FROM THE EDITORS March 31, 2008 ISSUE

SYMPHONIC DIPLOMACY—AND THE TOUCH OF CHRIST

If Someone Had Predicted some years ago that in 2008 North Korea—once labeled a part of the "Axis of Evil"—would be welcoming the New York Philharmonic Orchestra to its capital of Pyongyang, that person would probably have been dismissed as at least unrealistic, if not foolish.

But in February, that's exactly what happened. Nearly 400 people—including 80 journalists and 12 tons of equipment—were allowed to enter a country known for tight controls over its citizens and suspicious treatment of outsiders.

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