Did Romney ‘win’ the debate?
In the presidential debate that I watched on Wednesday night, Republican challenger Mitt Romney was shiftier than Dick Nixon in 1960 and less coherent than George W. Bush in 2000, but the TV pundits, including on MSNBC, overwhelmingly declared him the winner.When I tried to follow Romney’s logic, I couldn’t. Somehow the federal...
Managing Mideast’s anti-Americanism
September 14th, 20120 Reactions to the deadly incident in Benghazi and the less lethal protest at the U.S. embassy in Cairo have been part of a swirl of grief, anger, bigotry, diplomacy, politics and much else. We should keep a few essentials in mind.What took place was not a single type of phenomenon, executed by a single type of perpetrator. We are seeing...
Reflecting on 9/11, faith and American ideals
September 14th, 20120 On September 13, 2001 our campus at the University of Michigan-Dearborn held a community event to reflect on the attacks of two days earlier. We were still reeling from the trauma of what had happened. I was one of three speakers (including Chancellor Little and Associate Dean Anderson-Levitt). These were my thoughts on that day. I...Labor Day tips from the U.S. Labor Secretary
On Labor Day 2012 and every day, one of my top priorities is to help those in Michigan and around the country looking for work get the training they need for good-paying jobs. By 2020, 17 of the 30 fastest-growing occupations will require a postsecondary certificate or degree. In fact, employers are actively looking to fill nearly 4...Due process under duress: Detaining citizens under NDAA
Activists retaliate against the U.S. government by suing them for signing a bill they say goes against the ConstitutionThe U.S. government seems determined to have the power to do away with due process and Americans' right to a trial.I am one of the lead plaintiffs in the civil lawsuit against the National Defense Authorization Act,...
Assessing the real risks in Syria
August 26th, 20120 For some time, Sen. John McCain and the Wilsonian neoconservatives have been beating the drum to escalate the U.S. intervention in Syria. Now, from the other side of the political spectrum, the Wilsonian progressives are calling for the same solution. The hawks on the left and right abhor each other on most policy issues, but in foreign...Lebanon needs a Spring of ideas
Lebanon and Syria are close and intertwined: demographically, geographically, culturally, politically and historically. Lebanon was carved partially out of Syria in 1920. Every other Lebanese person has a relative, a business partner or a friend in Syria.If the uprising in Syria is a process of genuine renewal, Lebanon is bound to...Moving closer to unnecessary war with Syria
Last week the House passed yet another bill placing sanctions on Iran and Syria, bringing us closer to another war in the Middle East. We are told that ever harsher sanctions finally will force the targeted nations to bend to our will. Yet the ineffectiveness of previous sanctions teaches us nothing; in truth sanctions lead to war more...Neo-cons vs. the Arab Spring: Back on the warpath
The neoconservatives are back with a vengeance. While popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and other Arab countries had briefly rendered them irrelevant in the region, Western intervention in Libya signaled a new opportunity. Now Syria promises to usher in a full return of neoconservatives into the Middle East fray."Washington must...Lurking danger: Palestinian refugees in Syria
"The flames are quickly approaching Yarmouk (as) someone is trying to drag the Palestinians into the fire,” commented Palestinian observer Rashad Abu Shawar (as cited in Israeli Jerusalem Post, July 20). Yarmouk is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Syria. Its inhabitants make up nearly a quarter of Syria's entire refugee...Backing horses in Syria: The Battle of Damascus
While the Russians are being painted as international law’s bogeymen, indifferent to choosing sides in a conflict when the only side to pick can only ever be that of peace, the Syrian opposition forces are nibbling, if not slaughtering their way, into view with their recent killings in Damascus. President Bashar al-Assad’s...The Ahmad Al-Assir Distraction in Lebanon
Throughout my life, I have heard Lebanon referred to as a "Mafia State," "Banana Republic" and many other unflattering terms inferring that no central government power has the ability to control the fate of this country. These conjectures have recently been confirmed by the wild rampage of rhetoric, "protests," and specifically, the...What’s Next in Egypt?
