Georgian forces shot dead 11 gunmen in an operation to free hostages near the frontier with Dagestan.

ECONOMIST: Politics this week

In the 21st Century, with nine billion mouths to feed in a few decades' time, is it feasible any longer to maintain a frontier-spirited free-for-all over half the planet's surface?

BBC: Big summit seeks big idea

When I was invited as a U.S. representative to the Asian Development Bank to speak at the 1991 opening of the Mongolian Stock Exchange, I expected a frontier adventure, as the country had just broken free from Russia to form a fledgling democracy.

FORBES: Unearthing Mongolia's Mineral Riches

But Kevin Bankston, an attorney at the Internet free-speech advocacy group the Electronic Frontier Foundation, sees MyEdge as a healthy alternative to the usual angry-lawyer school of reputation management.

FORBES: Google-Proof PR?