Conspiracy
The New World Order, CIA drug rings, UFOs in New Mexico, the JFK  assassination, the Elders of Zion--all are the products of politically disaffected and culturally suspicious  minds, writes Daniel Pipes, author ofThe  Hidden Hand: Middle East Fears of Conspiracy. Here he examines the nature of conspiracy theories and asks, "What makes otherwise intelligent people believe in phony phenomena?" and "Why is antisemitism so often its  central feature?" Pipes usefully lays out a few hypotheses about conspiracy theories, and  distinguishes them from actual conspiracies (which are real, of course). Although the book could  benefit from some organizational improvement, it contains many astute observations. Readers  interested in its subject will find it worth examining.