For someone living miles away from Egypt (or even from the Middle East for that matter), this past week has been full of interesting observations, if nothing else. To begin with, Mohammad Morsi of Muslim Brotherhood was elected as the new President of Egypt and took the oath of office this past Saturday (June 30th, 2012). Morsi belongs...A post “Arab Spring” Palestine
Will the Arab Spring serve the cause of Palestine?” is a question that has been repeatedly asked, in various ways, over the last year and a half. Many media discussions have been formulated around this very inquiry, although the answer is far from a simple "yes" or "no."Why should the question be asked in the first place? Hasn't the...Ford’s speech, comments focused on American interests
It was clear during his appearance before the Syrian-American community that Ambassador Ford was very focused on American interests. He was an American official explaining American policy. It was not a debate or an argument but a statement of policy. And the policy he described was real politic. He seemed sincere in his......
The blood of 80 million Iranians
The United States government, the entirety of the Democratic and Republican parties, has killed millions of Iraqis in the most beastly way. No one has objected loudly enough to stop the slaughter.On top of that, virtually every Democratic and Republican politician has voted to give massive support to Israel.So Israel slaughters...In Egypt political Islam has a chance
Let's not be gloomy about Egypt's newly elected, power-orphaned president, Mohammad Mursi. The confrontation between Mursi's Islamism and the military junta may soften both. Mursi needs to widen his outlook and the military should not be immersed with business projects on the side.The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, SCAF,......
Freezing funds is a common bank practice that’s generally illegal
It has become common practice for Wall Street and regional banks to close "suspicious" accounts. The banks claim that these accounts, usually involved in wire transfers and international business transaction, are high-risk accounts and they are taking necessary steps to protect their businesses. While it is clear that banks are not...Anniversary of Gaza Blockade: A state of siege
On June 14, fifty international organizations marked the fifth anniversary of the Israeli siege on Gaza by calling on Israel to end its blockade of the small, impoverished strip. "For over five years in Gaza, more than 1.6 million people have been under blockade in violation of international law. More than half of these people are...A big election for Arab Americans
For Arab Americans, the big election news of the past week didn't come out of just Wisconsin or Egypt. As important as these contests was Congressman Bill Pascrell's stunning victory over Congressman Steve Rothman in northern New Jersey's 9th District.Because redistricting had merged together parts of their old districts, these two...Are you ready for war with Syria?
War drums are beating again in Washington. This time Syria is in the crosshairs after a massacre there (recently) left more than 100 dead. As might be expected from an administration with an announced policy of “regime change” in Syria, the reaction was to blame only the Syrian government for the tragedy, expel Syrian diplomats......
Spare us the western morality on Syria
As news of yet another massacre in Syria surfaces – this time in the farm village of Al-Kubeir near Hama – we can only imagine the moral outrage expressed by Western governments that will soon inundate media outlets.Much of Western identity centers on a pillar of high civility, and by extension, high morality. It is a lingering...Dearborn Heights budget: Don’t candy coat it — act on it
For those following the 2012 – 2013 budget deliberation in Dearborn Heights you know I am in disagreement with the approach the administration is taking toward our budgetary issues. The budget is heavily dependent upon revenues generated from tickets written by police, early retirements and a four day work week. In my......
Romney: Going negative, subtly
Republican presidential challenger, Mitt Romney was given credit last week for refusing to endorse a proposed ad campaign that sought to link President Barack Obama with the controversial sermons delivered by his former pastor Jeremiah Wright. In doing so, Romney appeared to be demonstrating the same streak of decency that wouldn't allow...Starving and broke: Yemen’s renewed ‘War on Terror’
Yemeni forces continue to push against fighters affiliated with al-Qaeda. Their major victories come on the heels of the inauguration of Abd Rabbuh Mansur al-Hadi, who is now entrusted with the task of leading the country through a peaceful transition. A new constitution and presidential elections are expected by 2014. Faced with the......
