Average Rating: 
Rating: - fair and informative
There are so many news and commentary magazines out there, so which one should the curious reader pick? Perhaps the TIME-NEWSWEEK-U.S. NEWS trifecta? Or perhaps a more serious subscription to THE NATIONAL REVIEW, THE WEEK, THE NATION, THE ECONOMIST, THE AMERICAN PROSPECT, THE AMERICAN SPECTATOR, or another smaller-circulation journal? Personally, my vote goes to THE WILSON QUARTERLY. This periodical, amazingly, seems to carry no hidden agenda. No spins or propaganda--just fair, well-informed, and well-balanced reporting and analysis. The reading, more on political topics than cultural ones (i.e., don't expect pieces from NEW YORKERs and ATLANTICs), follows in the same in-depth reporting tradition of related journals, such as the equally thick-volumed FOREIGN AFFAIRS, BRILL'S CONTENT, and the slimmer HARVARD INTERNATIONAL REVIEW, featuring substantial articles on important current national and world events. The style is not so scholarly as to require a degree in political science to comprehend, but neither is it so watered-down that you will find yourself reading the journal in the bathroom, along with PEOPLE and ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY. So whereas the ultra-conservative set may take bow-tie shopping tips from Tucker Carlson and his fellow writers at THE WEEKLY STANDARD, and liberal dullards may continue to leaf daily through USA TODAY as if it were the paragon of journalistic culture, the independent mind may rely on THE WILSON QUARTERLY for his or her source of news, commentary, and expert analysis.
Rating: - The World of Ideas
The Wilson Quarterly without a doubt one of the best periodicals of its kind, if not the best. The journal is named after the wise and widely respected Political Science Professor-come-Princeton President-come-President Woodrow Wilson, who came to prominence during World War 1 and famously intoned that America's role in the war was "to make the world safe for democracy." Founded in '76 by Peter Braestrup [a former journalist of Time, NTY and Washington Post] as a "journal of the world of ideas", The Wilson Quarterly more than embodies the values and ideological vision of President Wilson. The journal consistently features exceptional writing on a broad host of topics of ideological, political and cultural interest that is also written in a manner that is accessible to the intelligent and discriminating reader. The Wilson Quarterly does not have a political or ideological viewpoint, at least not one that is easily discernible. If I were to go out on a limb, though, I would say that the journal sometimes comes close to being moderately conservative, much like its namesake President Wilson. For example, although The Wilson Quarterly did feature an issue on how the world views the US, I get the sense that most of the articles are about American's economic and political greatness or its cultural decadence ['Pop Culture: Only A Wasteland?' 'No Place for Faith?']. However, this perception may be nothing more than the consequence of an inherent liberal bias on my part [I consider myself moderately liberal]; and it also equally likely that a moderate conservative can point to several other articles that lend themselves to The Wilson Quarterly being moderately liberal. Overall, I think The Wilson Quarterly is a brilliant publication, one that covers topics of ideological and cultural interest in a way that is both scholarly and accessible to the intelligent "lay reader," and I highly recommend it.
Rating: - My favorite magazine ever
Over the years I have read and/or subscribed to many different magazines. This one is my all time favorite. I try to read it in phases to savor it. My only complaint - the quarterly status. When I first receive my issue, I tend to look thru the articles, authors, etc. This I follow with reading the letters section. Afterwards I go to the book reviews. Each article I then skim, returning to them one at a time for an in depth reading. That finished, I puruse the ads for books, conferences, etc. Accomplishing that, I know it is time to start again. I must say, I learn something new each time I open the magazine. How I look at the articles chosen for each themed
issue is, only the best of the best makes the cut. For anyone who appreciates a view that is centered and not biased, who enjoys learning about our world and our history, in concise articles, this is a magazine I believe will be enjoyed.
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