February 4, 2013 | Vol. 181, No. 4

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
Foreseeing Red: Lee Kuan Yew on China
Singapore’s elder statesman offers insights and predictions on China and the world, in a new volume exclusively adapted here
In and Out of Africa (Mali)
France hopes to drive Islamist rebels out of Mali ― and then go home. That may be wishful thinking
The Agony of Injustice (Iran)
When Sommayeh Mehri asked for a divorce, her husband responded with a brutal acid attack. Now 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
The Rewards of Mastering Risk (Davos)
Our experts examine the meaning of true leadership in uncertain times

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
Inbox