Until recently, American elections used to evoke in me, not angst, but wonder. When Bill Clinton ran for president, I watched The Man from Hope, a documentary about his life, over and over again, feeling inspired by the story of … Continue reading
How the dominoes have fallen. Ever since producer Harvey Weinstein was exposed as a sexual predator, the list of prominent men charged with sexual harassment has grown. Some of these men, like comedian Louis C.K., and actor Kevin Spacey, have … Continue reading
After spending a month in Catalonia, I returned to California in September even as the referendum took place there. Looking back, I marvel at my naiveté as I set off for a writers’ residency in the high Pyrenees in early … Continue reading
Dear Mr. Modi: I am not your devotee, nor have I followed your career very assiduously. To tell you the truth, I am not even one of your citizens, having long forsaken my Indian passport. But I am writing today … Continue reading
Whenever I’ve read about the Second World War, it has seemed such a romantic period to me: a period when the forces of good battled the forces of evil, and won. The fact that I wasn’t even born helps of … Continue reading
Sitting in his silo in the ‘70s, a military man in charge of launching the nuclear missiles asked a simple question. Were there checks and balances at the highest level of the United States government for starting an atomic war? … Continue reading
In 1953, the United States and the United Kingdom overthrew the democratically elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, installing in his place the monarchy of Reza Pahlavi. The reason? Mosaddegh was about to nationalize Iran’s oil, depriving British Petroleum of … Continue reading
You have gazed at the world from distant shores; you have lived far away from the center of action. You know how it feels to be an outsider, not only because of the color of your skin, but also because … Continue reading
Two years ago, when the prospect of another election loomed, I hoped that Hillary Clinton wouldn’t run. I thought she had no chance of winning. The Republicans hated her. Even Democrats disliked her. Many women could not relate to her. … Continue reading
Donald Trump has climbed to the top of the opinion polls with his outrageous statements. This is no surprise. Politics is, after all, theater. But American politicians are rank amateurs when it comes to creating an entertaining yet succinct message … Continue reading