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.

Don’t Tell My Editors

Headline in today’s Washington Post: Despite Sept. 11, Interest Still Low In Foreign News.

Why The BBC Is Not Like CBS, NBC Or ABC

Michael Buerk, an anchor for the BBC evening news, has announced his retirement. As the Guardian notes, “Buerk became a household name presenting the Nine O’Clock News, a job he split with Peter Sissons. He made ... (Read more)

Going Home

Anyone reading this would not want to live in Afghanistan–you can pretty much forget about accessing the Web unless you’ve got a satellite phone–but a lot of people are heading there, and I don’t mean the aid workers and diplomats who are raising Kabul’s real-estate prices ... (Read more)

The Inventor Of Suicide Bombers

Sheik Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, the spiritual leader of Hizbollah, is believed to have issued the fatwa that encouraged suicide terrorists to detonate truck bombs outside the U.S. Embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983. But as David ... (Read more)

The Soccer War

It’s hard to imagine that America beating Portugal at anything would be newsworthy, but the American team’s 3-2 victory over Portugal in their World Cup match today is amazing; it’s the most significant U.S. soccer ... (Read more)

FBI And CIA Negligence: The Good News

Oddly, I feel somewhat relieved after learning about the many ways in which the CIA and FBI failed to prevent 9/11. Until these stories emerged, I had the terrifying (and erroneous) ... (Read more)

Following The Money In Afghanistan

There’s been a lot of attention focused on the role played by the Special Forces in getting rid of the Taliban, and the role of smart bombs and JDAMs and Daisy Cutters and all manner of military materiel. But what about money? When I was in Kandahar in December I learned that cash played an ... (Read more)

Brazil. Not The Movie, But Not Unlike It.

You know things are not going well in a country when businessmen begin commuting to work in helicopters, not to avoid traffic jams but to avoid being kidnapped or shot on the streets. Things are not going well in Sao Paulo, according to The Washington Post:

Michael Klein quietly stared out the window. ... (Read more)

Climbing Lessons from the School of Tomaz Humar

Outside Magazine
#1 You must merge with the energy of the mountain. #2 That nagging headache may be an avalanche that crushed your tent. #3 You will ascend the most harrowing face in the Himalayas, alone. #4 Go home, break both legs, and start over again.
June 2002
My chakras are ... (Read more)

Another War For Pakistan

Al Qaeda is linking up with home-grown terrorists in Pakistan for new attacks on westerners and Gen. Musharraf’s regime, according to this story in The Washington Post. Not all stories about the activities ... (Read more)