January 26, 2009 | The Nation

Obama, Change South Asia Policy

Arlington, Va.

Barack Obama's nomination of Eric Holder as the next Attorney General deserves special scrutiny as he appears Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. A panel of Nation experts add their questions to the mix.

Some of us, as Israelis, are grieving over what we have become. Blaming the other side with a roster of rehearsed clichés cannot mitigate the grief.

Barack Obama's nominee for Secretary of State takes questions today from
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The Nation has some questions of
its own.

As the poor and the formerly middle-class take an economic beating, will they finally have enough status to get their needs met?

The economic crisis and a Democratic president create new opportunities for progress. Will advocacy groups and foundations seize the moment?

There is no one Republicans are more determined to keep out of the Senate than Al Franken. And John Cornyn is poised to use the power of the filibuster to thwart him--and the Democratic agenda.

Ari Berman on Howard Dean, Christopher Hayes on Lawrence Lessig, Shane Bauer on Al Jazeera, remembering George Kirschner

Israel won't get a better deal than the Arab Peace Initiative. The alternative is nothing less than more warfare and, ultimately, the end of Zionism.

Without concerted action by Obama resolve the crisis in Gaza, hope for a two-state settlement will fade and the region will be cursed with many more years of bloodshed.

Why rush to throw another $350 billion of taxpayer money at the Wall Street bandits and their political cronies who created the biggest financial mess since the Great Depression?

A sports arena and a basketball team recently have become the unlikely setting and target of protests against Israel's attacks on Gaza.

Nobody can say whether pumping large amounts of money into the economy will work--or even define the proper measure of success.

To end the bloody occupation, Israel must be the target of the same kind of global movement that finally ended apartheid in South Africa.

What Caroline Kennedy lacks as an appointee to the Senate, Tom Geoghegan possesses as a Congressional candidate.

Israel's criminal onslaughts on the Palestinians in Gaza continue amid torrents of supportive speech and prose.

Don't let the door hit you...

Jonathan Schell and Taylor Branch in conversation about Mohandas K. Gandhi, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the transformative power of nonviolence.

After the way they goaded us into an epic military disaster, why do media warmongers still have jobs?

After years of conflict between ethnic and indigenous groups in this diverse nation, Bolivia is poised to vote on a new Constitution that aims to establish a new era of equity. Not everyone is convinced it will.

Following the values of progressive patriotism, here's an ambitious agenda for the forty-fourth president's first--and second--terms.

Whether the price of oil is high or low, someone's going to pay--and sooner or later all of us will--because our civilization is based on the stuff.

China is a country that takes anniversaries seriously. But reaction to significant historical events to be commemorated this year has already taken place.

As the season of Tet begins, questions of human rights, widespread corruption and a new novel highly critical of Ho Chi Minh, are giving Vietnamese much cause for reflection.

The Bush administration has systematically blocked historians' access to government archives. Does Obama hold the key to set information free?

The Nation Guide to the Nation, just published by Vintage Books, is your guide to living liberally in America, from bars and art collectives to publishers and bookstores. Take a peek.

Like his Depression-era counterpart, Obama must take bold action, seize opportunity and experiment.

As a politician, Lincoln's greatness lay in his capacity for growth. Can Obama follow suit?

The business lobby declares war on the Employee Free Choice Act.

Reviewing Silent Light and more.

How powerful museums and private collectors act as stewards and looters of the world's cultural treasures.

A new book explores the longstanding scholarly debate over a secret and libertine Gospel of Mark.

ACROSS

 1 and 12 Stories of the 5? Rather a Code of Military Justice. (8,2,3)