FP e-Alert: How One Soldier Brought Democracy to Iraq

Inside This e-Alert: How to Nation-Build on $3,000 in 14 Days

From FOREIGN POLICY’s November/December 2005 Issue

THE MAYOR OF AR RUTBAH
By James A. Gavrilis
With just $3,000 and 14 days, one company of U.S. Special Forces achieved what others have not: a functioning democracy inside Iraq. How? By relying on common sense, the trust of Iraqis, and lessons from Political Science 101. Now, their commander reveals the gritty reality about nation-building in Iraq.
PLUS: Don’t miss FP’s Web-exclusive photo essay, in which Major Gavrilis reveals his own images of nation-building’s early promise—and what slipped away.

PROFILE OF A KILLER
By Loretta Napoleoni
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is the most wanted man in Iraq. How did this high school dropout tie down the United States in its deadliest conflict since the Vietnam War? From the slums of Jordan to the battle of Falluja, this is how it happened.

THE BLAME GAME
By Stephen M. Walt
Who will be blamed for Iraq? It’s easy for politicians to point fingers at each other. But ultimately, the buck stops at the Oval Office.

ROMANCING THE GLOBE

By Ibsen Martínez
Latin American soap operas have die-hard fans in places as far flung as Poland, Russia, and Indonesia. Their secret? Plotlines that keep the poor and underprivileged glued to their sets. Now, these surprising exports are becoming part of the global cultural establishment and taking on Hollywood heavyweights.

THINK AGAIN: ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

By Philip J. Deutch
High oil prices have everyone clamoring for energy independence. It sounds good, but it is an illusion. And energy conservation isn’t the answer, either. Oil, gas, and coal are with us for the long haul, and the ballyhooed hydrogen solution is little more than hot air. New technologies will help, but don’t expect any miracles.

INSIDE THE IVORY TOWER

In an FP exclusive, take a rare peek inside America’s top colleges and universities, where professors of international relations are molding the next generation of scholars and policymakers. A comprehensive new survey of the field reveals the 25 most influential thinkers and the top 20 schools to earn a graduate degree. Plus, find out what these professors really think about politics, free trade, and the war in Iraq.

PRIME NUMBERS: FAT WORLD

By Kelly D. Brownell and Derek Yach
Think America is overweight? Check out the rest of the world. Obesity has become a global epidemic that afflicts young and old, rich and poor.

THE FP MEMO: WAL-MART’S FOREIGN POLICY

By Robert E. Litan
Wal-Mart is now richer than many countries—and it has plenty of enemies. It’s about time it got a foreign policy to match its size. Conquering foreign markets, touting the jobs it creates, and preventing a trade war with China would be a good start.

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In Other Words

A TERRORIST TELL-ALL

By Scott Atran
A former member of Jemaah Islamiyah divulges the inside story on Indonesia’s largest jihadist group.

COLOR BLIND IN BELARUS

By Vitali Silitski
Belarus was supposed to be the setting for the next “color” revolution. Why, then, do the country’s prospects for democracy remain so weak?

Global Newsstand

IRANIAN WOMEN, PLEASE STAND UP

A women’s magazine pushes the envelope in Iran.

PLAYING BRAZIL’S RACE CARD

Will quotas fix racial inequality?

MÈNAGE Á TAIWAN

Managing the Washington-Beijing-Taipei love triangle.

Net Effect

Yahoo’s risky business in China

Dollar domains for the poor

Busting French bloggers

South Korea looks down on Google Earth

Craigslist.com’s founder offers up his best of the Web

Missing Links

IT’S THE ILLICIT ECONOMY, STUPID

By Moisés Naím
How Big Business taught criminals to go global.