Anatomy of an international incident; how three idealistic young American hikers wandered across the Kurdistan-Iran border and ended up in Iranian prison charged with spying.

Putin, Medvedev, and how the Russian security agency FSB became the “new nobility.”

On the post-quake presidential election in Haiti.

A profile of Eric Holder.

The unedited transcript of an interview with Julian Assange for the cover story of Forbes’ December issue. His next target? A major U.S. bank.

The latest WikiLeaks unveiling has exposed more than 250,000 sensitive messages from American diplomats. Among the revelations: the plan for a unified Korea, the Chinese government’s hacking strategy, and negotiations with countries for housing Gitmo detainees.

Scenario-based forecasts on the future of America, in the style of the C.I.A’s National Intelligence Estimate.

The story of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, written and published the following week.

On the workings of Sarah Palin’s inner circle.

An investigation into Lashkar-i-Taiba, the group behind the 2008 Mumbai massacre, and why Pakistani authorities has not arrested their leaders.

A profile of Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson, published at the height of the controversy.

A profile of embattled White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

Are we at war? The U.S. government’s evolving response to cyber security and its impact on privacy.

A report from Nevada, where an economy in crisis and a Tea Party upstart are threatening to topple Harry Reid, the most nationally powerful politician in the state’s history.

A profile of Canadian politician Jamie Lee Hamilton.

A behind-the-scenes account of the tense negotiations, involving Gorbachev, Kohl, Bush, and Thatcher, that led from the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall to a reunified Germany. (Translated from German.)

A profile of the perpetually disappointed Alec Baldwin.

Foreign policy as architecture; how embassies went from lavish social hubs to reinforced strongholds.

An interview with Michael Maren, who spent nearly twenty years working in Africa as an aid worker and then a journalist, on why NGOs and “feed an African child” charities do more harm than good.

Not long ago, Rand Paul, opthalmologist and son of Ron, would have been written off as a wacky extremist. Thanks to his Dad and the Tea Partiers, he’s poised to become the most radical member of the U.S Senate.

A profile of Joe Biden, whose political stock has continued to rise even as his boss’s falls.

A profile of Rahm Emanuel, written during his first congressional campaign in Illinois. Emanuel was running to fill the seat vacated by Rod Blagojevich.

A profile of Viktor Bout, believed to be the largest arms trafficker in the world. A Russian who bought his first cargo planes at age 25, Bout has been in the news recently after being arrested in Thailand.

The surreal world of Sarah Palin and her road show.

A day in the political life of Barack Obama.