TMR 10
WASTA
Wasta is who you know (or don’t) to get your foot in the door, and often to get anything done, but wasta is also about corruption and waste. From Palestinian wasta to stories set in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Tunisia and the diaspora, this issue kicks the can down the road, and packs a wallop.
- TMR 10
- TMR 10
- CENTERPIECE
I Love Wasta, Hate Standing in Line in Egypt, But I Am Poor
After surviving an Egyptian prison and obtaining asylum in the United States, Ahmed Naji contemplates wasta and standing in line.
June 14, 2021 • By Ahmed NajiMORE FROM THIS ISSUE
“Pakistani Bureaucrats & The Booze Permit”—a story by Tariq Mehmood
Novelist and filmmaker Tariq Mehmood weaves a tale of wasta, women and booze in Rawalpindi.
14 JUNE, 2021 • BY TARIQ MEHMOOD
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.
14 JUNE, 2021 • BY ELLA SHOHAT
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.
14 JUNE, 2021 • BY TARIQ MEHMOOD
I Love Wasta, Hate Standing in Line in Egypt, But I Am Poor
After surviving an Egyptian prison and obtaining asylum in the United States, Ahmed Naji contemplates wasta and standing in line.
14 JUNE, 2021 • BY AHMED NAJI
Vitamin W: The Power of Wasta Squared
In which C.S. Layla, the American daughter of a Jordanian professor, remembers life and wasta in the old country.
14 JUNE, 2021 • BY C.S. LAYLA
Lebanese Oppose Corruption with a Game of Wasta
Victoria Schneider reports from Beirut on the new Wasta board game that satirizes corruption in Lebanon.
14 JUNE, 2021 • BY SAMIR EL-YOUSSEF
Syria’s Ruling Elite— A Master Class in Wasta
Lawrence Joffe on how the al-Assad and Makhlouf families have mastered the art of control and corruption in a country decimated by a decade of war.
14 JUNE, 2021 • BY LAWRENCE JOFFE
In Tunisia, Wasta Kills When It Comes to Covid-19
Our correspondent in Tunis, Emna Mizouni, reports on the vaccination crisis exacerbated by wasta.
14 JUNE, 2021 • BY RAJA SHEHADEH
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.
14 JUNE, 2021 • BY RAJA SHEHADEH
Wasta on Steroids: Speculative Finance & the Housing Market
Mischa Geracoulis discovers the film Push and explores the incredible greed and inequity of the speculative housing market.
14 JUNE, 2021 • BY MISCHA GERACOULIS