In the twilight of the Castros
SANTA CLARA, Cuba — THIS PROVINCIAL CAPITAL in central Cuba throbbed with life on a recent Saturday night. In one plaza, a Beatles cover band sang “Ticket to Ride” for an enthusiastic crowd. Exuberant groups of gay men made their way toward a club that stages drag shows and welcomes patrons of all sexual orientations. In […]
Angela Merkel should step down
HEADLINES WERE predictably caustic when German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the White House recently. “Leader of the Free World Meets Donald Trump,” said one. Over the 12 years Merkel has governed Europe’s most important country, she has proven to be a calm and compassionate leader. She is well established as the dominant political figure in […]
Oman: the joy of benevolent dictatorship
ON A SUMMER morning in 1970, British commandos stormed the royal palace in Oman, captured the sultan, forced him to abdicate, and placed his son on the throne. Violent interventions like this one, aimed at securing the imperial goals of distant hegemons, often have disastrous consequences. The opposite happened in Oman. In the 47 years since […]
A Warning From the Middle East
AFTER LIVING in Turkey for years, I concluded that Turkish democracy was deeply enough rooted so that no demagogic leader could throw it off track. I was wrong. Now I believe the same thing about the United States: that our institutions are strong enough to withstand even the force of an autocratic president. I may be […]
Waking the Mexican sleeping giant
ONE REASON it’s so safe to be American is that we have no enemies nearby. To our east and west are nothing more dangerous than fish. Canada, to our north, has been a reliable friend — some would say our better half — since we gave up the idea of conquering it more than a […]
