COVER
The Survivor (United States)
A trusted aide to six Presidents, Robert Gates is the most powerful Defense Secretary in a generation. But what is the Republican at the head of Obama's war room fighting for?
ASIA
Postcard from New Delhi
Thanks to rising disposable incomes, designer hairstyling is finally making the cut with India's middle class. Take a chair in the coiffured world of Jawed Habib
Keeping It Real (India)
He doesn't dance like a Bollywood matinee idol, nor does he sing like one. But that could be why Irrfan Khan is the Indian actor most likely to achieve global fame
ESSAY
Shifting Ground
Beijing's spats with Washington are not to be ignored, yet neither are they game-changing
BRIEFING
The Moment
2|2|10: Kuala Lumpur
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Field Daze (Movies)
The hardscrabble life of Thai farmers comes under Uruphong Raksasad's thoughtful scrutiny
Loose Canon (Music)
Chochukmo's debut doesn't get the production the band sorely deserves
GLOBAL ADVISER
Sheer Heart Attack (TIME Traveler)
Alaska's Chugach Range could offer the best skiing on earth
Wanders Lust (On Show)
A major U.S. retrospective celebrates the Dutch design genius
Gone to Pot (Amuse-Bouche)
Three great hotpot places to try in Beijing
Roman Holiday (Check In)
Villa Laetitia is an upscale oasis of calm on the Tiber River