The Week’s Best Longreads: The Daily Beast Picks for March 10, 2012
From the exaggerated threat of a nuclear Iran to the fall of the once-great Washington Post, The Daily Beast picks the best journalism from around the Web this week.
We Can Live With a Nuclear Iran Paul Pillar, Washington Monthly
Fears of a bomb in Tehran’s hands are overhyped, and a war to prevent it would be a disaster.
The Siege of Sept. 13 Matthieu Aikins, GQ
Shortly after President Obama declared a kind of victory in Afghanistan—and days after the 10th anniversary of 9/11— a gray van sped through the streets of Kabul. Its destination: a high-rise overlooking the U.S. embassy. What happened over the next twenty hours sure as hell didn't look like victory.
Extreme Makeover Dahlia Lithwick, The New Yorker
The story behind Lawrence v. Texas.
Ghosts in the Newsroom Sarah Ellison, Vanity Fair
Despite The Washington Post’s history of swashbuckling journalism, its business strategy has been deeply conservative. Sarah Ellison follows the money, the management battles, and the missed opportunities at a great American newspaper.
The Return of the King James Poulos, Foreign Policy
Why Europe needs another Napoleon.
The Rise of the Billionaire Tiger Women Amy Chua, Newsweek
In the Year of the Dragon, Amy Chua profiles four Chinese powerhouses who bucked tradition to get rich—very, very rich.