Upfront teacher's edition.

• Author: Rebhun, Elliott
• Position: Editorial

Hundreds of thousands of children around the globe are being forced to serve as soldiers. As our cover story notes, most are fighting for rebel groups. But in Somalia, it's not just the rebels. The government, which is getting support from Washington as part of the nation's anti-terrorism program, has also conscripted children as young as 9. In many places in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, child soldiers are considered the perfect weapon, and our cover story examines why.

Americans are in an ornery mood, and that spells trouble for its elected leaders as next month's midterm elections approach. That's one of the reasons the Tea Party has gotten so much attention with its anti-incumbent message. For many voters, the Tea Party's retro name recalls a time when the nation wasn't being run by "professional...