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Blog — US-Arab Relations
Tuesday November 15, 2011
Last week, you sent over 1,500 letters to your representatives urging them to repeal the law that forces Congress to defund UNESCO simply for admitting Palestine as a member. Apparently, Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) didn’t get the message. Read More »
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Thursday November 10, 2011
Several months ago, we praised Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels for remaining principled and not pandering to anti-Muslim sentiment. At the time, unapologetic Islamophobia seemed like an accepted element of the mainstream Republican platform. We called Governor Daniels the “adult in the room” for his leadership. Today, similar praise is due for a candidate who has taken a principled stance on another issue of importance to the Arab American community. Read More »
Posted by Omar Tewfik at 1:03 pm / / Leave a comment
Wednesday October 26, 2011
Somehow, GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney thinks President Obama is to blame for an “out of control” Arab Spring. Speaking in front of the State House in Concord, New Hampshire on Monday, Romney indicated that the White House should have been able to foresee the events of the Arab Spring before they happened. He went on to say: Read More »
Posted by Omar Tewfik at 3:30 pm / / Leave a comment
Tuesday October 25, 2011
This morning, AAI released a new poll on Arab attitudes towards Syria, comprised of data from six Arab nations and over four thousand respondents. AAI President Jim Zogby began the release by recalling a 2008 poll AAI had conducted in the Arab world for the BBC. The data from this 2008 poll reveals that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad was among the most highly respected and widely supported leaders in the Arab World. Now, a mere three years later, new AAI polling data shows Bashar to be virtually isolated in the Arab world. Read More »
Posted by Frank Matt at 1:19 pm / / Leave a comment
Tuesday October 18, 2011
The Arab American Institute hosted Egyptian activist Ahmed Maher, founder of Egypt’s April 6 Youth Movement, in Washington, DC for a discussion about the current status of Egypt’s youth revolution entitled A Discussion with Ahmed Maher: What’s Next for Egypt. Read More »
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Tuesday October 11, 2011
This weekend’s violence in Egypt is not only tragic for the victims and their families, but also has the potential of triggering wider sectarian violence, thus posing a threat to the unity of the Egyptian people in this critical time of transition. Read More »
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Friday October 07, 2011
I love Iowa. Folks take politics so seriously. A great group last night at Iowa City's "Old Brick". My talk was called "The Challenges We Face". It was co-sponsored by the United Nations Association and the Arab Students at the University of Iowa. Attached is the front page headline story in The Daily Iowan "Zogby: GOP hopefuls worrisome". A good story that interviewed many in the audience.
Read More »
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Friday October 07, 2011
AAI President Jim Zogby responds to "Arena" Moderator David Mark's question on whether or not Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney can establish himself as a foreign policy leader in the GOP and ultimately position himself ahead of Barack Obama in the foreign policy debate. Read More »
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Wednesday October 05, 2011
Congress officially announced on Monday that security aid to the Palestinian Authority as well as much needed humanitarian aid has been blocked in response to the Palestinian leadership’s attempt to gain UN recognition. “These are mainly humanitarian and development projects – it is another kind of collective punishment which is going to harm the needs of the public without any positive contribution,” PA spokesman Ghassan Khatib said. Read More »
Posted by Yasmine Taeb at 3:08 pm / / Leave a comment
Tuesday October 04, 2011
Tonight I had the honor to deliver an address to the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire. It was the inauguration of a four part series entitled "Primary Concerns: Critical Foreign Policy Issues at the 2012 Ballot Box" - an effort to prepare the state's voters on the issues the candidates should be raising (but probably won't) when they come through campaigning for the 2012 primary election. Pleased that the Arab World came first! Read More »
Posted by Jim Zogby at 9:17 pm / / Leave a comment
Tuesday October 04, 2011
As the 2012 election draws nearer, AAI President Jim Zogby once again heads to Iowa and New Hampshire to meet with voters, activists, and newspaper editorial boards. Four years ago Jim made a similar trip, where he was met with thoughtful questions and engaged crowds, particularly on issues related to the Middle East. Voters in Iowa and New Hampshire in 2007 seemed eager to learn more about the challenges faced by the U.S. in the region, but also cognizant of the need for a new foreign policy direction. Read More »
Posted by Frank Matt at 1:41 pm / / Leave a comment
Saturday October 01, 2011
