Many years from now (or maybe in a few weeks), House of Cards’ big win tonight will be seen as a juncture of sorts. This was the moment when Television as we’ve known it for the past six decades began … read more →

You have to drive past the heavily guarded American consulate to get to the Karachi harbor. This is where Frieha Altaf, Pakistan’s biggest event planner, is celebrating her fiftieth birthday tonight. The yacht will sail at midnight. There will be … read more →

Damascus in 2006 was decaying and lovely. People stared at foreigners but didn’t say much. The streets of the Old City were quiet at night. Damascenes spent evenings smoking shisha in rooftop restaurants and cafés. The city was cosmopolitan but … read more →

An acquaintance in Istanbul, who apparently just learned the news (reported September 8) that Tokyo will host the 2020 Summer Games, writes: “This was supposed to be our games — well, the Muslim games, the first games that would go … read more →

Matt Apuzzo and I never intended to write a book. We never expected to win a Pulitzer.  I think we expected to write one lengthy story about the CIA working with the NYPD to fight terrorism. In fact, I wasn’t … read more →

Six men raped a young student on a moving bus in Delhi last December – raped her in horrific ways, with metal bars that perforated her intestines and led, eventually, to her death. The act was sprung from such depths … read more →

On Tuesday night, College Democrats and Young Republicans here at Middlebury planted 2,977 American flags on a patch of grass outside Mead Chapel to commemorate 9/11, as they have been doing for many years now. It was, as it was … read more →