George Bush is off to Europe this week, and a very strange trip it may well turn out to be. Read on »

Running down the stairs the other day, my 5-year-old son leaped, as he often does, onto the banister — and fell, as he previously never had, onto the floor eight feet below. Read on »

To date, American troops have picked up the five of spades (Saddam Hussein’s half-brother) as well as the queen of spades (a former Iraqi prime minister). The ace of spades, Hussein himself, is still at large, however. Read on »

When is human rights abuse not human rights abuse? When the U.N. Human Rights Commission is discussing it — or so it seems, judging by that august body’s 59th session, now taking place in Geneva. Read on »

A few days before the United States invaded Iraq, two retired Russian generals received medals from Saddam Hussein’s defense minister. Read on »

Although nearly 10 years have passed since the death of the North Korean dictator Kim Il Sung — father of the current North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Il — the photographs of his people in mourning are still hard to forget. In particular, the television footage of a woman crying in the streets of Pyongyang remains lodged in my memory. Read on »

The argument about women in combat is over. In fact, it was over three years ago, when two female sailors were among the victims of the bombing of the USS Cole. Read on »

He has dark circles beneath his eyes, and his cheeks are hollow and gray. Last week he appeared on television to defend his policy on Iraq — sweating, looking as if he’d rather be anywhere else. Read on »

Last week the mayors were in town. From Connecticut and Minnesota and Massachusetts they came, prepared to lobby Congress and the White House and the press about their concern, in this age of bone-scraping budget cuts, for their cities. Read on »

Fifty years ago today, Stalin died. Or rather, 50 years ago today, Stalin’s henchman announced that Stalin had died. Read on »