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After a particularly heavy U.S. bombardment of Kunduz, al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters initially refused to surrender. Northern Alliance factions argued over how to arrange the surrender of Kunduz, provoking one U.S. official to describe the situation in and around the city as “chaotic.” His word reminds me of an exchange in Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey demands that Thomas More support a papal dispensation so that King Henry VIII can legally divorce his queen, who has failed to produce a male heir.

Star-crossed toys: Although reluctant to seize bank accounts of terrorist organizations, U.S. ally Saudi Arabia has been diligent about intercepting what its government regards as illicit contraband. For example, the Saudi Ministry of Commerce recently confiscated a shipment of 10 million bags of potato chips from Thailand. The reason: inside each bag were toys bearing designs with crossed triangles that were viewed as too closely resembling the Star of David.