Review—The Raqqa Diaries: Escape from ‘Islamic State’
A review of The Raqqa Diaries: Escape from ‘Islamic State‘, by Samer. Interlink Pub Group (1 March 2017) 112 pages. The Syrian war has produced a great deal of writing, but little of real permanence. Most of its derivative works are journalistic accounts and dry geopolitical analyses. It has yet
A Memoir from Mesopotamia
A review of The Unravelling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq by Emma Sky. New York, NY: PublicAffairs (2015), 402 pages. Emma Sky’s memoir of her time in Iraq captivates. Her account, as a British, female, one-time opponent of the Iraq war, deals with how she administered an
History and Memory in Syria
The Syrian uprising is on the verge of its fifth anniversary. To a great extent it has become the essential conflict of our times. Despite this – or perhaps because of it – the prospect of peace, despite some apparently encouraging signs from the United Nations, remains a chimera. Much – and understandably
