The message of protests in Iran Blue-state Republicans: no right left Education lessons from Pakistan The world’s worst airports JANUARY 6TH–12TH 2018 The next frontier When thoughts control machines Contents The Economist January 6th 2018 3 5 The world this week 24 High-tax states Replanning 25 Voting laws Leaders Use it or lose it 7 Neurotechnology 26 Legalising pot The next frontier California inhales 8Peru The pardoner’s tale The Americas 8 Protests in Iran The tyrants of Tehran 27 Peru The presidential hostage 9 Education reform Protests in Iran Citizens Pupil power in Pakistan 28 Emeralds in Colombia Prospectors, barons demand, and deserve, a less 10 American politics and suits oppressive regime: leader, In praise of state-ism 29 Place names in Canada page 8. The country is in On the cover Rewriting the map turmoil, but the clerics and Brain-computer interfaces Letters their allies remain as may change what it means to entrenched as ever, page 30 11 On China, Ben Carson, be human: leader, page 7. Middle East and Africa “Howard’s End”, meat, Innovations in neuro- politics 30 Protests in Iran technology sound like the When frustration boils over stuff of science fiction. 31 Qat in Yemen Sorting the reality from the Briefing The drug starving a country hype. See Technology 13 Education in Pakistan Quarterly, after page 34 31 Yemen’s war Stepping up The balance shifts 32 Egyptian politics The Economist online Asia Cometh the hour, cometh the ban Daily analysis and opinion to 15 Christianity in 33 Congo’s president supplement the print edition, plus South-East Asia Never-ending term audio and video, and a daily chart Escalators to heaven Economist.com 16 Feudalism in Pakistan 33 Gambia Italian politics As their Waiting for Jammeh country prepares to vote, E-mail: newsletters and Quail, cotton and contumacy young Italians are fed up with mobile edition 34 Liberia’s George Weah the traditional parties, page 35 Economist.com/email 17 Japan’s broadcaster A man with goals Print edition: available online by Snoringly boring 7pm London time each Thursday 18 Child abuse in the Technology Quarterly Economist.com/print Philippines Brain-computer Caught in the web Audio edition: available online interfaces to download each Friday 19 Banyan After page 34 Economist.com/audioedition Kim v Trump, round two Europe China 35 Italy’s election 20 Internet controls Their generation Closing a loophole 36 Spain and Catalonia Volume 426 Number 9073 21 The environment Local difficulties A good day for elephants Education in Pakistan School Published since September 1843 37 Russia reforms that hold lessons for to take part in "a severe contest between Cardboard Kremlin other developing countries: intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing United States 37 Obesity in France leader, page 9. Pakistan is our progress." 22 Congress Body positive home to the most frenetic Editorial offices in London and also: The polarising express 38 Turkey’s economy education reforms in the Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Cairo, Chicago, Madrid, world, page 13 Mexico City, Moscow, Mumbai, Nairobi, New Delhi, 23 Life expectancy Firing on all cylinders New York, Paris, San Francisco, São Paulo, Seoul, Not great, again Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, Washington DC 24 Republicans Hell’s laundry list 1 Contents continues overleaf 4 Contents The Economist January 6th 2018 Britain Science and technology 40 The NHS 56 The search for MH370 A thinning front line Many scanners, very deep 41 Train travel 57 Digital assistants Off the rails Losing face 42 Bagehot 58 Space debris Drama and drift in 2018 Junk hunting International Books and arts 43 The worst airports 59 Enrico Fermi Green regulation in China The world’s worst airports The departure gates of hell Clever calculator The anti-pollution campaign An informal survey of the most may crimp growth by less than 60 The Economists’ diet horrible places to be lost in feared, page 51. How China’s Business Quantitative eating transit, page 43 rise affects the natural world, 45 Kim Sang-jo 60 University education page 21 South Korea’s chaebol Three years and score sniper 61 Japanese taiko drumming Subscription service For our full range of subscription offers, 46 Ant Financial and The kudos of Kodo including digital only or print and digital Moneygram 61 American fiction combined visit Economist.com/offers Blocked transfer Chloe Benjamin You can subscribe or renew your subscription 47 Money-laundering 62 Johnson by mail, telephone or fax at the details below: Telephone: +65 6534 5166 in Canada Word-birth Facsimile: +65 6534 5066 Snow-washing Web: Economist.com/offers E-mail: [email protected] 48 Salesforce 64 Economic and financial Post: The Economist The tower of Benioff indicators Subscription