The Dial

Israel's Digital Occupation — The Dial Lebanon has become a laboratory for a new age of warfare.

In southern Lebanon, the Israeli military is using drones to surveil and control civilians who they believe are associated with Hezbollah without occupying the territory; these drones also conduct lethal strikes. Some scholars have declared this effort a “digital occupation.” Justin Salhani reports.

Very dystopian timing. I’ve been working on this since November.

Thanks @thedialmag.bsky.social

Lea Ypi, Joy Williams and Julia Widelocha on Translation — The Dial A conversation from the Bergen International Literary Festival.

In a conversation at the Bergen International Literary Festival, Albanian author Lea Ypi and American poet Joy Williams discussed translations of their work with Polish translator Julia Wiedlocha—and how they feel about big changes to their texts and being translated by AI.

The Dead End — The Dial A short story.

In Nasim Marashi's short story, “The Dead End,” Samaneh’s father returns home after eight years in prison for resisting the Iranian regime. “I wondered how home would look with Dad in it or how Dad would look in here. What clothes would he wear? Where would he sit?” www.thedial.world/articles/lit...

Sour Cherry Pit — The Dial A short story.

In Iranian writer Houshang Moradi Kermani’s tender short story, a father finds himself in hospital after letting his son put a sour cherry pit in his ear. Read “Sour Cherry Pit,” translated by Poupeh Missaghi: www.thedial.world/articles/lit...

The Treachery of Translation — The Dial Three novels explore the power of translation.

In a review of Yáng Shuāng-zǐ's novel "Taiwan Travelogue," and two other books featuring translators as central characters, Irina Dumitrescu examines the age-old trope of translation as an act of fraud: www.thedial.world/articles/new...

The End of Mail in Denmark — The Dial Who will mourn the last letter?

Anna Juul reflects on the disappearance of physical mail in Denmark — and what a hyper-digital society gains and loses when letters, handwriting, and slower communication fade away: www.thedial.world/articles/new...

An American Missionary in Greenland — The Dial In this small community, the pastor is the only one who won’t talk politics.

Read Juliette Pavy's photo essay: www.thedial.world/articles/new...

Frantz Olsvig (left), a MAGA supporter, hopes for radical change and sees the U.S. as an alternative to a Danish political system he resents and wants to see overturned.

Autaq Petersen (right), wishes the U.S. would back off. He wears a cap with the slogan “Make America Go Away.”

Chris Shull, the American missionary, is originally from Maryland and chose to raise his family in northern Greenland. Although Shull considers himself a conservative—“a true Christian could never vote Democrat”—he does not approve of Trump’s policies toward Greenland.

Located on the 69th parallel north, Ilulissat is Greenland’s third most populous city, with about 5,000 residents. The majority of residents voted for the populist pro-independence party Naleraq, which is considered more favorable to the U.S.

An American Missionary in Greenland — The Dial In this small community, the pastor is the only one who won’t talk politics.

In the town of Ilulissat, an American pastor who has spent the past 19 years leading Greenland’s only Baptist church is now evangelizing to a population deeply divided over the influence of U.S. President Donald Trump and his supporters.

Juliette Pavy shares photos from Ilulissat and the church.

Editing Wikipedia and Writing in the Age of AI — The Dial A conversation with Imogen West-Knights about   editing Wikipedia and writing in the age of AI.

"There’s something humdrum and endearing about a bunch of people in a room in a library making small talk, getting a cup of tea, and doing little edits." In an interview with The Dial, Imogen West-Knights tells readers makes Wikipedia special and how she comes up with ideas for stories.

An essay I wrote for The Dial about Wikipedia's humanity in the age of AI informational slurry is out now!

The Invention of Narcoterrorism — The Dial Why is the global right is so obsessed with the idea?

Why is the global right so obsessed with narcoterrorism? Evandro Cruz Silva reports: www.thedial.world/articles/new...

In Search of Wikipedia’s Saviors — The Dial Can Tom, Betty, Patricia and Isidora rescue the site from AI?

Wikipedia’s survival has never been under greater threat. There’s the growing volume of anti-Wikipedia sentiment on the right. And who will need Wikipedia if they can get an AI summary? Imogen West-Knights on the advantage that humans have in keeping it alive: www.thedial.world/articles/new...

Welcome to the One-Man Regime — The Dial The US looks a lot like Turkey.

