Global Briefing April 20, 2011: History Lessons and Mission Creep

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Mubarak’s Fate — Post-revolutionary Egypt is fascinated by the fate of the former president, his sons and their alleged cronies, reports Abigail Hauslohner from Cairo. But the question remains: what will justice look like?

Artists Under Siege — In an op-ed for the New York Times Salman Rushdie urges the international community to speak out on behalf of Ai Weiwei and other imprisoned dissidents. “Today the government of China has become the world’s greatest threat to freedom of speech,” he writes, “and so we need Ai Weiwei, Liao Yiwu and Liu Xiaobo.”

Rupturing NATO — Britain and France’s decision to dispatch military advisers to Libya has set off new fears of “mission creep” within NATO, writes Ishaan Tharoor on Global Spin.

Two NigeriasThe violence that’s followed the country’s fairest-ever election shows how different Nigerians have very different aspirations. TIME’s Alex Perry explains how a north-south, Muslim-Christian divide threatens to tear the country apart.

New ‘Friends’ — A not-so-subtle quote from a Facebook lobbyist has China-watchers wondering if the company will censor content for a shot at the Chinese market, says Austin Ramzy in a dispatch from Beijing.

Before the StormNational Geographic disrupts the woe-is-Bangladesh storyline with a thoughtful account of how the country is finding low-tech ways to adapt to climate change.

History Lessons — The Root’s editor-in-chief, Henry Louis Gates has produced a four-part PBS documentary that examines race and color in South America and the Caribbean. Great Website, too.

Pictures — TIME’s Light Box features the work of Toru Hanai, a photographer who is chronicling efforts to salvage family photos from earthquake-stricken Japan.