The Economist - 04.12.2021

The Economist December 4th 2021 5

Contents

Contents continues overleaf

Onthecover

Theworldthisweek

9 A summary of political

andbusiness news

Leaders

13 The world economy

Danger ahead

14 Build Back Better

saltin the wounds

14 Technology

The third way

15 Sex and gender

Bad medicine

16 Global crime

Whowillpolice Interpol?

Letters

18 On Kyle Rittenhouse,

Centerra Gold, housing,

social mobility, London’s

bridges,business speak

Briefing

23 The Omicron variant

Watchful waiting

Britain

27 Conversion therapy

28 When spooks speak

29 Portrait of a Brexiteer

30 London rentals go limp

30 Why Hong Kongers leave

31 Voting for Irish

Republicanism

32 BagehotJordan Peterson

and the lobster

Europe

35 Spain and migrants

36 Spanish accents

37 Beefing up Ukraine’s army

37 Nord Stream 2

38 Italy’s next president

40 Charlemagne The eu’s

Global Gateway

UnitedStates

41 salt’s giant tax break

42 Tainted drinking water

43 Crime-spotting tech

43 Roe’s last stand

44 Navy shipyards

45 Road rage rising

46 LexingtonSon of a slave

TheAmericas

47 Mexican supply chains

48 Honduras’s election

50 BelloCultural mestizaje

MiddleEast&Africa

51 Omicron’s economic hit

52 Africa’s data centres

53 China and Africa

53 Iran and the nuclear deal

54 Saudi Arabia’s booze ban

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ChaguanDysfunction in

the West tempts China’s

Communist Party to make

risky boasts, page 61

Omicron amplifies three
dangers that stalk the global
economy: leader,page 13.With
its wonky spike, the variant
looks ominous. How bad is it
likely to be? Briefing,page 23.
Assessing China’s slowdown,
page 73.How vulnerable are
emerging economies?Page 74

Local heroes: Asia’s tech giants
For vibrant, competitive internet
firms, look to emerging markets:
leader, page 14.Grab’s upcoming
$40bn Nasdaq listing is a key test
for Asian tech, page 65

Conversion therapyBritain’s
planned ban is not what it
seems: leader, page 15.It could
do more harm than good,
page 27

Of stablecoins and free
bankingThe explosion in
pegged digital tokens revives a
debate about 19th-century
American banks: Free exchange,
page 81

Why Interpol needs policing
The election of a worrying new
president is the latest thing to go
wrong at the global policing
agency: leader, page 16.A tussle
for control of Interpol pits good
cops against bad, page 63