Anne Applebaum's Blog, page 38

Applebaum: Behind the curve on Syria

Year in, year out, I am always unprepared for that first blast of Washington summer air, the one that hits like a physical force the moment between leaving the airplane and entering the transport bus at Dulles Airport in mid-July. Those few, non-air-conditioned seconds always serve to remind me that I don’t need the sweater that seemed so necessary in northern Europe, that I’ve entered a new time zone, that it’s time to re-adapt to the customs and habits of my home town.

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Behind the curve on Syria

Year in, year out, I am always unprepared for that first blast of Washington summer air, the one that hits like a physical force the moment between leaving the airplane and entering the transport bus at Dulles Airport in mid-July. Those few, non-air-conditioned seconds always serve to remind me that I don’t need the sweater that seemed so necessary in northern Europe, that I’ve entered a new time zone, that it’s time to re-adapt to the customs and habits of my home town.

Read full article >>...

Anton Antonov-Ovseyenko, historian and survivor of Stalin’s gulag, dies at 93

Anton Antonov-Ovseyenko, a Soviet historian and dissident who survived the gulag under Stalin and in later decades brought new attention to the scope of the regime’s barbarism, died July 9 in Moscow. He was 93.

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Applebaum: The protest is only the beginning

In Brazil, the protesters wore halter tops and shorts. In Egypt, they wore headscarves and long sleeves. In Turkey, they wore more of the former, some of the latter, and quite a bit of face paint as well. In each of these three places, they looked different, used different slogans, spoke different languages. Yet the parallels among these three protest movements on three different continents in three countries run by democratically elected leaders are striking, not least for what they reveal a...

The protest is only the beginning

In Brazil, the protesters wore halter tops and shorts. In Egypt, they wore headscarves and long sleeves. In Turkey, they wore more of the former, some of the latter, and quite a bit of face paint as well. In each of these three places, they looked different, used different slogans, spoke different languages. Yet the parallels among these three protest movements on three different continents in three countries run by democratically elected leaders are striking, not least for what they reveal a...

Applebaum: Edward Snowden adds to U.S., Russia chill

For those who think that Edward Snowden deserves arrest or worse, cheer yourselves with the thought that Sheremetyevo International Airport might possibly be the most soul-destroying, most angst-inducing transport hub in the world. Low ceilings and dim lighting create a sense of impending doom, while overpriced wristwatches glitter in the murk. Sullen salesgirls peddle stale sandwiches; men in bad suits drink silently at the bars. A vague scent of diesel fuel fills the air, and a thin layer o...

Edward Snowden adds to U.S., Russia chill

For those who think that Edward Snowden deserves arrest or worse, cheer yourselves with the thought that Sheremetyevo International Airport might possibly be the most soul-destroying, most angst-inducing transport hub in the world. Low ceilings and dim lighting create a sense of impending doom, while overpriced wristwatches glitter in the murk. Sullen salesgirls peddle stale sandwiches; men in bad suits drink silently at the bars. A vague scent of diesel fuel fills the air, and a thin layer o...

Applebaum: Edward Snowden, the impulsive ‘martyr’

KIRKWALL, Orkney Islands

Never mind why, but a few days ago I found myself in the far northern reaches of the British Isles, standing in a cathedral dedicated to Saint Magnus of Orkney. The cathedral is the work of his nephew, Saint Rognvald, and it dates to a time when the Orkneys were a Viking kingdom. Though made of soft sandstone — some of the sculpture on the outside has been worn down by the wind — it’s still standing more than 800 years later, a monument to a martyred earl and his sain...

Edward Snowden, the impulsive ‘martyr’

KIRKWALL, Orkney Islands

Never mind why, but a few days ago I found myself in the far northern reaches of the British Isles, standing in a cathedral dedicated to Saint Magnus of Orkney. The cathedral is the work of his nephew, Saint Rognvald, and it dates to a time when the Orkneys were a Viking kingdom. Though made of soft sandstone — some of the sculpture on the outside has been worn down by the wind — it’s still standing more than 800 years later, a monument to a martyred earl and his sain...

Brazil defies stereotypes of ‘developing’ nations

RIO DE JANEIRO

In the sunshine, this is a city of bright colors, fast movement, soaring vistas. But in the rain — and it can rain very hard indeed — the colors fade to gray, the traffic slows to a halt and the vistas disappear into the fog. In the favelas, the tin-roofed slums that cover the hills just behind the famous beaches, the steep walkways turn slippery and slick.

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