WHEN LAYLA (not her real name), an Egyptian woman, got divorced in her mid-30s, her parents assumed she would move back home. But she wanted to share with female flatmates. “What are we, Americans?” her mother wailed. No woman in her family had ever lived on her own, widows included, or with independent female friends.
TopWith America distracted, Iran hits Iraq’s Kurds
ERBIL, THE capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, has long been the country’s safest haven—and its friendliest to the West. But just after midnight on March 13th Iran hammered the city with 12 cruise missiles.
TopThe Gulf states are an economic lifeline for Iran
IN DAYLIGHT HOURS the boats leaving Khasab’s port motor off to fish, or ferry tourists to isolated fjords. After nightfall the traffic turns north.
TopTunisia bans sex work, endangering sex workers
STATE-LICENSED prostitution in Tunisia dates back at least as far as the Ottoman conquest nearly half a millennium ago—and has persisted to the present day.
TopGulf states are trying to increase private employment
BY NOW GULF rulers have tried almost everything. For much of the region’s modern history well-paid government jobs have been a birthright for citizens.
What MBS wants from Joe Biden
FEW QUESTIONS in the Middle East evoke such dread as “why aren’t you married?” It signals a judgmental grilling. Anyone can play interrogator: parents, taxi drivers—even an American president.
TopWhy single women in Egypt find it hard to rent a flat
WHEN LAYLA (not her real name), an Egyptian woman, got divorced in her mid-30s, her parents assumed she would move back home. But she wanted to share with female flatmates. “What are we, Americans?” her mother wailed. No woman in her family had ever lived on her own, widows included, or with independent female friends.
TopWith America distracted, Iran hits Iraq’s Kurds
ERBIL, THE capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, has long been the country’s safest haven—and its friendliest to the West. But just after midnight on March 13th Iran hammered the city with 12 cruise missiles.
TopThe Gulf states are an economic lifeline for Iran
IN DAYLIGHT HOURS the boats leaving Khasab’s port motor off to fish, or ferry tourists to isolated fjords. After nightfall the traffic turns north.
TopTunisia bans sex work, endangering sex workers
STATE-LICENSED prostitution in Tunisia dates back at least as far as the Ottoman conquest nearly half a millennium ago—and has persisted to the present day.
TopGulf states are trying to increase private employment
BY NOW GULF rulers have tried almost everything. For much of the region’s modern history well-paid government jobs have been a birthright for citizens.