COVER

Art of Darkness (Profile)

To understand the controversy around Kathryn Bigelow's hit film Zero Dark Thirty, it helps to understand Kathryn Bigelow's kind of movie

WORLD

In and Out of Africa

France hopes to drive Islamist rebels out of Mali — and then go home. That may be wishful thinking

The Agony of Injustice in Iran

When Sommayeh Mehri asked for a divorce, her husband responded with a brutal acid attack. Iranian photographer Abolfazl Nesaei documents how Mehri and her daughters live with the scars

VIEWPOINT

A Murky Outlook

On a plethora of issues, China's middle class isn't getting the openness it seeks

ECONOMY

COMMENTARY

The Ice Is Breaking (In the Arena)

Obama's confident speech signals an end to deadlock in Washington

What's in a Name? (Worldview)

Is al-Qaeda on offense, or are thugs in Africa just trading on terrorism's best-known brand?

THE CULTURE

Four Sips of Jerez (Travel)

Getting a taste for the Spanish town that gave its name to sherry

LETTERS