Russia and Georgia: darkness falls
This is a special edition of this column. Here are two things you ought to know about the conflict flaring up between Russia and Georgia: First of all, Russia does not want NATO on her doorstep, and...
Category: Current Affairs
Terror in Bangalore
I wasn’t born in Bangalore. I don’t live there now. But ever since I was a child, it’s been the seat of my family. I’ve smelled the jasmine and diesel in the air. I’ve seen the elections of...
“Honor killings” contort religion
ATLANTA — As an American Muslim, I was horrified to read about the tragic death of Sandela Kanwal in Clayton County, Ga., allegedly at hands of her father in a supposed "honor killing." According...
Who’s afraid of the big, bad Scarf? The censure of the keffiyeh
When fashion becomes a crime worthy of the expulsion of winsome celebrity chef Rachael Ray from the billboards of Dunkin’ Donuts, it is clear that the laws of sensibility have been hurled through...
Cristiano Ronaldo and the coming of the Antichrist
Author's note to her faithful American readers: yes, I mean football as in "soccer." "Soccer" is an ugly word and the rest of the world barely uses it. I wake up today to a sad world. Sure, things...
Mark Seal on Kenya in Vanity Fair: bad implications and dead ends
If you thought that a recent cover of Vogue magazine had a whiff of King Kong about it, consider the possibility that this month, Vanity Fair may have given Vogue a run for its money. Just remember...
Yearning for answers: fundamentalism, polygamy, and the role of women
When I heard about the raid on a fundamentalist Texas compound called Yearning for Zion, I got to thinking about polygamy (well, my initial thought was more along the lines of "wow, I really want to...
Geert Wilders, “Fitna,” and the last refuge of the bigoted
Fitna (the Arabic word for ‘dissension’), a new film by Geert Wilders, a rightwing Dutch parliamentarian, should not be suppressed. This isn't because it has anything valuable or insightful to...
Politics and Tragedy
Wherein lies the tragedy of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination? Common wisdom holds that the implications surrounding the demise of one of Pakistan’s major democratic leaders are tragic. Others hold...
The Oil and the Glory: A Review
This is a review of Steve LeVine's The Oil and the Glory: The Pursuit of Empire and Fortune on the Caspian Sea. Random House. 2007. Steve LeVine has worked as a freelance journalist for The Wall...