Cover Story:
America’s Age of Empire: The Bush Doctrine
By Todd Gitlin
Strike first. Act alone. Ignore consequences. Bush’s new foreign policy doctrine is as dangerous as the threats it seeks to confront.

America’s Age of Empire: The Liberal Challenge
By George Packer
Too long paralyzed by dreams of innocence, liberals need to get some backbone and a foreign policy based on…liberalism.

Unhappy Meals
By Barry Yeoman
School lunches are good for two things — propping up agribusiness and producing chunky children.

Chaos and Constitution
By Barry C. Lynn
With his country teetering on the brink of disaster, Venezuela’s Hugo Chàvez clings to power — thanks primarily to the passionate support of the nation’s poor.

Culture Change
By David Goodman
The CEO of Stonyfield Farm says that by selling out to Dannon he can bring positive change to the parent company. Try telling that to the folks at Ben & Jerry’s.

Out of Madness, a Matriarchy
By Kimberlee Acqaro and Peter Landesman
The 1994 genocide left a nation of widows and orphans. Now Rwanda’s women — once forbidden even to own property — are taking charge of rebuilding their country.

Promised Land
By Photos by Scott Strazzante
Text by Jane Smiley
Sprawl claims another family farm. We have only our policies and priorities to blame.

Editor’s Note
Masthead
Contributors
Backtalk

OUTFRONT
Paying the oil pipers; Bush’s Iron Curtain; the new centers of the abortion debate; a timeline of W’s wartime service; and in New Jersey, it’s green rabbit season

EXHIBIT
The Great Cancer Cleanup; violations of excess; art till the end

DISPATCH
Deflowering Ecuador
By Ross Wehner
Just in time for Valentine’s Day: pesticide-laden roses from Ecuador

NOTEBOOK
Have Tools, Will Travel
By Rob Gurwitt
Old, on the road, and ready to build. The Care-A-Vanners erect habitats for humanity.

THE SLANT
The Sum of All Fears
Six illustrators envision our new era of homeland insecurity.

MEDIA JONES
Amy Chua on privileged minorities and global unrest; Tom Morello keeps on raging; razing Appalachia; plus more book, music, and film reviews.

P.S.
Strictly Looney Toons
Cartoon by Barry Blitt