Lebanese Oppose Corruption with a Game of Wasta
Victoria Schneider reports from Beirut on the new Wasta board game that satirizes corruption in Lebanon.
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.
In Tunisia, Wasta Kills When It Comes to Covid-19
Our correspondent in Tunis, Emna Mizouni, reports on the vaccination crisis exacerbated by wasta.
Spare Me the Empathy Tantrum: Rafia Zakaria’s “Against White Feminism”
Myriam Gurba reviews a book that argues that some “white feminists accept the benefits conferred by white supremacy at the expense of people of color.”
Palestine in the World: “Palestine: A Socialist Introduction”
Jenine Abboushi reviews the recent anthology of essays on socialism in the context of Palestinian resistance.
Arab Women and The Thousand and One Nights
Malu Halasa reviews a new anthology of Arab women writers on sex, love and lust, including “the leading lights of modern Arab fiction: Hanan al-Shaykh, Adhaf Soueif, Leila Slimani and Adania Shibli.”
The Maps of Our Destruction: Two Novels on Syria
Rana Asfour reviews Faysal Khartash’s Roundabout of Death and Zeyn Joukhadar’s The Map of Salt and Stars.
War Diary: The End of Innocence
Arie Amaya-Akkermans investigates Agenda 1979: Imagine sitting at home in the presence of a handbook for destroying, bombing, maiming and injuring. The poet Etel Adnan features prominently.
I was a French Muslim—Memories of an Algerian Freedom Fighter
Mischa Geracoulis reviews the memoir from Algerian freedom fighter Mokhtar Mokhtefi.
Midnight in Cairo: The Divas of Egypt’s Roaring 20s
Selma Dabbagh reviews the story of Egypt’s pioneering women performers and feminists, including Oum Khoulthum and Munira al-Maydiyya.
Book Reviews, Weekly
The Triumph of Love and the Palestinian Revolution
Fouad Mami reviews Susan Abulhawa’s powerful new novel “Against the Loveless World,” about Palestinians in a revolutionary mode.
World Picks: May – June 2021
Travel the world, meet people, see great places, without ever leaving the comfort of your screen…welcome to the pandemic!