Former U.S. Rep. Lee H. Hamilton, a respected foreign policy maker, dies at 94
February 4th, 20260 Former U.S. Representative Lee H. Hamilton, a former Democratic member of Congress from Indiana and a widely respected authority on U.S. foreign policy whose column appeared regularly in The Arab American News for more than a decade, passed away peacefully late Tuesday night at his home in Bloomington, Indiana. He was 94. Over a 34-year...
Trump’s “Board of Peace” and the reinvention of American power in Gaza and beyond
January 30th, 20260 The history of American power is, in many ways, the history of reinventing rules, or designing new ones, to fit U.S. strategic interests. This may sound harsh, but it is a necessary realization, particularly in light of President Trump’s latest political invention: the so-called Board of Peace. Some have hastily concluded that...
Trump’s Board of Peace is dividing countries in Europe and the Middle East
January 23rd, 20260 Divisions emerged Wednesday over U.S. President Trump’s Board of Peace as its ambitions have grown beyond Gaza, with some Western European countries declining to join, others remaining noncommittal and a group of Muslim countries agreeing to sign on. The developments underscored European concerns over the expanded and divisive scope...
Trump’s authoritarian dream is crumbling and America is paying the price
January 23rd, 20260 By Mohamad Ozeir This week marked the first anniversary of President Trump’s return to the White House for a second term, after a forced four-year interruption. That comeback was loaded — during those loud and turbulent years — with authoritarian promises, racist delusions, totalitarian programs, distorted ideas and hotheaded...
Trump’s military assault on Venezuela may not end well
January 23rd, 20260 President Trump might be popping corks, toasting “one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history.” Celebrations, however, are premature. In reality, the assault on Venezuela and kidnapping and transfer of President Maduro to stand trial in U.S. court are by no...
Five takeaways from the Reuters interview with President Trump
January 16th, 20260 In a Reuters Oval Office interview, President Trump dismissed concerns about Greenland, the economy and a probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell, offered limited clarity on Iran, acknowledged obstacles in the Gaza and Ukraine peace efforts, defended ICE operations and warned Republicans could lose seats in the midterms. Here are some...
Let’s resolve to strengthen Congress
January 16th, 20261 The start of a new year is traditionally a time to reflect on past failures and make resolutions for doing better. Here’s a suggestion for members of Congress: They should resolve to start asserting their rightful role as a separate and coequal branch of government. Such a resolution will need to extend well past 2026. Congress has...
U.S. tells U.N. Security Council all options on table, Iran warns it will respond to any aggression
January 16th, 20260 The United States stands by the “brave people of Iran” and President Trump "has made it clear all options are on the table to stop the slaughter," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday. Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of protesters in Iran, where...
When laughter becomes a crime: Amer Zahr speaks about his detention by the Israeli police after comedy show in Nazareth
January 9th, 20260 DETROIT / NAZARETH — Amer Zahr did not expect to be questioned about laughter. It never crossed his mind that a joke — one he had delivered on the same stages for years — would be treated that night as if it were a document requiring interpretation, or a position warranting investigation. He arrived in Nazareth carrying what he...
ICE kills legal observer in cold blood in Minneapolis
January 9th, 20260 A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday. The woman, a legal observer identified as Renee Nicole Good, was in her vehicle, apparently attempting to leave the scene. As she did so, an agent emerged, aimed his gun, and shot her in the...
America First or Israel First: Owen Shroyer’s break with Trump and the cost of dissent
January 9th, 20260 Owen Shroyer has never been a figure built for quiet loyalty. His rise came inside the loud and confrontational universe of populist media, a space where certainty is prized and compromise is treated as weakness. Yet in recent months, Shroyer has turned that confrontational style inward, directing it not at liberals or the political...
U.S. media coverage of Gaza continues to be disconnected from realities
January 8th, 20260 After more than two years of Israel’s assault on Gaza, one might think that there would be appreciable improvement in the way the Israeli/Palestinian issue is understood and presented. But U.S. press treatment of last week’s meeting between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear we still have a...
Participating in civic life is our duty as American citizens
January 7th, 20260 It’s a fundamental premise of American democracy that our elected representatives will do what we expect them to do. That doesn’t mean we can dictate every action they take. Overall, however, their job is to represent their constituents, not anyone else. But here’s the catch. Politicians can only do what we want if they know what...
