The Pretender
After Qaddafi, Assad
The Stoning of Sakineh
Kabul Notes
Return to Afghanistan with a group of journalists, escorted by the French defense minister, Hervé Morin. A limited view: We only see valleys in Surobi and Kapisa. But an invaluable glimpse, nevertheless, because it counters what is heard almost everywhere. READ MORE >>
What We Can Do In Iran
Massive cheating or not? A new kind of coup d’etat or not? How do we interpret this strange election whose results were announced by the press affiliated with the secret services and militia--even before the polls were closed? Considering the absence of international observers, considering that the election officials demanded by Ahmadinejad’s rivals were chased from polling places with billy clubs, and considering the climate of terror in which the whole process was steeped, it is hard to come down on one side or the other with much certainty. READ MORE >>
A Happy Return
There are absolutely no limits to bad faith in politics. The grotesquely laughable debate about France’s place in NATO is just the latest example. READ MORE >>
Eternal Damnation of the Spotless Mind
I write this in remembrance of the renowned Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, murdered two years ago, on Jan. 19, 2007, for his comments on the slaughter of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman forces during WWI ... in horror that the police officers guarding the 17-year-old murder suspect, Ogun Samast, saw fit to take a video in which he proudly held the Turkish flag as they recorded their brief association with him for posterity ... READ MORE >>
Liberate The Palestinians From Hamas
Not being a military expert, I will abstain from judging whether the Israeli bombardments of Gaza could be better directed, less intense. Not being able for decades to distinguish between the good dead and the evil dead or, like Camus used to say, between "suspect victims" and "privileged executioners," I'm also deeply disturbed by the images of the Palestinian children who have been killed. READ MORE >>
Audaciously Reasonable
It is clear that Barack Obama is neither an angel nor a man sent from heaven. Nor is he the honorary European floating through the fantasies of French leftists--that must be cleared up if we want to avoid some nasty morning-after wake-up calls. The fact remains that Obama's election will affect us in at least three concrete ways, making his victory one of those improbable, incomparable moments that mark a complete break with previous history. It is unmistakably an iconic event. READ MORE >>
A Suspended Apocalypse
We are living in an extraordinary time. The world has been badly shaken. In the space of a few days a system that we thought was as secure and assured as the air we breathe lost all its landmarks, its clarity, and was seemingly swallowed up by a black hole. Money--essential to the spirit of peace--congealed, like blood in veins. Credit--this fine word is also expressive of people's faith in others--like a machine that jammed, and then stopped. READ MORE >>
