Mike Pilewski writes about life, politics and culture in the United States
For years, American politicians from all parties have talked about a “threat” from Iran’s uranium-enrichment program. So now that Iran has reached a provisional agreement with the permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany to keep it at non-threatening levels, who’s not happy? To Iran, the deal will mean a (conditional) end to the international sanctions imposed in … >>
One of the brilliant themes in George Orwell’s classic novel 1984 is the way that the government of Oceania always succeeds in distracting people from the real problems they face — like shortages and malnutrition. When cocoa supplies are disrupted, for example, the government is forced to cut each individual’s chocolate ration from 30 grams a week to 20. But … >>
Going to a gym has many obvious benefits, but also some that are not obvious. For example, at my gym you can watch six television screens, each showing a different channel, at the same time. It’s something I can’t do at home. So there I was the other night, dividing my attention between news reports about Iran and my favorite … >>
It was two in the morning, and the shops and markets of Dubai, open late during Ramadan, had finally closed. Realizing how far away my hotel was, I stopped walking after half an hour and caught the only taxi that came past. I sat down next to the driver in what I can only describe as a religious shrine with … >>
A few years ago, author Tom Friedman talked about a trip he’d taken to Tehran. Demonstrators passed by his hotel, shouting “Death to America!” Friedman asked one of them why so many people hated his country. The Iranian told him that he didn’t hate America at all; in fact, he has family in the US and would like to go … >>