Afghanistan Falls to the Taliban
On the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, Hadani Ditmars remembers the treasures and the ruins of Afghanistan and Iraq.
Category: Columns
Beirut Drag Queens Lead the Way for Arab LGBTQ+ Visibility
Moustafa Daly talks to leaders in Lebanon’s creative and LBGTQ community about the drag queen scene.
Remember 18:07 and Light a Flame for Beirut
We remember the devastating blast at the Port of Beirut last August 4th, 2020, and call for justice and restitution for its many victims.
In Flawed Democracies, White Supremacy and Ethnocentrism Flourish
The author of The Unchosen: The Lives of Israel's New Others contrasts American white supremacy with Israeli Jewish racism.
Revolution, Democracy and the Tunisian Exception
Our correspondent in Tunis looks at President Kaïs Saïed’s un-democratic attempts to save Tunisia from collapse.
When War is Just Another Name for Murder
Political scientist and historian Norman G. Finkelstein discusses the early history of Israel's blockade of Gaza, laying bare the roots of the conflict that continues until today.
“Sumud” — the Gazan Secret to Survival
The Palestinians of Gaza continue to survive despite incredible odds.
The Semantics of Gaza, War and Truth
Mischa Geracoulis joins filmmaker Yung Chang and the late muckraker Robert Fisk in asking us to think about the semantics of war and how it is reported.
Gaza’s Catch-22s
Khaled Diab, author of Intimate Enemies: Living with Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land, meditates on the implacable illogic of the Gaza-Israel stalemate.
The Diplomats’ Quarter: Wasta of the Palestinian Authority
Author and attorney Raja Shehadeh recounts the legend of Ramallah's ritzy neighborhood, designed for heroes of the Palestinian Authority.
Wasta Tawla, or how the Wastafarians Fared at Fawda
Bethlehem chef Fadi Kattan recalls the disaster of wasta leading up to Christmas Eve at Fawda restaurant.
Lebanon’s Wasta Has Contributed to the Country’s Collapse
Novelist Samir El-Youssef recalls adolescent challenges and more recent experience where wasta was a necessity.