In “Big Sushi”, Justin McCurry sits down to the world’s most politically sensitive lunch: whale meat. He analyses the shifting balance of power in the International Whaling Commission, and reflects on the cultural differences between Japan and anti-whaling nations such as Australia.

In “Yes, Virginia, There is a Clash of Civilisations”, Robert Manne charts the rise of Islamism and the political events that have led to a clash between the Western and Muslim worlds, and examines the recent increase in Islamophobia in Australia.

In “Beloved Companheiros”, Mark Aarons explains what really happened in East Timor. Arguing that both left- and right-wing commentators have misinterpreted the events of the past few months, he looks at the role, both symbolic and practical, of Xanana Gusmao in re-establishing order.

In The Nation Reviewed, Don Watson looks at situation ethics and how it may have affected American military thinking in the recent massacre at Haditha, in Iraq. There’s also Mungo MacCallum channelling Alfred Deakin, Ashley Hay on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, David Salter on TV-network executive Sam Chisholm, and Kate van den Boogert on Aboriginal art in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

In Arts & Letters, Gideon Haigh looks at two incredible books by Russian writer Vasily Grossman. There’s also Kerryn Goldsworthy on Peter Cundall and the everyday magic of ABC TV’s Gardening Australia, Helen Garner on the challenges of viewing Paul Greengrass’s United 93, and Robert Forster on the weird and wonderful world of Perth band The Sleepy Jackson.