National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard fuels anti-Muslim rhetoric, targets Muslim-majority cities led by Dearborn
December 26th, 20251 As anti-Muslim rhetoric intensifies across the United States, particularly toward American Muslim communities led by the city of Dearborn, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard rode what critics describe as a wave of incitement this week, through a highly charged speech at the Americafest Conference, amplifying narratives that...
Why Zohran Mamdani won: Demographics, grassroots power and Gaza
December 26th, 20250 Analysts are still working to understand Zohran Mamdani’s decisive victory in last month’s New York mayoral race. Like the blind men in the old Indian story of the “Blind Men and the Elephant”, the explanations offered have been mostly accurate but incomplete. Mamdani’s focus on affordability was appealing, as was his......
For immigrant families, a “Christmas of immense pain”
December 26th, 20250 By Araceli Martinez Janeth López, a mother of three kids, is desperate. Her fiancé, Fredy Sandoval, was deported to Nicaragua after being held in detention for three weeks. “I wouldn’t wish on anyone a Christmas like the one we will have this year,” said López, 39, a resident of Paso Robles, located along California’s...
Trump pushes “self-deportation” plan with $3,000 incentive for undocumented migrants
December 25th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an effort to encourage undocumented immigrants to voluntarily “self-deport”, the Trump administration announced on Monday that it is tripling the financial incentive offered to those who choose to leave the United States on their own, increasing the payment from $1,000 to $3,000. The U.S. Department of......
Washington analysts are misreading voters on Israel and Palestine
December 19th, 20250 U.S. voters’ attitudes towards the Israeli Palestinian conflict have changed, but media commentators and political consultants haven’t figured that out. They are stuck in the past with outdated assumptions about the electorate and as a result continue to operate from an old playbook. A feature article in last week’s Washington...
When comedy meets conscience: Tucker Carlson, Theo Von and the question America cannot avoid
December 19th, 20250 Tucker Carlson’s appearance on Theo Von’s podcast This Past Weekend unfolded less like a structured interview and more like a long unguarded conversation that drifted toward subjects most mainstream platforms approach cautiously. Theo Von’s curious and disarming style gave Carlson room to speak without the time limits or tonal...
Dismissing politics as “dirty” is wrong and self-defeating
December 19th, 20250 I’m often struck by how often I meet people who think that all politics are dirty. They view politics as innately unethical, something they should avoid altogether. They stereotype politicians as dishonest and corrupt. I spent decades working in politics, and I can say with confidence that this view is mistaken and deeply unfair....
U.S. Senate passes $900B defense budget, includes Syria sanctions repeal
December 19th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate approved the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), authorizing a record defense budget exceeding $900 billion, including $400 million to fund weapons for Ukraine and a conditional decision to repeal the stringent Caesar Act sanctions on Syria. The legislation passed the Senate......
Trump orders review to label Muslim Brotherhood branches as foreign terrorist organizations
December 5th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Trump has signed an executive order directing his administration to begin the process of formally designating certain branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations. Under this executive order, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent must work with...
Netanyahu’s pardon bid: How the war on Gaza, an ICC warrant and U.S. politics are reshaping accountability
December 5th, 20250 On November 30, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially submitted a request for a presidential pardon to Isaac Herzog, the president of Israel. This dramatic move seeks to end his long running corruption trial, a case that has hung over Israeli politics for years and has often reflected the deep fractures within the country.......
Trump calls Somali immigrants “garbage”: “I don’t want them in our country; they should go back where they came from”
December 5th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – In highly hostile and openly racist remarks directed at immigrants of Somali origin, President Trump said during a lengthy administration meeting on Tuesday that he does not want any more Somali immigrants in the United States, claiming Somali Americans “do not contribute anything” and that “about 88 percent...
Trump administration halts immigration and naturalization for applicants from 19 restricted countries
December 5th, 20250 WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, citing security concerns and the need to protect “the future of the United States”, the Trump administration halted immigration and naturalization procedures for thousands of applicants from 19 countries currently subject to travel ban restrictions, including Yemen, Somalia, Libya and Sudan. The......
