1,001 nights on the Tigris
A truly splendid work of erudition, storytelling and humanity
Politics, Ideas and the Arts
Hard Lessons of Afghan History
Two new histories of separate conflicts in Afghanistan show that both the Victorians and a young Churchill struggled at the North-Western Frontier
Taliban Tourists
The US army's "catch and release programme" in Afghanistan puts allied troops in grave danger and is destabalising in the long term.
The Surge is Working — So Far
Official voices are unwilling to claim victory, but Nato forces in southern Afghanistan are defeating the Taliban
We Have to be Ready For Anything
The forthcoming defence review must answer our need to be able to face unpredictable threats
Bajaur: A Talk with the Taliban
‘At last, a familiar sight: we drive past a Johnson & Johnson factory. “This place can’t be that bad,” I tell myself. “Daniel Pearl was executed near here,” the driver says unprompted.
Idée fixe
Fiction portentously predicts reality in Anthony Trollope's dystopian vision of state-sponsored euthanasia
A Military Solution for Afghanistan
Now that the insurgency is cracking, the time has come for Nato to send more troops into the war zone to finish off the job
India: Tariq Ali’s Plan for Pakistan
Although previously banned, Tariq Ali’s books can now be read anywhere in Pakistan. In the aftermath of the jihadist attacks in Mumbai and on the Sri Lankan cricket team, will the Brit-Pak’s
Park City, Utah: Movie that Pulls Aside the Veil
A new documentary made in Afghanistan has won two awards at the the Sundance Film Festival. Afghan Star could help the cause of feminism there and encourage a desperately-needed sense of national
Blown Up in Bin Laden Country
Is Pakistani intelligence allowing the country’s tribal areas to become a Taliban stronghold? What can the West do about it? The moment the bomb exploded, our Frontier Corps driver slammed on the
A Brother at War
Understanding the ordinariness of war helps me cope with my Royal Marine brother's service in Afghanistan