Passport

‘Bush Shoe’ flies off the shelves

One week later, Zaidi-mania shows no sign of slowing down. The Turkish company that makes the shoe Muntadar al-Zaidi threw at President Bush has seen demand for the thick-soled model explode: Baydan has received orders for 300,000 pairs of the shoessince the attack, more than four times the number his companysold each year since the ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.
590925_081222_shoes5.jpg
590925_081222_shoes5.jpg

One week later, Zaidi-mania shows no sign of slowing down. The Turkish company that makes the shoe Muntadar al-Zaidi threw at President Bush has seen demand for the thick-soled model explode:

One week later, Zaidi-mania shows no sign of slowing down. The Turkish company that makes the shoe Muntadar al-Zaidi threw at President Bush has seen demand for the thick-soled model explode:

Baydan has received orders for 300,000 pairs of the shoessince the attack, more than four times the number his companysold each year since the model was introduced in 1999. Thecompany plans to employ 100 more staff to meet demand, he said.

“Model 271” is exported to markets including Iraq, Iran,Syria and Egypt. Customers in Iraq ordered 120,000 pairs thisweek and some Iraqis offered to set up distribution companiesfor the shoe, Baydan said.

They also claim to be in talks with a U.S. distributor.

Ilker Akgungor/Getty Images

Joshua Keating is a former associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

Read More On Business | Middle East and North Africa

Latest

Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage

India Looks to Seize Opportunity at COP28

Negotiators Race to Extend Israel-Hamas Truce

Looks Like ‘Axis of Evil’ Is Back on the Menu

Will U.S. Revelation of Plot to Kill Sikh Activist Strain Ties With India?
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    What Was Hamas Thinking?
  2. 2
    Bukele’s Bitcoin Mess and the U.S.-Backed Bank That Enabled It
  3. 3
    Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage
  4. 4
    What Geert Wilders Wants in Europe
  5. 5
    Solving the Mystery of Henry Kissinger’s Reputation
  6. 6
    Foreign Policy’s Holiday Book List

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.

Trending

  1. Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak
    Argument
    Annie Sparrow

  2. Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage
    Obituary
    Michael Hirsh

  3. Solving the Mystery of Henry Kissinger’s Reputation
    Argument
    Stephen M. Walt

  4. Why Gaza Won’t End Up Like East Timor or Kosovo
    Argument
    Marc Weller

  5. How Centrists Helped Geert Wilders Win the Dutch Election
    Argument
    Thijs Kleinpaste