Author: Peter Maass

I was born and raised in Los Angeles. In 1983, after graduating from the University of California at Berkeley, I went to Brussels as a copy editor for The Wall Street Journal/Europe. I left the Journal in 1985 to write for The New York Times and The International Herald Tribune, covering NATO and the European Union. In 1987 I moved to Seoul, South Korea, where I wrote primarily for The Washington Post. After three years in Asia I moved to Budapest to cover Eastern Europe and the Balkans. I spent most of 1992 and 1993 covering the war in Bosnia for the Post.

The Breaking Point: Saudi Arabia, Soaring Demand and the Theory of Peak Oil.

The New York Times Magazine
August 21, 2005

The largest oil terminal in the world, Ras Tanura, is located on the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia, along the Persian Gulf. From Ras Tanura’s control tower, you can see the classic totems of oil’s dominion — supertankers coming and going, row ... (Read more)

Theroux in Arabia

No, not Paul Theroux, but his brother, Peter, who wrote an insightful and delightful book, Sandstorms, about his sojourn in Saudi ... (Read more)

The Way of the Commandos

My latest story, the cover piece of this weekend’s New York Times Magazine, focuses on the Special Police Commandos in Iraq. They are the Iraqi government’s most elite counter-insurgency force, effective and brutal ... (Read more)

The Salvadorization of Iraq?

The New York Times Magazine
May 1, 2005

In a country of tough guys, Adnan Thabit may be the toughest of all. He was both a general and a death-row prisoner under Saddam Hussein. He favors leather jackets no matter the weather, his left index finger extends only to the knuckle (the rest was sliced off ... (Read more)

Road to Hell: Dispatch from the Niger Delta

The New Republic
January 31, 2005

A cheery sign at the waterfront of Elem Sangama says “Sea Side Lane,” and, on first glance, the village seems a bright spot in the otherwise unpleasant Niger Delta. In addition to its paved walkways, Sangama has a health clinic and a water tower, rarities ... (Read more)

A Good Book

This post is proof that this blog is not extinct (yet). For a textured look at the life of Muslim immigrants (legal and illegal) who get caught up in an FBI terrorism investigation, check out ““Harbor” by Lorraine Adams. An unusual and timely novel.

A Touch of Crude: How the Pursuit of Oil Is Propping Up the West African Dictatorship of Teodoro Obiang.

Mother Jones
January 2005

The red dirt of the jungle meets a paved road on the outskirts of Ebebiyin, where a national celebration is about to begin. Women are singing and swaying in an African rhythm that is hard to resist, even though their lyrics are not of a can’t-stop-dancing variety: “We ... (Read more)

An Ode to the Thuraya 7101 Satphone

Popular Science
October 2004

After weeks in the Iraq desert covering the war for the New York Times Magazine, I can say confidently that it is not the place to be lost or hungry. Fortunately, my Thuraya Hughes 7101 satellite phone prevented both.

I’ll get to the culinary trick in a moment, but ... (Read more)

Mind Wars

Gilles Kepel’s ideas about the Middle East have always intrigued me, and David Ignatius, in today’s Washington Post, writes an opinion piece about Kepel’s newest book. The opinion piece is worth ... (Read more)

Bosnia, Exhumed

Courtney Angela Brkic went to Bosnia to exhume mass graves but found much more than skeletons. My review of her book, “The Stone Fields,” was published in the Los Angeles Times Book Review; a copy is posted here.