In a special Slate series of articles, senior research fellow for the Religious Center Initiative, Eliza Griswold, tells the story of her recent pilgrimage to Ethiopia, supposed home of the Ark of the Covenant. It's an area that boasts "more than 1,500 years of peaceful history Islam and Christianity share in Africa," despite a recent war with neighboring country Eritrea.

Self-Inflicted Wounds: Counterterrorism Strategy Initiative Fellow Brian Fishman recently moderated a discussion on a new report that explores the disagreements and internal tensions that have weakened the al Qaeda movement.