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On Wednesday, a sacred Shiite shrine in Samarra was bombed for the second time. The first bombing famously triggered a wave of reprisals, and thus became a turning point in the war. Or did it? Washington Post reporter Thomas Ricks says that narrative was mostly Bush Administration spin.
This week marks the 40th anniversary of one of Israel’s major conflicts with its Arab neighbors. Here and in Israel, it’s known as the Six-Day War. But Palestinians call it an-Naksah, or “the Setback.” The New Yorker’s Jeffrey Goldberg discusses the event that became Year Zero for subsequent Middle-East coverage.
With the “Stop Snitchin’” movement sweeping American cities, a new website is posting names and photos of witnesses who have testified in exchange for sentencing leniency. The New York Times' Adam Liptak describes what prosecutors are doing to get the site removed.
For the past week, the Lebanese Army has clashed with Islamist extremists holed up in a Palestinian refugee camp. The Journal for Middle East Broadcasters’ Habib Battah says the who, what, & why are extremely murky, but that shouldn’t stop the media from giving us much more historical context.
The U.S. Arabic-language satellite network Al Hurra has had an uphill struggle for viewership. Lately, it’s been trying to diversify its range of perspectives. But when it featured “terrorists,” congressional funders cried foul. Political scientist Marc Lynch discusses the latest salvo in the war for hearts & minds.
For 27 years, the identity of the only anonymous Pulitzer Prize recipient remained secret. Last year, Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Prager went to Iran to find the winning photographer. This week, Jahangir Razmi finally claimed his Pulitzer. Razmi and Prager tell their story.
Since 2001, independent media outlets have flourished in Afghanistan. But now the Afghan parliament is considering legislation that could severely curb press freedom. Saad Mohseni, founder of Afghanistan's most popular TV network, says Afghan media outlets will not fold under government pressure.
Marines involved in the alleged massacre at Haditha, Iraq, went on trial this week. The New York Times’ Paul von Zielbauer talks about a knowingly false press-release put forth by the military, and says that without media attention, there may not have been any military investigation at all.
