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Elif Shafak

Elif Shafak

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Elif Shafak is one of Turkey’s bestselling writers. Her books include The Bastard of Istanbul (Viking, 2006), Three Daughters of Eve (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019), and, most recently, The Island of Missing Trees (Viking, 2021).

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  1. The Alchemy of Angst
    shafak2 Getty Images

    The Alchemy of Angst

    Dec 4, 2021 Elif Shafak sees information overload and a deficit of wisdom behind many of the world's biggest problems.

  2. Confused by the Veil
    shafak1_ROLF VENNENBERNDAFPGetty Images_women in headscarves Rolf Vennenbernd/AFP/Getty Images

    Confused by the Veil

    Jul 16, 2007 Elif Shafak says Turkish women often choose to cover their heads for entirely apolitical reasons.

  1. zadek30_Jonas GratzerLightRocket via Getty Images_bioplastic Jonas Gratzer/LightRocket via Getty Images

    Only a Sustainable Bioeconomy Can Save Us

    Simon Zadek argues that investing in biodiversity while the global economy continues to over-exploit resources is futile.
  2. stiglitz341_Celal GunesAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_IMF Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

    The IMF Must End Its Destructive Surcharges

    Joseph E. Stiglitz, et al.

    The International Monetary Fund’s surcharge policy has led to an unseemly state of affairs: countries in financial distress have become the largest source of net revenue to the Fund in recent years. These surcharges must be eliminated or, at the very least, adjusted to reduce the excessive burden on highly indebted countries.

    decry the counterproductive practice of imposing additional fees on countries in debt distress.
  3. palacio161_FILIPPO MONTEFORTEAFP via Getty Images_europeLNG Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images

    Conflict and Competitiveness in Europe

    Ana Palacio supports the EU reform agenda recently proposed by former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
  4. yi15_Kevin FrayerGetty Images_chinababy Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

    China Shuts Down Its International-Adoption Machine

    Yi Fuxian

    When it comes to alleviating the severe demographic crisis that China faces, prohibiting international adoptions of Chinese children amounts to a mere drop in the bucket. Still, the government's decision to do so is significant, as it reflects a long-overdue recognition that people should not be viewed as a burden.

    welcomes the government's apparent recognition that a severe demographic crisis looms.
  5. anelson1_MARCO LONGARIAfpAFP via Getty Images_senegalelection Marco Longaria/AFP via Getty Images

    From the Year of Elections to the Year of Governance

    Adam Nelson & Kristen Sample highlight five major challenges reformist governments must confront to minimize populist threats.
  6. berglof39_LUIS TATOAFP via Getty Images_africarenewableenergy Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images

    Africa’s Path to Green Prosperity

    Erik Berglöf highlights the potential that a young population and abundant renewable-energy resources represent.
  7. ghosh80_MUNIR UZ ZAMANAFP via Getty Images_plasticpollution Munir Uz Zaman/AFP via Getty Images

    Saving the Planet from Plastics

    Jayati Ghosh explains why recycling alone is not enough to mitigate the health and climate effects of overproduction.
  8. bp trump harris debate Photo by Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images

    What Harris and Trump Will Do

    With less than two months to go until the US presidential election, the candidates’ opposing worldviews, objectives, and priorities – and their implications for international relations, the economy, and democracy – have come into sharper focus. While it is impossible to know exactly what a leader will do once in office, the contours of both a Donald Trump and a Kamala Harris presidency are remarkably well defined.

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    The Big Picture

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