I come here tonight to go to bed... I also come here tonight to ask you… to ask you to join in the effort.
Foreign Affairs
A writer in residence
I've taken on a surprising new assignment. I have a nice official title, but what it boils down to really is writer in residence. And what is this residence? I report to a cozy white cottage behind a row of heirloom corn off the beaten paths traversing the expansive training grounds of our nation’s foreign … Continue reading A writer in residence
Indian Independence Day
I'm used to hearing about my sideline activity: 'Don't quit yer day job!' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns-5EooV63k This performance, part of my official duties, speaks for itself: time to revisit the common wisdom about where to put my energies. That said, the team who put it all together have proven once again how talented they are at producing … Continue reading Indian Independence Day
An Indian King from the East
Every year brings new challenges to our myths. This year, astronomers turn our attention to the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn low in the night sky, an event said to have occurred two thousand and twenty years ago at the birth of Jesus Christ. The three wise men, we are made to understand, found … Continue reading An Indian King from the East
Ridin with Biden!
Biden's election takes me back to Mexico City, March 2012. While I worked a presser at the Four Seasons with Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, my sons horsed around with the Veep at the U.S. Embassy. It was a long day. Those who attended the meet-and-greet arrived early, navigating Secret Service protocols and waiting … Continue reading Ridin with Biden!
Chinese Propaganda
Now why should we doubt a video created by New China TV? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5BZ09iNdvo ##
Hold My Hand
We barely walk together anymore. The limited times we venture out, now, the barren streets pose no threat. And anyway, you have long since been “too old” for my protection. Still, you reached for my hand. Hand-in-hand we moved along the sidewalk. In whatever chaotic place, in Mumbai, Washington, Mexico City, across whatever peaceful pasture … Continue reading Hold My Hand
Lockdown Countdown
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last night announced a nationwide lockdown, freezing 1.3 billion citizens in place starting at midnight tonight (coinciding with Ugadi, the first day of the New Year on the Hindu calendar). What a relief! For weeks I’ve been grappling with the lack of an end to coronavirus anxiety. Now we know. … Continue reading Lockdown Countdown
The United States Department of State
Referred to as the State Department, State, and DOS, the U.S. Department of State has recently been called by an unfitting new label. I don’t care about the insult. Hearing it called “deep state department” glances off as a meaningless jab. I’ve long inured myself against the public bluster. What concerns me more is the … Continue reading The United States Department of State
Phenomenal Women
On International Women’s Day, I’m thinking about all the phenomenal women I admire around the world, including the nameless, faceless, toiling women who sow and reap the corn they’ll dry and grind into the flour they’ll pound and cook to feed their families in between their hours at the river beating clothes against the stones … Continue reading Phenomenal Women
Ben East Books 