Russian roulette
After the Russian election it may be all change at the top. But, asks Michael Binyon, who is the real winner?
Politics & Conflict
Taking liberties
True freedom requires not wealth but faith, says social theorist Stein Ringen
Acting up
He speaks approvingly of Lenin and Robespierre and packs lecture halls across the world. But is “stand-up philosopher” Slavoj Žižek serious? asks John Clark
Fall out
For many years the government has been in bed with the Islamists of the Muslim Council of Britain. But, finds Dave Rich, the tide is turning
One Soldier’s War in Chechnya by Arkady Babchenko
Michael Binyon reviews an horrific memoir from the Chechen wars
Ring master
High flying, visual acrobatics, visceral shocks – Russia’s greatest director used the tricks of the circus to captivate the crowds. Owen Hatherley takes a seat in Eisenstein’s big top
Mahmoud’s Gaff
An exclusive look at the blog of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran, translated by Peyvand Khorsandi
Global warning
With cartoon controversies reverberating across the world Tzvetan Todorov, one of the world’s foremost philosophers, considers the after-effects of the Danish images
Allah’s ambassadors
Edna Fernandes gains unique access to the ultra-orthodox Deoband madrassa in rural India
Making Islam Democratic: Social Movements and the Post-Islamic Turn by Asef Bayat
Sami Zubaida questions Islamic democracy