The clash between the modern and the traditional is illustrated by the “reed dance.” Performed by “maidens” in the semi-nude, it is widespread among the Ndebele people, including Xhosas and Zulus, in southern Africa. It is perhaps best known in Swaziland, where the king chooses a new wife every year following the annual reed dance.

He gets three half answers. Drezner’s first question: “Just how much third-party holdings of U.S. debt does Saudi Arabia have?” Wish I knew. The custodial data doesn’t really help us out much. …

Dan asks a question that everyone who has ever signed up for military service has likely asked: was it worth it? His answer is worth reading. 

This post is part of the Council on Foreign Relations’ blog series on human trafficking, in which CFR fellows and other leading experts assess new approaches to improve U.S. and global efforts to cur…