Argument
Beyond the Reach of Damascus
For a century, Damascus pushed a single Syrian identity while the margins asked for recognition. After Assad fell, that argument resurfaced again. How it’s settled will make or break the country.
Mamdani’s City of Dreams
Zohran Mamdani’s historic election as New York’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor has energized the city. Centering working-class issues, inclusivity and community engagement, he built broad support despite facing Islamophobic attacks and media scrutiny, and his victory signals a transformative moment for progressive politics across America.
The Intent Behind Trump’s War on Drug Smugglers
Critics of NATO policy once wanted its forces to shoot to kill at skiffs suspected of piracy, just as U.S. forces now do at suspected drug boats. But drug mules are not pirates.
What Zohran Mamdani’s Campaign Says About the Quiet Erasure of Caste in US Politics
Caste, usually absent from U.S. local politics, has emerged as an issue in New York’s mayoral race, as Hindu temples become key campaigning sites. The contest has highlighted tensions between marginalized Dalit advocates and the influential Hindu right, revealing how South Asian caste hierarchies are influencing candidates’ strategies.
Even Before the Heist, the Louvre Had Been Robbed
For years, successive governments have celebrated France’s heritage while quietly starving it, reducing budgets, staff, security and maintenance until the guardians of the country’s treasures could no longer guard much at all.
Saudi Arabia and the Tired ‘Whitewashing’ Trope
Critics blasted comics for performing in Riyadh and fretted about Saudi money in video games. But the “whitewashing” critique flattens Arab societies, ignores local audiences and indulges a Western moral superiority that is no longer tenable.
For Israelis, the Ceasefire Is Only About the Hostages
Israelis are euphoric over the ceasefire in Gaza because it means the hostages will come home. The liberals see this as proof that their mass protests worked and that they still have influence. They have already forgotten the war, and there is no reckoning with its cost to Palestinians.