Top GOP contender alienates Arab Americans
November 21st, 20070 The leading Republican candidate for President, Rudy Giuliani, is not trying to win any friends in the Arab American community. He is ramping up "war on terror" rhetoric aggressively, opposing Palestinian independence and allying with some of the most stringent neo-cons, some of whom were discredited for their role in promoting the...Foreign language study increases across country
Study of Arabic language has grown 127% The Modern Language Association of America (MLA), the world's leading organization dedicated to language and literature study, released a comprehensive new survey showing significant increases in foreign language study at U.S. colleges and universities since 2002. The report, "Enrollments in...Preparing for the inevitable in America
Despite a tragic history of regular disasters � earthquakes, hurricanes, bridge collapses and fires � Americans seem unwilling to prepare for the inevitable. This may have something to do with the forty-year conservative assault on government and the resulting skepticism about things that can't be justified as fighting terrorism. But...A study in courage and honor
On Thursday, November 8, Hon. Benjamin Settle, a federal court judge, issued a preliminary injunction halting any further court-martial proceedings of 1st Lt. Ehren Watada and effectively ruling against the Army on virtually every issue in the case. This injunction not only extends the stay until the conclusion of the habeas corpus...Edwards takes the debate from Hillary
It was supposed to be the night Barack Obama took Hillary Clinton down. But, when all was said and done, Obama was a bystander. The opening question in Tuesday's Democratic presidential debate was a softball pitch from NBC's Brian Williams to the senator from Illinois. Noting Obama's interview in the Sunday New York Times, in which...Kucinich seeks honesty, reconciliation in foreign policy
DEARBORN � Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, while meeting with editors of The Arab American News on Sunday at a Dearborn restaurant, said that if elected, he would be willing to meet with anyone in order to work for peace in the Middle East. Even, he said, if it meant talking to groups currently designated by the...
Republican maverick calls for Iran talks
November 2nd, 20070 WASHINGTON (IPS) � Amid growing contention among Democratic presidential contenders about U.S. policy toward Iran, a senior Republican lawmaker has appealed to President George W. Bush to pursue "direct, unconditional, and comprehensive talks" with Tehran. The appeal, which was sent to Bush by Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel two weeks...
Clinton outlines foreign policy positions
October 20th, 20070 WASHINGTON (IPS) � In her most comprehensive � if characteristically cautious � foreign policy pronouncement to date, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton stressed a clear preference for diplomacy and "soft power" in pursuing U.S. interests abroad, but added she would not hesitate to use military force unilaterally if she deemed it necessary....Election 2008: Too early to predict party candidates
Despite the musings of pundits, spin from the campaigns and the results of respected national polls, the U.S. presidential primaries are not over. In fact, they have not even begun. National polls showing Senator Hillary Clinton and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani maintaining (and in Clinton's case, increasing) leads over their...
Republicans debate in Michigan while Democrats withdraw from state’s primary
October 13th, 20070 DEARBORN � When foreign policy worked its way into the economy-focused Republican Presidential candidates' debate in Dearborn on Tuesday, the indignant voice of Texas Congressman Ron Paul stood out among the nine men on stage. When moderator Chris Matthews of MSNBC asked each candidate whether, if elected president, they would need...Vermont hurt by border tightening
A panel from the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has heard from Vermont businessmen that border restrictions are hurting business. A ski resort reported that a Montreal radio station reports on the border wait times, resulting in the discouragement of Canadian traffic. The problem is expected to get much worse once Department of Homeland...Election 2008: The Iraq factor
On November 4, 2008, the United States will elect a new president, a new House of Representatives, and a new third of U.S. Senate. The elephant in the room is the war in Iraq. Everyone knows it's there. Everyone knows it will be the biggest single factor determining the outcome of the elections. And no one is quite sure how to deal with...Anti-Iran hawks win in Congress
WASHINGTON (IPS) � Amid growing speculation about prospects for U.S. military action against Iran, neo-conservatives and other hawks won a significant � if somewhat incomplete � victory in rallying the Democratic-led Congress to its side. In a 76-22 vote last week, senators approved a non-binding amendment to the 2008 defense...
The uncompromising Kucinich
October 10th, 20070 DEARBORN � In response to criticism for an outspoken visit to Syria and Lebanon in September, the wife of uncompromising Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich defended the trip in an interview with The Arab American News this week. "You have to focus on what you're trying to achieve. You can't let small-minded people stop...America’s diplomatic fig leaf
What do diplomats do when they don't know what to do? You guessed it, they propose holding an international conference. The device is useful on several grounds. It covers one's political nakedness with the fig leaf of an impression that something is being done. It creates a crowd to divert attention from one's isolation. And, last but......
Visa Lottery registration starts October 3rd
Fifty thousand people from around the world each year receive visas to come to the U.S. through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery Program. Created by Congress in 1990, the program is intended to boost racial and ethnic diversity in the United States, according to the State Department. Winners, chosen randomly from a pool of...Congress passes Mideast measures
WASHINGTON � Coinciding with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to New York, the House of Representatives voted 397-16 Tuesday to pass a bill that would expand economic sanctions against Iran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment. The bill also calls on the State Department to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps......
Clinton’s rivals tread carefully in N.H.
Washington � As some of this city's chattering classes had it, the Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire Wednesday night was supposed to be a Hillary Clinton takedown. Senator Clinton had pulled so far ahead in the polls, the theory went, that her rivals would have to go negative to start to narrow the gap. But on the stage...There may be movement on the Jewish community front
Believe it or not, there seems to be some movement, slight and certainly not earth-shaking, within the American Jewish community and outside it vis-a-vis the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. But whether this will bring about more rational thinking in the United States and help in paving the way for a final settlement to this chronic...Fallon derided Petraeus, opposed the surge
Their differences highlight one of the worst clashes between military leaders in U.S. history WASHINGTON (IPS) � In sharp contrast to the lionization of Gen. David Petraeus by members of the U.S. Congress during his testimony this week, Petraeus's superior, Admiral William Fallon, chief of the Central Command (CENTCOM), derided...
Michigan Dems set new primary date
September 11th, 20070 LANSING �The leadership of the Michigan Democratic Party this week announced their intention to comply with the new state law establishing a January 15, 2008 presidential primary, and to select their delegates to the Democratic National Convention on that day. This was in response to what they say is the Democratic National......
Judge strikes down parts of PATRIOT Act
New York - A federal judge struck down parts of the revised USA Patriot Act as unconstitutional Thursday, saying courts must be allowed to supervise cases where the government orders Internet providers to turn over records without telling customers. U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero said the government orders must be subject to...FISA has groups fearing U.S. scrutiny
WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The recent congressional expansion of surveillance powers, aimed ostensibly at terrorists abroad, has Jewish groups at home worried that their dealings with Israel could invite U.S. government scrutiny. The amended Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, rushed through Congress and signed into law by President Bush......
Presidential hopeful visits Syria, Lebanon
BEIRUT � A Democratic candidate for the U.S. presidency, Dennis Kucinich, met separately with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora on a six-day trip to the region over the Labor Day holiday. The trip began in Syria. In the Golan region, they visited the site of the...Senator Levin pushes for Iraq withdrawal, al-Maliki replacement
Senator Carl Levin of Michigan came back from a trip to Iraq emboldened by a few new ideas. Significantly, he and Senator Hillary Clinton began calling for the Iraqi parliament to replace Iraq�s Prime Minister, Nouri Al-Maliki. The purpose of Levin's trip was to get a better sense of the impact of the "surge" in American forces. He......
