2021: Palestine’s chance of fighting back
January 12th, 20210 2020 will go down in history as the year that terminated the American-sponsored “peace process.” While 2021 will not reverse the monumental change in the U.S. attitude and objectives in Palestine, Israel and the Middle East, the new year presents Palestinians with the opportunity to think outside the American box. The previous...
A country in turmoil: Why Netanyahu is a symptom, not cause of Israel’s political crisis
December 23rd, 20200 It is convenient to surmise that Israel’s current political crisis is consistent with the country’s unfailing trajectory of short-lived governments and fractious ruling coalitions. While this view is somewhat defensible, it is also hasty. Israel is currently at the cusp of a fourth general election in less than two years. Even by...
When the people rose: How the Intifada changed the political discourse around Palestine
December 16th, 20200 December 8 came and went as if it was an ordinary day. For Palestinian political groups, it was another anniversary to be commemorated, however hastily. It was on this day, 33 years ago, that the First Palestinian Intifada (uprising) broke out, and there was nothing ordinary about this historic event. Today, the uprising is merely...
“Long live the (dead) peace process”: Abbas prioritizes U.S. ties over Palestinian national unity
December 10th, 20200 No one seemed as excited about the election of Joe Biden being the next president of the United States as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. When all hope seemed lost, where Abbas found himself desperate for political validation and funds, Biden arrived like a conquering knight on a white horse and swept the Palestinian...
The king’s man: Blinken’s appointment reassures Israel that little will change under Biden
December 2nd, 20200 Right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has nothing to worry about as Antony J. Blinken, who will directly handle America’s foreign policy in the Middle East is a loyal friend of Israel. Crisis averted. President-elect Joe Biden’s appointment of Antony J. Blinken as his secretary of state was a master stroke,...
“Total reset” is wishful thinking: The daunting task of reordering U.S. foreign policy
November 28th, 20200 A new term has imposed itself on the conversation regarding the impending presidency of President-elect Biden: “The Total Reset.” Many headlines have already promised that the Biden presidency is ready to “reset” U.S. foreign policy across the globe, as if the matter is dependent solely on an American desire and...
America’s pandemic response: A national and global failure
November 25th, 20200 The COVID-19 pandemic has produced staggering levels of suffering and loss. It has caused more than 250,000 deaths in the United States while devastating the national economy. In addition, our failure to respond effectively has damaged America’s standing in the world. Every day, it seems, we set new records for infections and...
Future of American democracy: On inequality, polarization and violence
November 18th, 20200 In January 2017, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)’s Democracy Index downgraded the state of democracy in the United States from “full democracy” to “flawed democracy.” The demotion of a country that has constantly prided itself, not only on being democratic but also on championing democracy throughout the world, took...
“Playing for time”: The non-strategy of Mahmoud Abbas
November 14th, 20200 “If we are going to live another four years with President Trump, God help us, God help you and God help the whole world.” These were the words of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh during a virtual meeting with European legislators on November 3. While some may agree with Shtayyeh’s assessment, such...
Hope is elusive in troubled Middle East
November 5th, 20200 Where is the hope for the Middle East? No matter how hard we try, it is hard to find grounds for optimism about the future of this troubled region. The Middle East has been a focus of American foreign policy for decades. The time, talent and resources that the United States has spent on challenges in the Middle East are staggering,...
Arab American votes can make a difference in this election
October 23rd, 20200 With less than two weeks left in this election season, by now many in our communities have already cast their vote. According to the Michigan Secretary of State’s office, more than 1.5 million Michiganders have already turned their absentee ballots in. That is phenomenal news. We have been working diligently to ensure that all...
America’s standing in the world
October 15th, 20200 Call it American exceptionalism or not, the American people have always embraced the idea that we live in an exceptional country. We are grateful to be Americans. We take a lot of pride in our country, as we should. Pride and patriotism are among America’s greatest strengths. Having said that, we need to be clear-eyed about our...
Your vote is your voice, don’t be silent
October 15th, 20200 By Edgar L. Vann A paraphrased quote attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. says, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” The current zeitgeist has cast a pall of perplexing uncertainty for many over the status of the soul of this nation. It is a seismic moment of truth for us all. The malaise...
The clear choice for Muslim voters in November
October 4th, 20201 When it comes to choosing between Joe Biden or Donald Trump, and their approaches to the American Muslim community, it’s not even close. The Biden campaign has demonstrated a strong commitment to American Muslim communities, causes, and concerns. The vice president and Dr. Jill Biden have spoken to our audiences and institutions,...
In lieu of a liberation strategy: Palestinian elections are designed to buy time
October 1st, 20200 It is abundantly clear that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has underestimated the seriousness of the challenges facing Palestine and the Palestinians. The rushed agreement between his party, Fatah, and Hamas in Istanbul on September 24, and the Palestinian leader’s speech at the 75th session of the U.N. General......
How do Democrats and Republicans differ on Palestine and Israel?
September 23rd, 20200 The polarized nature of American politics often makes it difficult to address fundamental differences between the country’s two main political rivals, Republicans and Democrats. As each side is intent on discrediting the other at every opportunity, unbiased information regarding the two parties’ actual stances on internal and...
As Washington retreats, Eastern Mediterranean conflict further marginalizes NATO
September 11th, 20200 The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an alliance in name alone. Recent events notwithstanding, the brewing conflict over territorial waters in the Eastern Mediterranean indicates that the military union between mostly Western countries is faltering. The current Turkish-Greek tension is only one facet of a much larger...
Israel’s friends at the RNC: “Christian Zionists” dictate the agenda of the Republican Party
September 3rd, 20200 It is difficult — and futile — to argue which American president has historically been more pro-Israel. While former President Obama, for example, has pledged more money to Israel than any other U.S. administration in history, Donald Trump has provided Israel with a blank check of seemingly endless political...
Nuclear weapons remain an existential threat
September 3rd, 20200 Seventy-five years ago, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bringing an end to World War II and sounding a warning about the devastating power of nuclear weapons. Remarkably, we have managed to avoid using these weapons in warfare again. But nuclear arms still present an existential threat and it is......
“Dying to Fish”: How Israeli piracy destroyed Gaza’s once thriving fishing industry
September 3rd, 20200 On August 16, the Israeli navy declared the Gaza sea a closed military zone. A few days later, a group of Gaza fishermen decided to take their chances by fishing within a mere two or three nautical miles off the Gaza shore. No sooner had they cast their nets, Israeli navy bullets began whizzing all around them. Soon after the...
“Palestine is still the issue”: U.N. vote exposes, isolates Canada
August 26th, 20200 This article is cowritten by Ramzy Baroud and Romana Rubeo The notion that “Canada is better”, especially when compared with U.S. foreign policy, has persisted for many years. Recent events at the United Nations have, however, exposed the true nature of Canada’s global position, particularly in the matter of its blind and......
Five defining features of American foreign policy
August 20th, 20200 American foreign policy goes back to the late 1700s, when Benjamin Franklin lobbied France to support the colonies in their fight for independence from the British. Over 200-plus years, our foreign policy evolved essential features that helped make the United States the world’s indispensable nation. Robert Zoellick, a former World...
Hands off Lebanon: Macron’s self-serving “new pact” must be shunned
August 19th, 20200 French President Emmanuel Macron is in no position to pontificate to Lebanon about the need for political and economic reforms. Just as thousands of Lebanese took to the streets of Beirut demanding “revenge” against the ruling classes, the French people have relentlessly been doing the same; both peoples have been met with police......
