What We're Reading

Preeti Aroon

"Looking Towards the Future," in Tom Ricks's Inbox in the Washington Post. Retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey briefs the military, PowerPoint style, on his predictions of what's going to be happening in international relations. One prediction: "The death of Castro... 250,000 refugees in 36 months."

Blake Hounshell

"The Obama Doctrine," in the American Prospect. "Obama is offering the most sweeping liberal foreign-policy critique we've heard from a serious presidential contender in decades," Spencer Ackerman writes. But what does that really mean in practice?

Carolyn O'Hara

"The Sahel," by Paul Salopek in National Geographic. Salopek, a stone-cold great writer, weighs in beautifully on the invisible lines that crisscross the Sahel, fomenting conflict and poverty – and at one point, landing him in jail. Don’t miss Pascal Maitre's accompanying photographs.

Joshua Keating

"After Putin," by Sen. Joseph Biden in the Wall Street Journal. The former presidential candidate deserves credit for advocating that the U.S. take a tougher stance with Russia without indulging in the lazy Russophobia common to such arguments. But while Biden demonstrates that he probably understands the nuances of Russia politics better than any of the remaining candidates, his op-ed is short on specifics about what he thinks the next president should actually do.

Prerna Mankad

"Put a Patent on that Pleat," by Reena Jana in BusinessWeek. A look at the latest efforts elite designers are making in order to curb the unauthorized reproduction of their designs by mass retailers. Although some legal cases have been won, it's clear that designers are facing a steep uphill climb in protecting their IP -- and that's not even taking into account the international challenges.