Centre, Tanjong Pagar Post Office 49 Schumpeter Statistics on 42 economies, PO Box 671 The year of the incumbent plus a closer look at GDP Singapore 910817 forecasts for the year Subscription for 1 year (51 issues)Print only Incumbents fight back ahead Australia A$465 In 2018 conventional firms will Finance and economics China CNY 2,300 Hong Kong & Macau HK$2,300 give Silicon Valley a run for its 51 China’s environment India 10,000 Obituary Japan Yen 44,300 money: Schumpeter, page 49 Towards a greener future Korea KRW 375,000 66 Simonetta Puccini Malaysia RM 780 52 Buttonwood New Zealand NZ$530 The markets in 2018 O mio nonno caro Singapore & Brunei S$425 Taiwan NT$9,000 53 Islamic finance Thailand US$300 Sukuk and see Other countries Contact us as above 53 American banks Deferred gratification Principal commercial offices: 54 MiFID 2 The Adelphi Building, 1-11John Adam Street, London WC2N 6HT Day zero Tel: +44 (0) 20 7830 7000 55 Free exchange Rue de l’Athénée 32 Investments since 1870 1206 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: +4122 566 2470 750 3rd Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10017 Chaebol sniper South Korea’s Tel: +1212 5410500 antitrust tsar has a shot at 1301Cityplaza Four, getting the chaebol to play by 12 Taikoo Wan Road, Taikoo Shing, Hong Kong the rules, page 45 Tel: +852 2585 3888 Other commercial offices: Chicago, Dubai, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Paris, San Francisco and Singapore PEFC certified This copy of The Economist is printed on paper sourced from sustainably managed forests, recycled and controlled sources certified by PEFC PEFC/01-31-162 www.pefc.org © 2018 The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of The Economist Newspaper Limited. Published every week, except for a year-end double issue, by The Economist Newspaper Limited. The Economist is a registered trademark of The Economist Newspaper Limited. Publisher: The Economist. Printed by Times Printers (in Singapore). M.C.I. (P) No.057/09/2017 PPS 677/11/2012(022861) The world this week The Economist January 6th 2018 5 Protesters tookto the streets in dismissed by Spain’s prime nised the incumbent Uber at $48bn, lower than the more than 70 towns and cities minister, Mariano Rajoy, after president, Juan Orlando Her- $68bn placed on it after a in Iran, some complaining it declared independence. nández, as the victor. The recent round offundraising. about the economy, others Unfortunately for Mr Rajoy, Organisation ofAmerican wishing death on the presi- Catalans returned the separat- States had said that irregular- Spotify, a music-streaming dent, Hassan Rouhani, and the ists to power again in the elec- ities cast doubt on the result firm, reportedly filed docu- supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali tion on December 21st. and called fornew elections. ments that could see it list in Khamenei. The clerical regime New Yorkthis year. organised counter-demonstra- Italy’s president dissolved The decision by Orrin Hatch tions that attracted tens of parliament and set an election to step down from his Senate It was another volatile week thousands. At least 20 people date, March 4th. seat in Utah prompted specu- fortrading in bitcoin, which have been killed, and many lation that Mitt Romney would plunged in late December from more arrested. Russia’s authorities banned run to replace him. Donald a high ofmore than $19,500 to Alexei Navalny, the country’s Trump had wanted Mr Hatch below $12,000. It recovered Ethiopia announced that it most prominent opponent to to stay on. Mr Romney, a for- ground this weekafter a report would release hundreds of President Vladimir Putin, from mer presidential candidate, that Peter Thiel, a famed Sil- political prisoners and close a standing in the presidential could become a focal point for icon Valley investor, had bet on detention centre where people election due in March, citing a Republicans who are dis- the cryptocurrency. were allegedly tortured. trumped-up graft conviction. gruntled with Mr Trump. Amnesty International said Glitches were discovered in this “could signal the end of an Thousands ofpeople in Peru India’s feuding Ambani the design ofcomputer chips era ofbloody repression”. protested against the pardon- brothers reached a deal on that could give hackers access ing ofAlberto Fujimori, a their telecoms assets. In what to passwords and encryption North Korea said it might send formerpresident who had amounts to a defeat in an keys. The flaws are industry- a team to the Winter Olympics served less than halfofa 25- aggressive price war, Anil sold wide. Intel said it was working in South Korea. The two coun- year jail sentence forcorrup- Reliance Communications to with AMD and other rivals to tries re-opened a defunct tion and human-rights abuses.