Essays
Carnivals of Death
The livestreaming of Nidal Hasan’s execution has been canceled, but the Hegseth-Trump carnival of death has deep roots in U.S. history. America’s evolving sense of itself, its understanding of what it means to live in a democracy, has always been entwined with fierce debates about public displays of violence.
Separate Desks
A hundred years after its founding, the elite, secular Laique school in Damascus has decided to separate boys and girls for the first time. Syrians are asking what that means for the school, and the future of Syria.
How Shukri al-Quwatli’s Memoir Changes Our View of Syria’s History
Syria's presidents have been jailed, shot and exiled. Only one has left a memoir, and that has only recently been published. Its editor explains how Shukri al-Quwatli’s account changes what we know about Syria and Churchill, King Faisal and early Zionist leaders.
A Rupture in the History of Consciousness
Over the centuries, layers of interpretation have mediated our experience and separated the self from the world, but glimpses of an older mode of consciousness can still be found. Even modern literature that is transfixed by the self and immersed in its workings can fleetingly reveal the older intimacy.
Sliman Mansour’s Art Captured the Palestinian Condition
Sliman Mansour spent a lifetime using his art to preserve Palestinian identity and connect people to their land, inspiring generations of artists in his wake. A writer who knew him from childhood as a close friend of her father remembers the gentle, humble man behind the iconic paintings.
History and Myth in the Holy Land
Advocates for the modern state of Israel often invoke the biblical past. A clearer sense of history and myth, including from American leaders, might be one step toward creating a more peaceful Israel-Palestine.
The Language of Terrorism Since 9/11
While the world’s media have retreated from using the word "terrorism," governments have applied it ever more broadly, with vast implications for law and society. How does this simultaneous avoidance and expansion of the use of the word affect how we understand and address the phenomenon of violence committed in the name of an ideal?