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.

“High Fidelity” and “Love Thy Neighbor”

My book may not have been turned into a movie, but it had a cameo role in one, about which there has been some mystery, until now.

The backstory: there’s a scene in “High Fidelity” ... (Read more)

How Not To Build a Road in Afghanistan

Remember those generous and sensible promises to rebuild Afghanistan, so that it would not become, after the dismissal of the Taliban, a black hole of chaos and violence? The Washington Post reports ... (Read more)

Chick Hearn, R.I.P.

If you grew up in Los Angeles, as I did, you just lost a close friend. Chick Hearn, the play-by-play announcer of the Lakers, died yesterday. He broadcast 3,338 consecutive games, from 1965 until ... (Read more)

The Saudis: Friend or Foe?

U.S. officials are taking a second look at the oil kingdom, according to The Washington Post: “A briefing given last month to a top Pentagon advisory board described Saudi Arabia ... (Read more)

Rumsfeld for Secretary of State

I admire Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. He encourages out-of-the-box thinking and is effective at implementing unconventional plans, such as the Special Forces-led war in Afghanistan. In fact, I admire him so much that I think he should resign. His unusual skills are ... (Read more)

To Invade Or Not To Invade

Newspaper editorials are boring; I spend little time reading them. But the main editorial in today’s New York Times is worth the effort, because it demands, concisely, an honest debate about the merits of invading Iraq. Its most controversial passage:

“One argument ... (Read more)

Will George Bush Become the Steve Case of Politics?

We’ve had our share of economic bubbles—the Internet, NASDAQ, the Dow—so why not a political bubble? Today’s Washington Post reports the Bush Administration has failed to provide evidence that Iraq has any factory making biological, chemical or nuclear ... (Read more)