The Dial Magazine’deki bu uzun makalede, Donald J. Trump’ın hükümdarlığı altındaki ABD’nin Türkiye’ye çok benzediğini yazdım: www.thedial.world/articles/new... @thedialmag.bsky.social

Welcome to the One-Man Regime — The Dial The US looks a lot like Turkey.

During Trump’s first term, many Americans believed he was an exception in an otherwise functional political system. But the Turkish right saw what they refused to see: The American president could do what he wanted. Kaya Genç reports: www.thedial.world/articles/new...

A Poem by Chen Yuhong — The Dial "In Darío's Homeland"

"I rest my head on Darío, / taste his phrases."

Read Chen Yuhong's poem, "In Darío's Homeland," translated by Diana Shi and George O'Connell. www.thedial.world/articles/new...

Welcome to the One-Man Regime — The Dial The US looks a lot like Turkey.

In 2014, Erdoğan became the first president in Turkey to win an American-style election. Once in power, he used the example of the U.S. electoral system to justify the creation of a strongman presidency. Kaya Genç reports: www.thedial.world/articles/new...

Read Haneen Ameen's poem, "My Mother Wouldn’t Let Anyone Write On Our Bodies," translated by Katharine Halls: www.thedial.world/articles/lit...

The Myth of the Police State — The Dial No one, not even the supposed beneficiaries, is protected.

White people were not the intended victims of South Africa’s apartheid, but the police state heavily circumscribed its white citizens’ lives. People were censored and abused. As American conservatives idealize the apartheid era, Eve Fairbanks sends a warning: no one is protected in a police state.

The Myth of the Police State — The Dial No one, not even the supposed beneficiaries, is protected.

Many American conservative figures idealize South Africa’s apartheid era as great for white people. In reality, very few could escape the psychological distress apartheid generated — and many were also subject to its violence. Eve Fairbanks on why a police state works for no one.

“How Are You Surviving?” — The Dial A conversation with Majirata Latela about the impact of the Trump administration foreign aid cuts in Lesotho.

The Trump administration’s foreign aid cuts in Lesotho has made it harder to receive HIV/AIDS care in the country. In an interview with The Dial, Majirata Latela what it's like to report from a small country where everyone, including her, knows someone affected. www.thedial.world/articles/the...

What Does Greenland mean to Denmark? — The Dial Trump and the 800,000-square-mile island many Danes would prefer to forget.

From Copenhagen, Morten Høi Jensen considers how the Danish government has both controlled and abandoned Greenland for decades, and is being forced to reckon with inequalities it would rather ignore. www.thedial.world/articles/new...

“A Watershed Moment” for Iran — The Dial Writer Amir Ahmadi Arian discusses the nationwide protests and the stories of post-revolutionary Iran.

“It’s very hard to imagine a quick restoration of order and proceeding to a better society any time soon.” In an interview with The Dial, writer Amir Ahmadi Arian discusses the nationwide protests in Iran and his essay about an unlikely classic of Iranian literature.

Iran's Ultimate Banned Book — The Dial The Blind Owl remains essential reading for understanding the country.

When Amir Ahmadi Arian was an aspiring writer growing up in Iran, almost everyone he met told him to read Sadeq Hedayat’s 1936 novel “The Blind Owl.” The work is not a pinnacle of literary craftsmanship, Arian writes, but it is an essential text for understanding the contradictions of Iran.

“Indonesian Cigarettes” by Rafaqat Hayat — The Dial A short story.

In Rafaqat Hayat’s short story, translated from Urdu by Hammad Rind, a bus conductor is given a pack of sweet, fragrant cigarettes. The joy of owning something new and the pleasure of their unexpected taste is tinged by the reality that soon he’ll have none left. www.thedial.world/articles/lit...

What US Aid Cuts Did to Lesotho — The Dial Before Trump took office, Lesotho was on its way to overcoming HIV. What will happen now?

Before Trump took office, Lesotho was on its way to overcoming HIV/AIDS. The massive USAID budget cuts, and the uncertainty around the resumption of funding, endanger decades of hard-won gains. Majirata Latela reports: www.thedial.world/articles/new...

Under the Cowboy Hat — The Dial How agribusiness took over Brazilian country music.

Brazil’s powerful agribusiness has taken over its country music scene. Today, the most popular songs and artists celebrate not just rural life but cattle ranching, soy farming and the agricultural industry at large. Carolina Abbott Galvão reports: www.thedial.world/articles/new...