COVER: "Radical Islam is A Fact of Life. How To Live With It." (p. 24). Newsweek international Editor Fareed Zakaria argues that radical Islam is a fact of life, which we must learn to deal with. In order to prevail, the West must learn to distinguish between those who have nihilistic philosophies and expansionist aims and those looking to apply their values at home. "Anything that emphasizes the variety of groups, movements and motives within that world strengthens the case that this is not a battle between Islam and the West," Zakaria writes. "[Osama] Bin Laden constantly argues that all these different groups are part of the same global movement. We should not play into his hands, and emphasize instead that many of these forces are local, have specific grievances and don't have much in common." Zakaria, however, stresses that this "does not mean we should accept the burning of girls' schools, or the stoning of criminals. Recognizing the reality of radical Islam is entirely different from accepting its ideas. We should mount a spirited defense of our views and values. We should pursue aggressively policies that will make these values succeed. Such efforts are often difficult and take time--rebuilding state structures, providing secular education, reducing corruption--but we should help societies making these efforts. The mere fact that we are working in these countries on these issues--and not simply bombing, killing and capturing--might change the atmosphere surrounding the U.S. involvement in this struggle."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/187093
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090301/NYSU003 )
INTERVIEW: "Politics Takes a Right Turn in Jerusalem" (p. 30). In his first foreign media interview since being asked by Israeli President Shimon Peres to form Israel's next government, Prime Minister- elect Benjamin Netanyahu tells Special Diplomatic Correspondent Lally Weymouth that he believes it is possible to halt Iran's nuclear program without having to resort to military action, but it shouldn't be ruled out. "I think this regime is vulnerable to pressure that ought to be intensified. But none of these sanctions and other measures that are contemplated would have much of an effect if the Iranians believe that a military option is off the table," he says.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/187077
"Avigdor Lieberman" (p. 31). Weymouth also interviewed Avigdor Lieberman, whose Yisrael Beytenu party was a surprise winner in Israel's recent election. Last week Lieberman sat down for his first foreign interview and discussed his proposal of a loyalty oath for all Israelis. "The dividing line for Yisrael Beytenu is who supports terror and who fights terror. We cannot accept that there are people in Israel that even during even the war openly supported Hamas," he says. This proposal, he adds, is not only meant for Israeli Arabs but Jews as well. "[I propose] to outlaw these parties and these political leaders [who supported Hamas]," Lieberman says. "Secondly, there must be some kind of national or military service for all Israelis. We take all our examples from Europe or the United States." A video of this interview is also available on Newsweek.com.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/186953?tid=relatedcl
POLITICS: "Obama's Pelosi Problem" (p. 34). White House Correspondent Holly Bailey reports on the friction between the White House and Congress over courting support for the stimulus package. While President Barack Obama worked to win over Republicans, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was going in the opposite direction. Pelosi didn't share the president's dream of brotherly love breaking out in the Capitol. To the ire of Republicans, and some Democrats, Pelosi maneuvered to put the stimulus package on the fast track, cutting short debate on the bill and cutting Republicans out of the discussion.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/186961
THE WHITE HOUSE: "The Busiest Woman in Washington" (p. 38) Editor-At-Large Evan Thomas and Political Correspondent Katie Connolly profile Desiree Rogers, the First Family's social secretary, gatekeeper and imagemaker, whose top job is to cast the Obamas as occupants of a "People's House." A New Orleans native, Rogers describes her job as "one cornerstone of building the Obama presidency brand."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/186963
DANIEL GROSS: "Reining In Bubbles So They Won't Pop" (p. 44). In an adaptation of Senior Editor Daniel Gross'snew book, "Dumb Money: How Our Greatest Financial Minds Bankrupted the Nation," Gross breaks down some of the reasons why our advanced financial system suffered such a catastrophic failure and looks at whether it's possible to keep this from happening again. "There's plenty of blame to go around: poor regulation, eight years of a failed Republican economic philosophy, Wall Street-friendly Democrats who helped stymie reform, misguided bipartisan efforts to promote home ownership, Wall Street greed, corrupt CEOs, a botched rescue effort, painfully fallible central bankers," Gross writes. "Everybody--individuals, companies, institutions, and governments--got caught up in the stupidity."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/186949
SHARON BEGLEY: "Why Doctors Hate Science" (p. 49). Senior Editor Sharon Begley writes about why doctors are reluctant allow science to guide their practices and to listen to scientists conducting "comparative-effectiveness research" that determines which treatments, including drugs, are more medically and cost-effective for a given ailment than others. "The power of medical culture explains only part of the resistance to following practices that have been shown scientifically to be superior to others. Some doctors insist that results of such studies do not apply to their patients, since every patient is different," Begley writes. Money, however, also matters. "In one infamous case in the mid-1990s, a federal agency concluded that spinal fusion doesn't help back pain, a decision that threatened insurance coverage for it. Surgeons, who stood to lose piles of money, got Congress to decimate the agency's budget, forcing it to pull back from making recommendations."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/187006
EDUCATION: "Rethinking Race In the Classroom" (p. 52). National Correspondent Allison Samuels writes about why in the age of Obama, the call to banish "Huck Finn" and abolish Black History Month is wrong. "There's a case to be made that, in the age of Obama, it is more important than ever to study works like 'Huck Finn,'" Samuels writes. "As adamant as some African-American teachers and professors are about keeping the books in the classroom, some black parents feel very differently," she writes. "Parents, teachers and mentors are all responsible for arming students with the right tools for the future. And when our children end up learning only half the story, no one wins."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/187009
MOVIES: "Till Death Do Us Part" (p. 60). Senior Editor Devin Gordon reviews the long-awaited, "Watchmen" movie. Zack Snyder's film adaptation of the graphic novel is meticulous, even slavish, in its recreation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's imagery. "'Watchmen' loyalists are already rejoicing. But is that a good thing?" writes Gordon. "Speaking as an admirer, but not an apostle, of the graphic novel, I thought the 'Watchmen' movie was confusing, maddeningly inconsistent and fighting a long, losing battle to establish an identity of its own."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/186958
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