Monday July 26, 2010
As an Arab American, I can empathize with Shirley Sherrod, the Georgia Department of Agriculture official who, last week, after being falsely accused of making anti-white racist comments, was forced to resign from her post. Read More »
Monday July 19, 2010
White House spokesperson, Robert Gibbs, caused a bit of a stir last week when, in an appearance on Meet the Press, he suggested that Democrats might lose control of the House of Representatives in November. Read More »
Monday July 12, 2010
Two decades ago, I remember Jesse Jackson noting that when dealing with controversial issues that created deep divisions, one should be careful "not to excite one side, while only inciting the other". Although these cautionary words apply perfectly to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, they have too frequently been ignored. Read More »
Monday July 05, 2010
Two separate incidents of Muslim-bashing occurred last week. Because they involved comments by prominent individuals and were so brazen, they caused some concern. But because neither resulted in any benefit to the offenders, only embarrassed silence or scorn, there is some hope that we may be turning a corner. Read More »
Monday June 28, 2010
I am not easily shocked. I’ve been doing this work for too many years and I’ve seen too much to become outraged by bad behavior or acts of indecency or inhumanity. But two stories that recently came across my desk were so disgraceful, and in some ways dangerous, that I feel compelled to write about them. Both featured players in the Middle East crassly abusing the living and the dead. Read More »
Monday June 21, 2010
The success of a President is measured not only by how well he handles the agenda he sets for his term in office, but by how he responds to the unexpected. This week President Obama was tested by challenges of each type. Read More »
Monday June 14, 2010
In trying to change direction and find “a better approach” to dealing with the long running crisis facing Gaza, the Obama Administration is confronting several deeply entrenched obstacles. Read More »
Monday June 07, 2010
As expected, Israel matched its use of overwhelming force against the passengers on the Mavi Marmara with an equally vigorous attempt to shape both how the story played out in U.S. media and the official response from the U.S. Government. Read More »
Monday May 31, 2010
There is a persistent and pernicious myth that maintains that "Jewish money" is the determinant factor shaping all aspects of U.S. Middle East policy. Read More »
Monday May 24, 2010
One year ago, President Barack Obama traveled to Cairo to deliver what was billed as an “Address to the Muslim World”. Obama understood that after eight years... Read More »
Monday May 17, 2010
DUBAI: Ed Koch, the colorful and often controversial former Mayor of New York City, made it a practice as he walked the streets of his city to stop and ask average citizens “How am I doing?” in an effort to learn how they viewed the performance of his administration and its delivery of services. Asking and listening are always useful exercises. Read More »
Monday May 10, 2010
Back in the 1960’s Americans were deeply divided on matters of war and race. While Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and religious leaders associated with his Southern Christian Leadership Conference led protests and committed acts of... Read More »
Monday May 03, 2010
This week, the Senate’s Democratic leadership advanced a proposal for comprehensive immigration reform that contains provisions long supported by Republicans. The framework calls for: Read More »
Monday April 26, 2010
The Arab World is once again waiting. This time they are waiting for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to respond to a series of demands it is believed the U.S. made of him following the March, 2010 flare up over settlement construction in Jerusalem; or they are waiting for the Administration to respond to Israel’s lack of response. Read More »
Monday April 19, 2010
This week the Arab American Institute (AAI) hosts its annual Kahlil Gibran “Spirit of Humanity” Awards Dinner in Washington, DC. This year’s event also marks the 25th Anniversary of the AAI... Read More »
Monday April 12, 2010
With the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) signed by the U.S. and Russia, a Nuclear Summit about to begin in Washington, and pressure mounting to rein in Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a few troubling issues need to be addressed. Read More »
Monday April 05, 2010
The arrests of nine members of an armed militia group in Michigan, hell bent on fomenting violence, should serve as a wake up call to those in political leadership roles who are inciting rage against the government. My fear, however, is that they will not see the connection between their rhetoric and the rage they inspire. (Michael Isikoff spoke about concerns of a possible rise in extreme right-wing, anti-government militia and hate groups on last week’s Viewpoint with James Zogby) Read More »
Monday March 29, 2010
A new poll out this week shows that while Israelis retain strong US public support, Americans are deeply concerned that the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict puts US interests at risk across the Middle East and the public, therefore, supports President Obama’s stand against Israel’s settlement plans. Read More »
Monday March 22, 2010
This coming week will tell us a great deal about the ability of President Obama to be a strong leader and an honest broker in Middle East peacemaking. Read More »
Monday March 15, 2010
There is one largely unreported aspect of the recently completed Iraqi elections that I find deeply troubling, and that is the fact that polling places were set up across the U.S. providing Iraqi-Americans the opportunity to vote. Read More »
As an Arab American, I can empathize with Shirley Sherrod, the Georgia Department of Agriculture official who, last week, after being falsely accused of making anti-white racist comments, was forced to resign from her post. Read More »
Air Date: July 22, 2010
On Thursday's edition of Viewpoint with James Zogby: Robert Malley, Middle East and North Africa Program Director at the International Crisis Group, Washington, DC.; Ken Mekhaus, Somalia expert and Professor of Political Science at Davidson College, NC Read More »
The story of Arab Americans coming of age, as an organized community, is a classic American tale—a story of immigrants seeking opportunity, benefiting from America’s freedoms, but also experiencing, at times, the dark side of exclusion and discrimination that has, for so many, haunted our nation’s history. Read More »
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