Iraq, 20 Years Later: A Changed Washington and a Terrible Toll on America

WASHINGTON — A month before President George W. Bush first sent American troops into Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was warned that the war might end up costing the United States billions of dollars. Mr. Rumsfeld’s reply to retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, the American tasked with overseeing Iraq’s postwar reconstruction, would constitute a … Read more

Some Details on the Agenda for Xi Jinping’s Visit to Russia

While Beijing has offered few details on the agenda for the two-day state visit to Moscow by China’s leader, Xi Jinping, Russia has shared some information about the agenda. Mr. Xi is expected to arrive in Moscow at about 1:30 p.m. local time (6:30 a.m. Eastern) on Monday. President Vladimir V. Putin’s foreign policy adviser, … Read more

Why China and Russia Are Closer Than Ever

Xi Jinping, China’s leader, is scheduled to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in Moscow this week in the most high-profile visit by any world leader to Russia since before the pandemic. Coming more than a year after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, the meeting will be watched closely by Western officials … Read more

George Town, Malaysia: A Jewel Box Packed With Color and Spice

“Try this way,” says Zainal Abidin, an affable manager at the Prestige in George Town, Malaysia, cocking his head to one side. Mr. Zainal is showing me around the hotel, which is named after the 2006 Christopher Nolan film about two rival magicians. I’m supposed to see an illusion in which the corridor entrance transforms … Read more

Should Old TV Shows Be Brought Back?

What are your favorite television shows? Are any of them old shows that no longer have new seasons in the works? Were any of them created long ago, maybe even before you were born? Would you like any of these shows to be revived, meaning that the original actors return as the same characters, only … Read more

A Parisian Designer Builds His Dream House in a Former Brothel

THE POLYMATHIC PARIS-based designer and entrepreneur Ramdane Touhami considers thinking overrated. “For me, it’s mostly a waste of time; instead I just do,” he says midway through a breakneck monologue — in which he describes his recent logo work for Moynat and Christofle, a hotel he’s just acquired in Switzerland, the challenges of reviving the … Read more