Biography

Tony Karon has been with TIME.com since 1997, when he joined the website staff as a writer covering international affairs and breaking world news. In early 2000, he was promoted to senior writer and later that year to Senior Editor for world coverage. Besides daily analyses of the top international stories such as the conflict in Iraq, the Middle East crisis and the war on terrorism, he writes an occasional column, titled "Undiplomatic Dispatch." He has repeatedly been asked by CNN, MSNBC, Fox and a number of radio stations to comment on these stories.

During his years at TIME, Karon has extensively covered the Middle East and the U.S.-Iraq conflict, the war on terrorism, the Balkan wars, U.S.-China relations, post-communist Russia, Cuba and a wide array of stories related to U.S. foreign policy and national security.

Previously, Karon was the Deputy Editor of Foxnews.com, the website for the Fox News Channel, where he supervised breaking news coverage. Before that, he worked at George magazine from 1995 to 1996, helping see the project through its first year.

Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, Karon attended the University of Cape Town where he studied economic history. From 1987 to 1990, he edited an anti-apartheid magazine called New Era, which was regularly shut down by the authorities. He subsequently worked at a local daily called the Cape Times, where he served as a night editor and then went on to work as a correspondent at the Mail & Guardian Weekly.

Upon arriving in the United States in 1993, he worked as a freelance journalist for publications including Time Out, Spin and Details and as a freelance television producer for British television.

He currently resides in Brooklyn with his wife and child.