The US Democracy Crisis is a Media Crisis and the Mainstream Press is Losing
Columnist Lorraine Ali remembers 2021 as the year of the January 6 insurrection, the Covid-19 pandemic and the debacle of Omicron and the Republicans.
Columns
Sudden Journeys: From Munich with Love and Realpolitik
A family tragedy (we all have them), powerful forms of devotion and love, and a common political approach to “defeated peoples” in the world—all revisited over a weekend in Munich.
Music in the Middle East: Business can’t Buy Authenticity
180,000 electronic music aficionados attended the SOUNDSTORM festival in Riyadh this month, but as columnist Melissa Chemam writes, "it is impossible not to see these events as a part of the country’s soft power and policy to whitewash its terrible human rights record."
My Lebanese Landlord, Lebanese Bankdits, and German Racism
Racism props up its ugly head from every quarter, but Tariq Mehmood refuses to be deterred.
An Arab and a Jew Walk into a Bar…
Our columnist compares Arab/Muslim and Jewish humor and finds more in common than one might expect.
Reflections on Abu Dhabi and the U.A.E. at 50
The powerhouse United Arab Emirates has just fêted 50 years as a country, and 10-year resident Deborah Williams takes stock.
The (Afghan) Writer Who Sold His Book Collection to Pay the Rent
Selling off your beloved book collection to pay the rent hurts, but it beats starving or being out on the street.
Burning Forests, Burning Nations
Columnist Hadani Ditmars recounts meeting strangers at the beach during fire season in British Columbia and finds Syria and Turkey are shared homelands.
FIRE: An Abbreviated Reading List
Here are a few staff picks in a very short list that could benefit from having us add your own fire-related titles. Come on, light our fire.
Alchemy and the Deaf Blacksmith of Amman
Munir Atalla, the Brooklyn-based writer-director, recounts the story of a rather unusually happy, earnest man with a handicap and a skill.
Sacred Fire, Profane Fire: From Ritual to Barbecue
Bethlehem's top chef Fadi Kattan waxes enthusiastic on fire, grilling and the art of turning meat pink.
Day of the Imprisoned Writer — November 15, 2021
TMR On November 15th, every year now for the last 40 years, PEN International has observed the Day of the Imprisoned Writer. With the harassment, detention, conviction and imprisonment of… Continue reading Day of the Imprisoned Writer — November 15, 2021
Refugees Detained in Thessonaliki’s Diavata Camp Await Asylum
In which our columnist flies up to Thessaloniki and visits the Diavata camp for refugees seeking European asylum — no one is illegal, everyone merits a better life.
House Arrest
I knew this lockdown business was serious when they cancelled my convocation.
The Story of Jericho Sheikh Daoud and His Beloved Mansaf
Palestinian chef Fadi Kattan recounts the tale of famed imprisoned leader Sheikh Daoud Iriqat and his beloved dish, mansaf.