Watch coverage of the Arab American Institute (AAI) and National Network for Arab American Communities' (NNAAC) joint three-day National Leadership Conference, September 30 - October 2, 2011, in Dearborn, Michigan. The National Leadership Conference is a quadrennial conference at which the Arab American community discusses foreign and domestic policy priorities and strategizes for the national elections. Read More »
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Thursday September 15, 2011
Yesterday, AAI President Jim Zogby joined Geneive Adbo and Ted Piccone in a panel discussion hosted by the National Security Network (NSN) and the Project on Middle East Democracy to address the current state of political affairs in the Arab world and Iran. Pro-democracy movements in several Arab countries are causing regional dynamics with Iran to shift. These changes are raising questions about the role the United Nations and United States will play in shaping regional politics and policy, and the profound implications for the United States in the region. NSN Executive Director Heather Hurlburt moderated the panel. Read More »
Posted by Omar Tewfik at 3:05 pm / / Leave a comment
Thursday August 25, 2011
Make sure to tune in today at 1:30pm EDT to watch Duke University’s Blue Devils play the United Arab Emirates national team, Al Wasl. The exhibition match is part of a goodwill tour dubbed the “Friendship Games,” which has also seen the Blue Devils play in Shanghai and Beijing. The trip was partly organized by Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, which has a regional office in Dubai. Read More »
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Wednesday August 10, 2011
If there is one thing Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is known for, besides accommodating the radical right’s colonization of the West Bank, it is his frequent use of platitudes about Israel’s exceptionalism. Bibi recently flaunted Israel’s exceptional stability in a region rocked by mass protests, shortly before Israel itself was hit by large demonstrations. This of course led to a pretty funny and widely popular music video juxtaposing his remarks with scenes of the protests. Read More »
Posted by Omar Baddar at 1:59 pm / / Leave a comment
Wednesday July 27, 2011
Today, the Arab American Institute held a press briefing on the second part of its six-nation Arab opinion poll: Arab Attitudes Toward Iran, 2011. Two weeks ago, we released part one of the poll, in which we surveyed the same group's attitudes towards the U.S. and President Obama, among other things. Below are the links to both portions of the poll, as well as the video from today's press conference. Let us know what you think. Read More »
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Wednesday July 20, 2011
Emulating the Twitter town hall hosted by the White House earlier this month, a few GOP presidential candidates will engage in the first-ever Twitter presidential debate today hosted by TheTeaParty.net. Tea Party favorites Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Rick Santorum, Gary Johnson, Thad McCotter and Newt Gingrich are all set to participate in today’s 3 p.m. debate moderated by conservative commentator S.E. Cupp and radio host Rusty Humphries. Like the forum held by the White House, questions can be submitted using the Twitter address @140townhall. However, in contrast to the televised forum in which President Obama answered the questions he received verbally, candidates will respond to questions via Twitter. POLITICO is also reporting that it is uncertain whether or not the candidates themselves will actually be tweeting answers. Read More »
Posted by Omar Tewfik at 10:02 am / / Leave a comment
Thursday July 14, 2011
The results show a dramatic drop in US favorability ratings in the region, and elicited extensive global media coverage: Read More »
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Thursday June 30, 2011
Just over a year ago, a humanitarian convey of ships (“the flotilla”) headed towards Gaza to break the unlawful blockade and deliver urgently needed humanitarian assistance to the people there. Its journey was disrupted in international waters when Israel attacked it with a commando raid, leaving several Turkish activists killed, including one young American dual-citizen. Despite assiduous efforts on the part of Israel to spin the incident (confiscating all of the activists’ recording equipment and releasing selective footage of activists attacking commandos with bars and sticks), the incident caused a major uproar, and focused attention on the effects of Israel’s unconscionable blockade on Gaza. Read More »
Posted by Omar Baddar at 11:03 am / / Leave a comment
Wednesday June 29, 2011
AAI President Jim Zogby responds to Arena Moderator, David Mark's question on Jewish support for Obama.
Mark writes:
POLITICO's Ben Smith reports on President Barack Obama's potential slide in support among Jewish supporters. Many pro-Israel Democrats are reprising doubts about Obama first raised in 2008. This could, on the margins, cost the president votes and money in 2012 - political damage that would not be easy to repair.
Is Obama's support among Jewish voters really in doubt? Ronald Reagan captured an estimated 39% of the Jewish vote in his 1980 romp, a highwater mark for modern Republican candidates. Can the 2012 GOP nominee come within striking distance of that level? Read More »
Posted by AAI at 10:21 am / / Leave a comment
Looking at Iran by James Zogby
Kahlil Gibran Awards Gala - April 16, 2013
