Behind The Lines

Remember me? ISIS leader Abū Bakr al-Baghdadi, in Turin.

Two Scalps Are Better Than One

By Joel Schalit
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Nobody remembers al-Baghdadi. The head of ISIS, who was killed by American commandos in a nighttime raid in Syria, in October, was nowhere to be found. (More…)

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Salvini means border in Italian. Turin, August 2019.

Nationalism, Italian-Style

By Sean Quinn
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Chaos reigned on the road between Musso and Dongo, two small towns north of Lake Como. (More…)

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The Loser is Britain

By John Foster
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America won the UK election. Not the Tories.  The only mandate the Conservatives were given is to put the final stamp on Britain’s merger with Washington. (More…)

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Multicultural Italy. Lingotto, September 2019.

Everyday Politics in Italy

By Joel Schalit
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The kid was being followed. Walking up and down the aisles, speaking loudly on his iPhone in English, he was having trouble finding something he’d been sent to purchase. (More…)

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Just Another Neoliberal Party

By Josh White
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The UK election will be decided in marginal constituencies. One of those decisive areas is Kensington, where luxury apartments sit empty and the survivors of the Grenfell fire struggle to find housing.  (More…)

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Start-Up Populism

By Josh White
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The Brexit Party revolves around London millionaires. Former metals trader Nigel Farage is the face of the party, while Leave.EU founders Richard Tice and Arron Banks keep the campaign flush with cash. (More…)

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Ireland’s British Hangover

By Sean Quinn
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“I’ve applied for Irish citizenship.” Pre-Brexit, this would have been amazing to hear in a cut-glass accent by a late-middle-aged upper-class British woman. But Brexit was looming and she didn’t want any hassle commuting to her country home, in France. (More…)

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Bringing Russia closer to the EU. Laying the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Rügen

The Nord Stream 2 Tug of War

By Maxim Edwards
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Nord Stream 2 is going ahead. Last Wednesday, after two and a half years of delay, Denmark’s government gave permission for a section of the natural gas pipeline to pass through its exclusive economic zone in the Baltic Sea.  (More…)

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Love in a time of populism. Berlin, November 2016.

Last Train to Halle

By Joel Schalit
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I’ve never gotten the hang of taking trains in Germany. I avoid using them whenever possible. (More…)

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