The power of seduction

Available for over a year

This week on the Forum, why do we dream of a better life, aspire to more material comforts or look to another country for happiness, are we being rational or has our judgement been seduced? Robert Heath, a former advertising strategist, reveals how adverts seduce us and influence our feelings without our knowing it. Nigerian writer Chinelo Okparanta on why the dream of a life in America exerts such a strong pull on so many Nigerians and results so often in disappointment. And Indian novelist and political commentator Pankaj Mishra on how the West has forced the East under its spell since colonial times and how the East is still reacting to the West's dominance to this day. Illustration by Emily Kasriel: The hidden lure of people, places and ideas.