But the problem with populism is not just that it stirs prejudice against the "big cities" where most Americans actually live, or against the academies where many of them would like to send their children. No, the difficulty with populism is that it exploits the very "people" to whose grievances it claims to give vent.

Think a tree is just a tree? Think again. A new United Nations study puts dollar signs on the services nature provides.

The places Obama won't visit on his first trip to China.

For 40 years it has taught children diversity and the alphabet, but what else should we be teaching them?

The only party worse for women than Democrats is Republicans.

Gays on TV once helped promote tolerance. Now they may be hurting it.

An artist explains why Barack Obama should be talking about human rights during his first visit to China this week.

Barack Obama hasn't even arrived yet, but Yukio Hatoyama, Japan's new prime minister, has already gotten everything he wanted from the president.

Hank Paulson's plan was supposed to save the economy. But did it end up merely enriching bankers?

Influenza is a common virus with a long history. Then why do we know so little about it?

President Obama is finalizing a decision on a way forward in Afghanistan. Here's what different decisions would mean, and why any of them could ultimately come up short.

A small farmer on how the government can help rebuild the infrastructure he needs to survive.

The question about Nidal Hasan isn't whether he's a mental-health victim or a terrorist. He has shades of both, so let's not reduce him to a caricature.

As Obama heads to Asia, America no longer has demands to make—only requests. Welcome to the New World Order.

Apple is innovating like its old self once again. But can the company avoid repeating the mistakes that forced it to play catch-up in the '90s?

Despite President Obama's increase in funding, the country's national parks face a substantial deficit and massive infrastructure problems.

A victim of the Fort Hood shooting speaks about his experience, his fallen friends, and the desire to serve his country in Afghanistan.

How hedge fund manager John Paulson bet against the real estate bubble and made $15 billion in a single year.

Will low interest rates backfire sooner than anyone thinks?

Why right-of-center candidates are succeeding in the age of Obama.