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.
Columns
Lebanese Oppose Corruption with a Game of Wasta
Victoria Schneider reports from Beirut on the new Wasta board game that satirizes corruption in Lebanon.
In Tunisia, Wasta Kills When It Comes to Covid-19
Our correspondent in Tunis, Emna Mizouni, reports on the vaccination crisis exacerbated by wasta.
Free Speech, Palestinian Stories and the Oscars
In anticipation of Sunday's Oscars, in which another Palestinian film has been nominated, Jordan Elgrably talks to Palestinians and Israelis about their films and activism.
Armenian Eyes
Mischa Geracoulis reads Last Rites about the death of William Saroyan and remembers her grandfather who instilled in her the strength of Armenian culture.
Heritage
Poet, author and artist Aram Saroyan remembers what it was like growing up as the son of a famous Armenian American writer.
Ode to the ‘Ud and Its Lovers
No other instrument entrances quite like the ‘ud. Sherifa Zuhur presents a portrait of the world's notable ‘ud masters.
Arab Shaman: Remembering Hani Naser
Drummer and author John Densmore recalls the mastery and the mysticism of his late friend Hani Naser.
The Truth About Syria: Mahmoud’s Story
Mischa Geracoulis shares the story of an art project among refugee children that helped Mahmoud Ismail through hard times.
Memory and the Assassination of Lokman Slim
Claire Launchbury writes of one man's long search for the truth about Lebanon's civil war, cut short by his mysterious murder this year.
Academics Decry French Attacks on “Islamo-Leftists”
Hundreds of French and Anglophone academics are speaking out against what they call the French government’s “conspiracy theory” and “witch hunt” of so-called Islamo-leftists.
The Truth About Iraq: Memory, Trauma and the End of an Era
Hadani Ditmars remembers what Baghdad was like following the second Gulf War in 2003, when she toured Abu Ghraib with Robert Fisk.
In Yemen, Women are the Heroes
International aid worker and writer Farah Abdessamad has been traveling to Yemen for work since 2014. This is the first time she has written about her experiences there publicly.
Decolonizing Art for Art’s Sake
Culture critic and filmmaker Mara Ahmed deconstructs three versions of an opéra-ballet to get at the heart of western racism in mainstream dance performance.
To the Light—Remembering Lawrence Ferlinghetti: 1919-2021
Ammiel Alcalay remembers an American original, poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who was also the publisher and doyen of City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco.