The legacy of the war in Afghanistan will be about much more than the attacks of 9/11 and the defeat of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda
11 Years After 9/11, the Holy World War Is Over and All Jihad is Local
Al-Qaeda is in retreat and Osama bin Laden’s dream lies in ruins. So what next for Washington and its struggle against extremist jihadists?
Must-Reads from Around the World
In today’s required reading: where al-Qaeda stands 11 years after the 9/11 attacks, Somalia’s struggle to recover after decades of warfare, and the possibility that four Pakistani soldiers who went missing 47 years ago might …
Chinese Puzzle: A Missing Heir Apparent and a Leadership Transfer Without a Timetable
A missing man, who holds unknown views on issues that will shape the global economy, will take over at an undesignated point in the near future. Or so we think
Is the Regional Showdown in Syria Rekindling Iraq’s Civil War?
It may have been checked off President Obama’s to-do list, but the Iraq war is far from over.
The Moribund Economy Brings Palestinians into the Streets
Frustration leads to public protests as the fund-bereft government stops issuing paychecks that keep the Palestinian territories working
Deadly Quake Rattles Southwest China
Two earthquakes hit the border of Yunnan and Guizhou provinces in southwestern China on Sept. 7,killing at least 89 people and injuring some 820 others. More than 200,000 are believed to have been displaced following the …
Gulag Reform: Will China Stop Sending Its Dissidents to Labor Camps?
A recent story in a nationalist, Beijing-based newspaper suggests that China might be rethinking labor camps
Why Hong Kong Wants Nothing to Do with ‘Patriotism’ for Now
The Hong Kong government has backed down from its plan to implement “moral and national education” in public schools, in what is being construed as a major victory for civil society in the semiautonomous Chinese territory
Must-Reads from Around the World
Today’s global media stories look at the pressure on Asian leaders to develop welfare states, the rise of drag trafficking in South America and the deterioration of living conditions in Gaza.
Dissent Among the Alawites: Syria’s Ruling Sect Does Not Speak with One Voice
Considered heretics by many mainstream Sunnis, the Alawites have long been perceived as a solid bloc of support for their co-religionists in the Assad dynasty. Not so now
The Alawite Towns That Support Syria’s Assad — in Turkey
Even as the regime’s Alawite support erodes, the President of Syria finds vocal support among his co-religionists in Turkey
Selling ‘Gangnam Style’: Why K-Pop and Commercials Are a Perfect Match
There are a lot of winning things about South Korean rapper Psy’s horse dance. It’s pretty easy, for one. It’s equally entertaining when replicated by a person wearing a giant duck costume or a teenager in his suburban …