Only 648 Days Until the Election! (Campaign 2008)
A year before the Iowa caucuses, at least 20 candidates are already in the race or mulling it. Is this good for democracy?

What a Surge Really Means (Cover Story)
Can a couple more divisions in Iraq make a difference? Or is Bush's idea too little, too late?


A Troublesome Year in Thailand
Bombings in Bangkok cap an unhappy year for the Land of Smiles, which has been roiled by a coup, economic-policy miscues and an ongoing Muslim insurgency


Hillside Haven (Check In)
Chiang Mai's House of a Hundred Thousand Hills makes for a sumptous, homey retreat

A Light in The Darkness (On Show)
Japanese photographer Eikoh Hosoe outran his shadows to become a master of light and shading

Sails Pitch (Diversions)
Cruising Indonesia's far-flung islands in style

Futures Trading (Amuse Bouche)
Shanghai's stylish set get their grub in at a FuturePerfect

Go Your Own Way (TIME Traveler)
Travel operators for the more discriminating solo traveler

Asia's Net: Hanging by a Thread
An earthquake off Taiwan crashes Asia's telecommunications system, exposing the surprising vulnerability of the Internet


Writing Wrongs in Afghanistan
A riveting book slams U.S. policy in Afghanistan


10 Questions For Ken Watanabe
Actor Ken Watanabe talks about his role in Clint Eastwood's new World War II film Letters from Iwo Jima

Q & A: Xanana Gusmão
TIME talks to East Timor's President

Letters
Similar and Yet So Different