Argument
Democracy and Madness
The National Institute of Mental Health definition of psychosis speaks of “loss of contact with reality.” That is what is happening. Masses of people, whether unable or unwilling to recognize reality, are substituting nightmarish fantasies generated within their movements, making these into a political force moving millions.
A Storm of Trauma in Libya
As Libya recovers from the initial shock of this catastrophe, the political situation is slowly sliding back to normal. A narrative war is beginning between various sides, and the politicization of and profiteering from relief have begun.
The Liquid Imperialism That Engulfed Syria
In Syria, multiple imperial and subimperial powers have poured into one small country — some of them to protect a murderous regime, all of them annihilating any independent political aspirations among its people, dividing up sectors of Syrian society among themselves and their satellites.
Ukraine’s Strikes Behind Enemy Lines Are Paying Off
Ukraine’s ability to project power well behind a 1,000-mile line of contact has grown nearly exponentially since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion last year.
Assad’s Hidden Hand in the Uprising Against the Kurds in Eastern Syria
In the months leading up to the current unrest, the focus of the U.S.-led forces shifted from combating jihadist cells to monitoring a plan to expel the Kurds from the area, with the help of individuals linked to the Assad regime.
The British Museum Is in Trouble on Two Fronts on Stolen Heritage
To reject political systems on account of their Western origin is to retreat into essentialism of a culture, whether “Arab,” “Islamic,” “African” or other, claiming that there is something specific to the people that requires them to live in a society different from others. Could world museums be a tool in overcoming such essentialism, helping break down rigid borders, both identity-based and geographical?
The Rise and Fall of Sawt el-Qahira, the Arab World’s First Record Label
From its roots as a passion project empowering Egyptian musicians, through its evolution into a tool for state propaganda, to its current role as a peddler of nostalgia and religious teachings, Sawt el-Qahira stands as a vivid reflection of successive visions for Egypt.