• ON THE GROUND

    • The sunni Sheikhs of Anbar
      The boy in a blue dishdash sits comfortably in the throne-like princely armchair of the “mudhifa”, the large marble-covered meeting hall. At 17 young Saddam Sattar Abu Risha already shows a commanding allure when he orders the coffee. He is planning to visit Italy and loves Dubai, for the fancy shopping, the Ferraris and the high buildings. “My dad was kille […]
    • Wedding night in Baghdad
      Weddings are going strong this Friday night at my hotel on the Tigris’ bank. Nobody seems to bother that yesterday a carbomb went off in a nearby street killing two people and barely missing the health minister: just one in the string of deadly explosions and suicide attacks that shook Baghdad, Kikruk, Ramadi, Baquba, Samarra and Mosul, leaving 34 people dea […]
    • At the Syrian-Turkish Border
      I stand on the rooftop of a house in Guvecci, a small village South of Antakya, a few yards from the borderline. I can see the fortified Turkish military positions, the control towers and the mined fields, the winding barbed wires cutting through the hills and the olive groves. And hear the sound of gunfire cracking in the distance. Each day the war in getti […]
    • Democracy, at a priceCairo, December 7, 2011
      Trying to catch the mood in Cairo after the elections. The Christians are worried, althought even some of them voted for the Brothers: “Give’em a chance” they say. “Who else can bring some stability?” I went to see the Zabbalin in the Garbage City and they are not happy. They fear the Salafist will burn their churches and veil their women. I bet they won’t. […]
    • Back to the squareCairo, December 2, 2011
      I am back in Cairo and walk across the Nile into Tahrir square. Someone put a bandage on the eyes of the huge iron lions guarding the bridge and on the eyes of all the statues in the city: a grim reference to the “eye sniper”, the policeman who allegedly aimed rubber bullets at protesters’ heads during last week’s clashes. The lieutenant, Mahmud al-Shinnawi, […]