Postcard of a celebration at the Syriac Orthodox Monastery in Mosul in the early 20th century. (Wikimedia Commons)
Greece and the Curse of Leisure
By Douglas Copeland
VICE
“Grexit” — would it be the start of a new era for Greece? Copeland’s essay looks at the country’s financial devastation, leisure culture, and what we foresee in our own future when we look at Greece.
Edge of Europe, End of Europe
By Timothy Snyder
The New York Review of Books
Europe is undergoing an existential crisis, brought on by tensions from without (Russia’s invasion of Ukraine) and within (Greece’s financial crisis). These tensions have particularly played out in Ukraine, where there’s a history of Europe and Russia clashing on an ideological level. The question is, however, what does this all mean for Europe in the end?
The Double Sting
By Joshua Yaffa
The New Yorker
Boris Kolesnikov worked in Russia’s interior ministry to fight corruption — a position for which he was promoted quickly but feel fast. In this article, Yaffa looks into the circumstances around Kolesnikov’s death and the fight against corruption in Russia.
Is This the End of Christianity in the Middle East?
By Eliza Griswold
The New York Times Magazine
The past few decades have not been kind on Christians in the Middle East. But with wars raging in Syria and Iraq, these ancient communities are in more danger than ever. Griswold looks at the situation on the ground and why the U.S. has been so slow to respond — not to mention the risk it takes in doing so.
The Troubling Question in the French Jewish Community: Is It Time to Leave?
By Marie Brenner
Vanity Fair
Antisemitism is rising rapidly in France. It’s lead to some startling attacks, including the hostage situation in Hyper Cacher, a kosher grocery store in Paris that was attack just days after the massacre at Charlie Hebdo’s offices in the city. Brenner looks into the state of the Jewish community in France, and some of the troubling developments thrusting it back into the limelight.
Blogs:
Searching for—and Broadcasting—a New Gospel by Jason Anderson
Putin’s Strategy is Divide and Conquer by James Nadeau
Russian Missile Sale and Iran’s Rearmament by Richard BasasRussian NGO Laws Deliver Another Blow by Hannah Gais
If Europe is from Venus, then Russia is from Mars by Dominik P. Jankowski
