Dec 15, 2014彪ol 184 No 23

The Man Who Wired the World

Russia’s Fifth Column
Vladimir Putin is stirring up Russian speakers in Eastern Europe預nd using them to expand Moscow’s influence

10 Questions With Yao Ming
The retired NBA star wants everyone to stop buying ivory預nd wishes he’d shot more 3s

The Savior Under Siege
A series of crises and scandals has taken the sheen off Mexican President Enrique Pe Nieto

Viral Threats
Why combatting the extremists of ISIS is harder than fighting an Ebola outbreak

Burned Books in the Holy Land
Jewish and Arab parents watch as Israel’s hopes for peace fade

One Last Chance for Japan
If Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is going 
 to kick-start 
 his country, he’ll need to save his trademark economic program

Home Improvement for the Holidays
The togetherness is bliss. But I need an antidote for all the stuff that comes with it

The Air Bag Blowout
Air bags are meant to save lives. Now a massive recall shows how they can turn deadly

The Great American Calorie Crackdown
Why some nutrition facts are getting harder to ignore

The Culture

Pop Chart

World

Charli XCX Rages Against the Pop Machine
Her new album 鉄ucker・arrives Dec. 15

Alton Brown’s Existential Stew
The touring TV chef hunts down the recipe for joy

Eric Holder Seizes the Ferguson Moment
The Attorney General goes on the road

Ashton Carter
Obama’s latest Pentagon boss

Milestones