Soach

From The New York Times:

NEWS ANALYSIS: Obama Faces New Doubts on Pursuing Afghan War

Ahead of a deadline to draw down troops, President Obama is facing more vocal arguments that the benefits of the current course are outweighed by the price.

http://nyti.ms/a3aZAk

From The New York Times:

Pakistan’s Elite Pay Few Taxes, Widening Gap

The lack of a workable tax system feeds an inequality in Pakistani society, and is helping an insurgency spread.

http://nyti.ms/dsyTDV

From The New York Times:

Believer’s Bazaar

A scholar of Indian history explores the diverse religious world of the subcontinent through the lives of nine remarkable individuals.

http://nyti.ms/axenOs

From The New York Times:

OP-ED COLUMNIST: The Roots of White Anxiety

To understand the country’s polarization, take a look at the admissions process at elite private colleges.

http://nyti.ms/dsATR7

washingtonpost.com – Op-Ed Columns
May 25, 2010 11:00 PM
by Michael Gerson

After the British army conquered the Sindh region of what is now modern-day Pakistan in the 1840s, Gen. Charles Napier enforced a ban on the practice of Sati — the burning of widows alive on the funeral pyres of their husbands. A delegation of Hindu leaders approached Napier to complain that their ancient traditions were being violated. The general is said to have replied: “You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: When men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. . . . You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours.”

Europe’s burqa rage