Ben Taub
Ben Taub joined The New Yorker as a staff writer in 2017. He has written for the magazine about jihadism, crime, conflict, climate change, exploration, and human rights, on four continents and at sea. In 2020, he won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing, for his work on the lasting effects, on former detainees and guards, of American abuses in Guantánamo Bay. He has also received a National Magazine Award, two consecutive George Polk Awards, a Livingston Award, a Robert F. Kennedy Award, an Overseas Press Club Award, and other honors, and his work has appeared in recent editions of “The Best American Magazine Writing” and “The Best American Travel Writing.”
How the Biggest Fraud in German History Unravelled
The tech company Wirecard was embraced by the German élite. But a reporter discovered that behind the façade of innovation were lies and links to Russian intelligence.
Bertrand Piccard’s Laps Around the World
The explorer’s grandfather travelled higher than anyone; his father went deeper. Now it was his turn to make a mark.
Paolo Pellegrin’s Photographic Quest for the Sublime
For as long as the celebrated photojournalist has been doing his best work, he has been grappling with the threat of blindness.
Europe’s Aggressive New Stance Toward Putin’s Regime
The defiance of Ukrainian citizens in the face of the Russian onslaught has inspired the European Union to action.
The Fading Ways of Indigenous Arctic Hunters
Ragnar Axelsson’s portraits from Greenland reveal the effects of climate change on ice floes, sled dogs, and a traditional culture.
How a Syrian War Criminal and Double Agent Disappeared in Europe
In the bloody civil war, Khaled al-Halabi switched sides. But what country does he really serve?
Omar Ameen’s Cell-Phone Records Reveal That He Was Framed
The special bureaucratic cruelty of Ameen’s case is that the U.S. government never charged him with a crime.
Murder in Malta
After a journalist was assassinated, her sons found clues in her unfinished work that cracked the case and brought down the government.
Thirty-six Thousand Feet Under the Sea
The explorers who set one of the last meaningful records on earth.
The Evidence that Could Save Omar Ameen’s Life
For the past eight months, the government has failed to disclose crucial information in an Iraqi refugee’s extradition proceedings.
The Fight to Save an Innocent Refugee from Almost Certain Death
Omar Ameen came to the U.S. to escape the violence in Iraq. Now he’s accused of being a member of an ISIS hit squad.
Jonathan Ledgard Believes Imagination Could Save the World
His strategies for a more equitable, sustainable future range from practical and humanitarian to fanciful and abstract.
An Absurd Case of Mistaken Identity Draws to a Close
For three years, the central question of Italy’s highest-profile migration case has been whether prosecutors had the right man in custody.
The Law That Makes It Easy to Go to War with Iran
The Authorization for Use of Military Force was passed, three days after 9/11, with near-total unanimity, and, since then, it has come to reflect the legislative branch’s abdication of its role in the separation of war powers.
How the War on Terror Is Being Written
Efforts to shine light on government misconduct are not only a matter of moral reckoning; they are necessary to puncture conspiratorial narratives that circulate around the world.
Guantánamo’s Darkest Secret
The U.S. military prison’s leadership considered Mohamedou Salahi to be its highest-value detainee. But his guard suspected otherwise.
A Shadow Rebellion in Chad
In Chad, there has never been a change to the Presidency by free or fair election, and its latest rebellion brings into question the West’s approach to the region’s autocratic leaders.
Iraq’s Post-ISIS Campaign of Revenge
The corruption and cruelty of the state’s response to suspected jihadis and their families seem likely to lead to the resurgence of the terror group.
How the Biggest Fraud in German History Unravelled
The tech company Wirecard was embraced by the German élite. But a reporter discovered that behind the façade of innovation were lies and links to Russian intelligence.
Bertrand Piccard’s Laps Around the World
The explorer’s grandfather travelled higher than anyone; his father went deeper. Now it was his turn to make a mark.
Paolo Pellegrin’s Photographic Quest for the Sublime
For as long as the celebrated photojournalist has been doing his best work, he has been grappling with the threat of blindness.
Europe’s Aggressive New Stance Toward Putin’s Regime
The defiance of Ukrainian citizens in the face of the Russian onslaught has inspired the European Union to action.
The Fading Ways of Indigenous Arctic Hunters
Ragnar Axelsson’s portraits from Greenland reveal the effects of climate change on ice floes, sled dogs, and a traditional culture.
How a Syrian War Criminal and Double Agent Disappeared in Europe
In the bloody civil war, Khaled al-Halabi switched sides. But what country does he really serve?
Omar Ameen’s Cell-Phone Records Reveal That He Was Framed
The special bureaucratic cruelty of Ameen’s case is that the U.S. government never charged him with a crime.
Murder in Malta
After a journalist was assassinated, her sons found clues in her unfinished work that cracked the case and brought down the government.
Thirty-six Thousand Feet Under the Sea
The explorers who set one of the last meaningful records on earth.
The Evidence that Could Save Omar Ameen’s Life
For the past eight months, the government has failed to disclose crucial information in an Iraqi refugee’s extradition proceedings.
The Fight to Save an Innocent Refugee from Almost Certain Death
Omar Ameen came to the U.S. to escape the violence in Iraq. Now he’s accused of being a member of an ISIS hit squad.
Jonathan Ledgard Believes Imagination Could Save the World
His strategies for a more equitable, sustainable future range from practical and humanitarian to fanciful and abstract.
An Absurd Case of Mistaken Identity Draws to a Close
For three years, the central question of Italy’s highest-profile migration case has been whether prosecutors had the right man in custody.
The Law That Makes It Easy to Go to War with Iran
The Authorization for Use of Military Force was passed, three days after 9/11, with near-total unanimity, and, since then, it has come to reflect the legislative branch’s abdication of its role in the separation of war powers.
How the War on Terror Is Being Written
Efforts to shine light on government misconduct are not only a matter of moral reckoning; they are necessary to puncture conspiratorial narratives that circulate around the world.
Guantánamo’s Darkest Secret
The U.S. military prison’s leadership considered Mohamedou Salahi to be its highest-value detainee. But his guard suspected otherwise.
A Shadow Rebellion in Chad
In Chad, there has never been a change to the Presidency by free or fair election, and its latest rebellion brings into question the West’s approach to the region’s autocratic leaders.
Iraq’s Post-ISIS Campaign of Revenge
The corruption and cruelty of the state’s response to suspected jihadis and their families seem likely to lead to the resurgence of the terror group.