The high cost of negotiating with terrorists
If James Foley had been a Canadian, he might have survived—but with a ransom paid and a dangerous legacy
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Adnan R. Khan
Adnan R. Khan has been on the ground for Maclean’s in some of the world’s most unfriendly places, from Pakistan to Iraq, writing about conflict, politics, society, and the occasional vacationing tips in Afghanistan. He claims to be based in a small cabin somewhere on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast though no one can definitively prove it.
Thousands perish in Iraq’s Sinjar mountains, despite airdrops
Adnan R. Khan on the humanitarian crisis in Iraq and why there is some political hope
Why a deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan may be necessary
Why giving some power to the Taliban may be key to saving the presidential election and avoiding civil war
Understanding Iraq’s real tragedy
The nation is suffering a crisis of identity so fundamental that recovering from it will be more daunting than defeating ISIS
Iraq may already be lost
ISIS’s deadly advance has left its opponents terrified and demoralized. Adnan R. Khan reports from the front lines.
Iraq: A nation dissolves
Citizens who once lived side by side now watch each other die as sectarian war spreads.
What gives ISIS the right to declare an Islamic Caliphate?
To many Sunnis in Iraq, nothing does. And the group’s brazen gambit appears to be backfiring.
Russia encourages tourism in Crimea, not Turkey
In its bid to control the Black Sea, Russia is turning up the heat on Turkey—and luring its visitors to Crimea
Three reasons why Iraq is slipping toward civil war
While the return to violence has seemed lightning fast, the breakdown really began years ago
Blood stones: Inside the dangerous world of Pakistan’s gem trade
Adnan R. Khan goes inside the world’s oldest gem market in Pakistan where he meets terrorist financiers and drug smugglers