Photo by Hassam el-Hamalawy via Flickr
Unrest in North Africa
The Roots of Sudan’s Revolution—and the Road Ahead

The persistence of Sudan’s protesters has already toppled its dictator. But will they succeed where the Egyptians and Libyans failed?

(Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Lone Star Literature
A Texas Tale: Billy Lee Brammer and The Gay Place

In 1961, a young LBJ aide wrote the greatest political novel you’ve never heard of—and then vanished into drug-fueled obscurity. A new biography tells his story.

(Ahmet Sik/Getty Images)
Middle East Watch
The Improbable Rise and Uncertain Future of Syria’s Kurds

The Kurds’ rapid rise in Syria has been remarkable by any standard. With the U.S. military now pulling back, can their experiment in autonomy last?

(Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Unrest in North Africa
Algeria’s False Spring?

Bouteflika’s resignation in Algeria is more the result of internal factional strife than people power. To understand why—and to see what may come next—it helps to look at some history.

(Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Desperate Refugees or Desperate Debtors?
Why the Latest Border Surge Is Bad News for Democrats

Trump’s hyperbole on the border has boomeranged against him, but Democrats should not accept opening the southern border to anyone who asks for asylum. That’s not even good for immigrants.

Norman Rockwell, “Freedom of Worship” (Wikimedia Commons)
Secular Religion
Finding Faith and Losing Religion in Flyover Country

Meghan O’Gieblyn’s new essay collection cuts to the heart of America’s cultural divide—and reveals the ties that bind secular progressives and fundamentalist Christians alike.

By Pavlo Lys via Shutterstock
NATO at 70
Handling the Transatlantic Stress Test: A Conversation with Lithuania’s Foreign Minister

As NATO ministers gather in Washington, Lithuania’s top diplomat describes a “stress test of Transatlantic unity.”

(Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock.com)
Brexit Watch
The French Connection in Europe’s Elections

Macron’s recent address to the “citizens of Europe” captures the high stakes of this European election season—when first-order questions about Brexit and the EU project loom over all.

Shutterstock
Elections à la Modi
The Pakistan Bump for India’s Ruling Party

With elections looming, the Modi government has transformed a serious security breach into a public relations coup.

(Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images)
Middle East Watch
Golan: A Diplomatic Meditation

President Trump’s decision to officially gift the occupied Golan Heights to Bibi Netanyahu is neither wise nor necessary. It also inspires memories of opportunities lost eight years ago.

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