Donate

Josh Wood

Josh Wood is a freelance journalist in Boston. He previously spent seven years based in Beirut, Lebanon, first as a freelancer and later as a correspondent for The National. Recently, his work has focused on US Middle East policy, immigration and the marijuana industry in New England.

a child plays at a camp in Idlib, Syria

Is US policy in Syria driven by politics or emotion?

US Diplomacy

While the Trump administration’s Iran stance clearly plays a role in the sudden shift on Syria, the president’s own emotions and personal interactions may have had something to do with it as well.

An aerial view shows the diplomatic area in Doha, Qatar, March 21, 2013. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Enirates led other Arab countries in cutting diplomatic relations with Qatar in June 2017. Organizations with ties to Saudi and the UAE then spent mi

How a diplomatic crisis among Gulf nations led to a fake news campaign in the United States

Global Politics

Lebanon explosions: Is it different this time?

Conflict

Why some Syrian rebels don’t support Obama’s plan to hit Assad

Conflict

Syrian refugees raise tensions in fragile Lebanon

Politics

Will Hezbollah strike back if the US attacks Syria?

Conflict

Hezbollah has increasingly linked its position of power in Lebanon to the survival of the Assad regime.

Among Syria’s rebels, anger at US about-face

Conflict

Hopes are dashed as Washington backs off strikes against government forces.

Want to stay alive in Lebanon? There’s an app for that

Conflict

Lebanese developers are designing apps to keep people safe as Syria-related violence intensifies.

The Art of War: Can Syrian artists save Aleppo’s soul?

Lifestyle

‘People don’t only survive by food and water. They survive by art.’

Syrian conflict stokes Sunni anger in Lebanon, with army now seen as threat

Politics

Sunni militants accuse the army, perhaps the only widely respected public institution in Lebanon, of siding with Hezbollah.