The best of Prospect 2011

PROSPECT  —  19TH DECEMBER 2011

2011: the year the world was fascinated by George VI’s speech impediment

2011 saw a wave of revolutions in the Arab world, worsening crisis in the eurozone and the death (or at least the attempted murder) of postmodernism. We’ve chosen twelve highlights from the last twelve months:

1. The DNA of a generation: Margaret Thatcher’s biographer John Campbellwatches the biopic starring Meryl Streep and asks what can politicians learn from the Iron Lady

2. The Boris dilemma: The mayor of London is poised to win a second term, and many reckon his goal is Number 10. But would anyone take him seriously? James Macintyre profiles Boris Johnson

3. Europe’s fragile bonds: Greece is heading for default. If France and Germany decline to help, the eurozone—and Europe—could face disaster, Wolfgang Münchauwrote in June

4. The new face of China?: Bo Xilai, the “rock star” of Chinese politics, is on the rise.Dan Levin on his crime-busting record, his Maoist mass text campaigns and his “red songs” populism

5. A good crisis gone to waste: The turmoil following the collapse of Lehman Brothers three years ago was an opportunity to reform the world’s financial system.John Kay says it was missed, and the new crisis promises little change

6. Britain in 2021: Debts, a disintegrating Union, an awkward King? Or more growth, more privacy and oil under the Isle of Wight? Samuel Brittan, Lucy Prebble, Tom Ravenscroft and others tell Prospect how the country will look ten years from now

7. Postmodernism is dead: A new exhibition signals the end of postmodernism.Edward Docx asks what it was—and what comes next?

8. Tennis special: Geoff Dyer calls Federer the “apotheosis of tennis-ness” andLionel Shriver explains how she made peace with this maddening, all-consuming game

9. Lost for words: The King’s Speech is the first film to portray my speech defect realistically, says the Man Booker-nominated novelist David Mitchell

10. Out of thin air: Elite athletes increasingly depend on technology to help them win. But what constitutes an unfair advantage, and who should decide? David Edmondsfinds contradictions abound in the world of altitude tents, blades and non-textile swimsuits.

11. Matters of taste: Wendell Steavenson praises koshari, the “mash of macaroni, vermicelli, rice, lentils and chickpeas,” that helped fuel Egypt’s revolution

12. New pursuit of Schrödinger’s cat: Quantum theory is reliable but fraught with paradox. Philip Ball asks if scientists will now find an object existing in two places at once