Maggie’s Straight-Talking Diplomacy

More than 20 years after her resignation, the late British prime minister Margaret Thatcher remains a global brand. A memorable line from her 1980 Conservative Party conference speech, “The lady’s not for turning,” became her sales pitch. Like the marketing slogans printed on the labels of the tinned goods in her father’s grocery store, the words were her promise that no matter the circumstances, the product would always remain the same. Yet in spite of her international profile, That...

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Welcome to Kurdistan: A Tale of Two Families

Diyarbakir, Asharq Al-Awsat—Eminene Özbek and Zine Yilmaz have only just met, but already they have so much in common. “He was such a nice person, and he never wanted to harm anyone,” says Eminene of her son Mahir. When it is Zine’s turn to speak about her own son, her words echo those of her new friend. “We wanted him to study and be someone,” she says. “But he went to the mountains, so what could we do?” “He went to the mountains.” It’s the euphemism that the Kurd...

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