COVER

The Soldier And the State

The U.S. wants to talk to Burma's junta, but Washington must first do its homework on the general known as Grandfather

WORLD

How to Rig an Election

A former top U.N. official recounts the fraud he witnessed during Afghanistan's presidential vote — and why he lost his job for speaking up

LETTERS

ASIA

Shifting Sands

In the wake of bloody ethnic clashes in China's stark Xinjiang region in July, photographer Q. Sakamaki captures how minority Uighur life is changing — and dying

TECHNOLOGY

Wave New World

Google's latest product combines communication, collaboration and media-sharing into one insanely useful app. Is this the new e-mail?

ESSAY

Unnatural Disasters

The countries worst hit by catastrophes are the ones that are least able to handle them