In the Arab world, there is something new and exhilarating in the air—a debate on the meaning of freedom. By Fouad Ajami.

Despite opinion to the contrary, our nation’s intelligence services are not broken, nor can they be “fixed” simply by reshuffling the CIA’s organizational chart. The true strengths—and limitations—of our country’s spy agencies. By Richard A. Posner.

When will the regime of Kim Jong Il finally collapse? By Charles Wolf Jr.

This past spring voters in France and the Netherlands rejected the new constitution for the European Union—and dealt a stinging rebuff to French president Jacques Chirac. Can Chirac recover? By Patrick Chamorel.

Throughout Latin America during the last five years, leftist politicians have unseated conservative leaders. What accounts for this radical change? ¡Es la economía, estúpida! By Stephen Haber.

Half a century after he first proposed school vouchers, Milton Friedman, the “Father of School Choice,” is still on the case.

Three years after the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, the Bush administration is being pressed by school administrators, teachers unions, and politicians to ease up on enforcement. With this many critics, NCLB must be doing something right. By John E. Chubb.

The Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954 was supposed to have improved educational opportunities for minorities. Yet in many ways the educational chasm between minority and non-minority schoolchildren is as great now as it was then. By Clint Bolick.

If you think the Social Security system is in bad shape, take a look at Medicare. How to fix one of the worst problems facing the nation. By Thomas J. Healey and Robert Steel.

In the wake of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, former California governor Pete Wilson offers advice and encouragement to the citizens of New Orleans.

Why China’s more flexible exchange rates may be a boon to the global economy. By John B. Taylor.

Remembering a hero for our time. By Jeff Bliss.

What do Jews have in common with Armenians, Ibos, and Marwaris? An historically similar pattern of economic and social roles—and of persecution. By Thomas Sowell.