geoffrey robertson 25 The surface of Joan

Joan Collins’s migraine-inducing memoir. janice turner 26 China diary

Come see my statue. mark kitto

Features

28 Just too many? The 20-year silence over population growth is calamitous. bronwen maddox 36 Why hasn’t Obama closed

Guantánamo? Its existence reflects a failure to rethink the “war on terror.” anthony d. romero

40 Scenes of graphic violence In Frank Miller’s new comic book, two superheroes take on al Qaeda. sam leith

42 The French malaise Did De Gaulle create a presidency that doesn’t work? jonathan fenby

48 Among the Russians edward docx defends MI5 against Tolstoy’s acolytes.

52 Friendship agonistes Friendships inflame the same passions as romance. lionel shriver

57 Dark year proves bright for think tanks Prospect’s Think Tank of the Year Awards. Investment report 61 Population boom—and bust nick carn: the strain on the global economy simon james: the infrastructure boom henry boucher: investing in the food chain lydia whyatt: making water work john kemp: changing commodities ian simm: it’s all about green energy andy davis on the flight to liquidity ovember 2011 ·prospect· 5