Riots are fascinating things. How lawless greed, cruelty, and violence suddenly set fire to the minds of men is one of the most mysterious, almost magical (though not in the positive sense) manifestations of human behavior. Already, on both sides of the Atlantic, lots of people are sure they know why England is burning.

While rioters ravage the streets of London for a fourth day, opportunistic British political pundits have already begun blaming the Tory-led coalition government.

The race to become the mayor of London has turned into a personality contest instead of being basedon political beliefs.

The surest way for an industry to get a boost in federal funding is for it to suffer a terrorist attack.But will more spending make us safer? Not necessarily.

Recent Dutch emigrants--weary ofrising ethnic tensions in the Netherlands--should swap places withall thoseliberals who vowed to leave theUnited Statesshould Bush get reelected.

Anne Applebaum's remarks from theMay 12, 2003,Bradley Lecture.