COVER

The Abe Enigma (Cover Story)

Critics dub him a dangerous nationalist. Fans hail him as a strong leader for an increasingly assertive nation. Meet Shinzo Abe, the man poised to become Japan's new Prime Minister

ASIA

Lonely Power

As his country slides into chaos, President Hamid Karzai governs Afghanistan from a heavily guarded bubble. Is he still the right man for the job?

State of Denial

The escalating insurgency in southern Thailand is unraveling the last threads of legitimacy for Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's government

The Princess Wars (Letter from Japan)

A newborn royal heir stirs the debate over the modern Japanese woman

BRIEFING

Time Running Out (Notebook)

As diplomats scramble to end the killing in Darfur, the crucial call could be Beijing's

Youth: Just Log Off (Notebook)

Online gaming is being called the newest scourge of Chinese society

Letters (Notebook)

How Much Risk Can We Take?

GLOBAL ADVISER

City of Nights (TIME Global Adviser)

Photographs by Gyula Halsz, a voyeur of Paris' prewar demimonde, go up for auction in his adopted home town

Packing Order (Style Watch)

Uppercase's elegant, vintage-style luggage can stand up to modern travel