The Latest

Republicans win the Senate, President Obama doubles the number of troops in Iraq, and Ted Cruz calls Net Neutrality "Obamacare for the Internet"

Suicide bomber Abu Sumayyah, who killed himself and eight others in Iraq, gave his final print interview to Harper's

Only such a spectrum of perspectives could really do justice to the complexities and to the fact that Israel is totally un-understandable.

U.S. congressional candidates woo voters, Sweden recognizes Palestine, and the Pope says God is not a magician

“I became curious about how a person might react to the kind of hardships that exist in the wild. It became one of the preoccupations of the book.”

Ebola arrives in New York, a high school student opens fire on classmates in Washington, and protestors in Hong Kong worry that Kenny G is an agent of the Chinese government

Anne Sexton’s lost tapes

“Since World War II, very little that could be called genuinely humanitarian has resulted from American military intervention—not in Korea, certainly not in Vietnam, and not in Panama, Afghanistan, or the two Iraq wars and Libya.”

The U.S. bombs Syria, bishops almost support same-sex couples, and violence breaks out at a New Hampshire pumpkin festival

Doug Henwood on stopping Hillary Clinton, fighters and potential recruits discuss the rise of the Islamic State, the inevitability of factory farming, and more

Nathaniel Raymond on CIA interrogation techniques.

Ebola’s rising death toll, U.N. member states’ unpaid bills, and a recipe for “bear satay on a stick.”

Among the hoarders and junk haulers of Charleston

Harper's publishes a story about PBS; PBS pulls its advertising in Harper's; the Internet has the story.

Eula Biss discusses vaccinations, motherhood, and metaphors

Iraq’s forgotten Christians in Kurdish exile

Student protests in Hong Kong, two sex-scandal resignations, and the CIA's lust for lemon pound cake.

True Story 8, a mixed-media painting by Tim Hussey, whose work was on view in March at LAUNCH, in Los Angeles. Courtesy the artist. This image appears in the Readings section of the October 2014 issue of Harper’s Magazine.

Scotland rejects independence, Sierra Leone issues a three-day lockdown, and Iran lashes its citizens for doing a “Happy” dance

“From Cipango II” and “From Cipango III,” gelatin silver prints by Bianca Sforni, whose work was on view in July at Miyako Yoshinaga Gallery, in New York City. Courtesy Miyako Yoshinaga Gallery, New York City. This image appears in the Readings section of the October 2014 issue of Harper’s Magazine.

The U.S. air-power lobby, botched bombing missions, and bootless combat.

Sheila Heti, Heidi Julavits, and Leanne Shapton discuss how the clothes we wear shape our lives

Obama announces air strikes in Iraq; a monsoon superfloods India; and California nudists cover up for the Man

Rebecca Solnit on silencing women, a Marine commander returns to Iraq, the decline of PBS, and more

Monument, a painting by Sarah Awad, whose work was on view last year at Diane Rosenstein, in Los Angeles. Courtesy the artist and Diane Rosenstein, Los Angeles. This image appears in the Readings section of the October 2014 issue of Harper’s Magazine.

"To compete with tight-fisted, export-driven Germany, France needs to devalue its currency, but it can’t, since it doesn’t have its own currency."

Can Obama’s new campaign bring change?