Liberty

I hardly ever read the 'letter from the editor' in magazines or journals. I always imagine that they are a covert form of promoting the publication; too self-conscious to tell you anything of interest. When I first started working here I was told that the purpose of this 'editor's letter' was to 'demystify' the process of putting together an issue of NI. That made it seem marginally more worthwhile. But then what exactly are the 'myths' one is meant to be exploding? I reckon one of them might be that we all work together in cosy collectivity and that an NI line on any given subject emerges easily from the common womb of like-mindedness.

Sometimes it does. And sometimes it doesn't. And this is one case where it didn't. The main locus of disagreement was in that rather crucial relationship between first editor and second editor. The latter, in this case, was Richard Swift in Canada.

My first magazine proposal - basically the main points that the issue would be making - met with this response from Richard: 'I read with interest your liberty points and fear my misgivings are still intact.' There followed a page and a half of misgivings.

It became obvious that we were coming at the subject from very different angles, each with our own precious political baggage. There was going to be plenty to talk about when Richard arrived in Oxford the following week. But as we argued we actually found that we agreed a lot more than we disagreed.

Still, it seemed touch-and-go. And when I started sending articles across to him in Canada it was with an element of: 'Let's see what he makes of this one then!'

As the process unfolded, however, most of the remaining potential disagreements became agreements. And our differences - and the need to listen to and accommodate those differences - were having an enriching effect on the content of the magazine.

It's not really surprising that there should have been such misgivings at first. Liberty is a subject close to the heart. The idea that someone - anyone - should start pronouncing on what it is or what it should be seems particularly perverse and paradoxical.

But it goes on all the time. Agenda of liberty are being set - and we often don't even know it's happening. Demystifying those agenda is one of the aims of NI.

And are you now any less mystified about this process of putting together an issue of New Internationalist?

Only you can tell. If you bothered to read this, that is.

Ideals and low deals
Liberty is based on a natural, simple, human desire. Or is it? Vanessa Baird takes a new angle on a favourite old concept.

A car named desire
How many horses under your hood? Love, liberty and addiction to wheels by Stephen Hill.

Cephu's choice
Is liberty a Western obsession? Nancy Scheper-Hughes takes a look at other cultures.

Simply - Life in the day of Betty Liberty Born free, but....

Hidden gags
Freedom of speech is a fine thing - if you can use it. Urvashi Butalia reveals what it means in India.

How free are we?
Is there more liberty in the world today than a decade ago?

Sex and freedom
Catherine Itzin finds a new way through the pornography and censorship debate.

And this little despot went to market
China's leaders have unleashed free market economics. How do the people fare? Ruth Cherrington reports.

In bed with...
A scurrilous look at some strange bedfellows.

Of Big Brother and buffaloes
Is 'political correctness' about fascism, fashion or freedom? Nina Silver investigates.

Action/Worth reading

Letters
Letter from Lagos
Updates
Reviews: plus Alasdair Maclean classic
Curiosities
Endpiece: by Alastair Bonnett
Country profile: Ethiopia

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