Argument
Robert Fisk: A Conscience Adrift
Robert Fisk championed the underdog. He empathized with the victim. But those labels were applied solely on his terms. His views ran contrary to what I saw as a genuine yearning for decency and democracy.
The Spectacle of Trump’s Unsuccess
That America’s first authoritarian commander-in-chief appears to be going out as “Richard III” directed by Corky St. Clair is a relief, but it’s also a testament to just how nourished Trump has been by the mere spectacle of success more than the thing itself.
The Talented Mr. Dahlan
How Dahlan ended up in Abu Dhabi at the side of a crown prince is still shrouded in mystery, although the likeliest explanation is that the connections of Mohammed Rashid, an Iraqi Kurd and the PLO’s former “money man,” paved the way.
Where Laïcité Collides with Islam
Behind the French legal code separating state and religion, and why Emmanuel Macron's attempt to incorporate Islam into it is provoking anger among Muslims.
For Lebanon There’s One Road out of Hell
Many people were baffled when President Michel Aoun recently said at a press conference that Lebanon could be on its way to hell. I, too, was baffled. How can we be on our way to hell if we had already arrived months ago?
How Libya Became a Battleground for Foreign Powers
The first armed conflict of the Arab Spring is now a playground of intervening foreign powers out for themselves. It won’t be the last.