Prospect online this week

Heard of Balochistan? This vast region, straddling southeastern Iran, southern Afghanistan and southwestern Pakistan, is home to the Baloch people. The Baloch, while ethnically heterogeneous, are united by an ancient cultural heritage, and the region's difficult terrain has helped isolate them from their respective countrymen. Armed resistance by Baloch nationalists to central government control in both what are now Iran and Pakistan began in the early 20th century, and continues to this day. Some believe that the US is covertly sponsoring anti-regime Baloch guerrilla groups in Iran, while overtly supporting Musharraf's repression of Baloch fighters in Pakistan. Willem Marx has more.

Also this week, Jonathan Derbyshire writes on an intriguing experiment in short story publishing—As You Were Saying, which "pairs off" seven French writers with Americans, with the latter writing stories that "respond" to the former.

You can discuss both these articles here.