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 »
Monday March 08, 2010
Proximity talks between Palestinians, Israelis and U.S. negotiators will begin next week, but I’m not hopeful, in large measure because the parties have never been further apart and confidence in the U.S. has been diminished. Read More »
Monday March 01, 2010
The last Administration displayed a rather perverse and dangerous penchant for dressing up their behavior, providing it with religious or patriotic intent. President Bush packaged the Iraq war, for example, as America’s mission – having been charged by God to bring the gift of freedom to the world. Read More »
Monday February 22, 2010
Last April we polled across the Arab World asking what Arabs thought was the most positive early action President Obama had taken to improve U.S.-Arab relations. High up on the list (barely topped by the decision to leave Iraq) was the President’s pledge to close Guantanamo and ban torture. That this issue would out poll Obama’s early steps to forge a Middle East peace or his outreach to the Arab and Muslim worlds should not have been surprising. Read More »
Monday February 15, 2010
Last weekend, when Washington was being hit by its worst-ever snow storm, the Tea Party Movement was holding its first national meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. With nothing else to do, and unable to travel, I watched parts of their convention on television and became quite concerned by what I saw and heard. After reviewing two sets of national polls, released this Friday, my concern was heightened. Read More »
Monday February 08, 2010
T. Boone Pickens has a big idea. It may even be a good one. But when Pickens stoops to using fear and bigotry to sell this idea, it becomes small and unsavory. Read More »
Monday February 01, 2010
As we mark one year into the Obama era, several realities have become painfully clear. Read More »
Monday January 25, 2010
Losing a senate seat in Massachusetts to a Republican was not the way Barack Obama wanted to celebrate his one year anniversary in the White House. The loss was a blow, for several reasons. Read More »
Tuesday January 19, 2010
On Jan 13th, television evangelist Pat Robertson pontificated on the horrific earthquake that had struck the country of Haiti. Noting how many recent tragedies had befallen the Haitian people, Robertson told his TV audience that, “something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it…they were under the heel of the French and got together and swore a pack pact to the devil. They said, we will serve you and you’ll get us free from the French. And so the devil said, OK, it’s a deal. But ever since they’ve been cursed. But it may be a blessing in disguise.” Read More »
Monday January 11, 2010
Airport profiling is back, with a vengeance. In the aftermath of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s December 25th, failed effort to bring down Northwest Flight 253, the White House swung into action. President Obama addressed the nation on three separate occasions, and ordered two comprehensive reviews of policy and practices in an effort to determine what broke down in airport security and inter-agency intelligence cooperation. He also instituted a number of new (and not so new) directives designed to provide greater security.
Read More »
Monday January 04, 2010
In the days after Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s failed attempt to kill himself and bring down Northwest Flight 253, the story followed a familiar pattern. Read More »
Monday December 21, 2009
In the wake of the Ft. Hood massacre and recent arrests involving some young men seeking association with dangerous international terrorist activity and others who appeared to be on the verge of carrying out terrorist actions in the U.S., questions have been raised by politicians and the media. “Do we have a homegrown terrorist problem?” “Are we becoming like Europe?” Read More »
Monday December 14, 2009
Israel’s near hysterical reaction to a Swedish proposal to recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, their stubborn refusal to include East Jerusalem in their questionable “settlement freeze” and their defense of repressive policies imposed on Palestinians in the area of that holy city are framed in language that masks their real intent. Read More »
Monday December 07, 2009
Another tumultuous Washington week has come to a close and the dust has settled on President Obama’s Afghanistan speech. Critical issues were addressed, though little changed in our fractious political environment. Read More »
Monday November 30, 2009
I do not make a practice of using this space to express my disagreements with other columnists, but a piece last week by Abdul Rahman al Rashid was so off the mark that I cannot let it pass without comment. Read More »
Monday November 23, 2009
It was 1988, with the first Intifada in full bloom and the Palestine Liberation Organization in the lead up to their November 29th declaration of independence, when I met with a few members of the PLO Executive Committee to discuss their plans. “Is this serious?”, I asked. “Absolutely”, they assured me. “It will be like our 4th of July”. Read More »
Monday November 09, 2009
I landed in London at 6:30 am (GMT) and turned on my Blackberry to find it flooded with emails sent while I had been in the air, flying home from the Middle East. Looking at just the “sender” and “subject” lines, I observed that some were “news alerts”, others came from various members of my staff at the Arab American Institute in Washington. The last group included statements and press releases issued by other Arab American and American Muslim organizations. Read More »
Monday November 02, 2009
On October 25th the Arab American Institute and J Street convened a joint meeting, that brought leaders and activists from both communities together as an expression of our shared commitment to advance a just and comprehensive Middle East peace. Two nights later, my wife Eileen and I had the pleasure of attending the J Street Gala Banquet. Because it was such an extraordinary event, I want to share some observations about the night. Read More »
#NC lawmaker equates Islamic prayer w/ terror http://t.co/G9sp1NeLC1 @mostrolenk @aaiusa h/t @ozzyformayor
about 5 hours, 51 minutes ago.
Latest poll to be released Friday finds Americans are divided on continuing aid to #Egypt: http://t.co/1spZM1m9d2
about 8 hours, 32 minutes ago.
RT @MaiE_89: In the 1990’s, #Egypt had a 60% favorable rating among Americans, while today only 36% of US views the country positively via @AAIUSA
about 8 hours, 35 minutes ago.
Looking at Iran by James Zogby
Kahlil Gibran Awards Gala - April 16, 2013President Obama got it just about perfect in his Jerusalem speech when he urged Israelis to see the world through the eyes of Palestinians. That portion of his remarks was so compelling it deserves to be quoted in full: Read More »
Air Date: 5/31/2012
Fellows from Syracuse University’s “Leaders for Democracy Fellowship Program (LDF); Bill Press, Host of the “Bill Press Show” and author of the new book, The Obama Hate Machine: The Lies, Distortions, and Personal Attacks on the President---and Who Is Behind Them. Read More »
The story of Arab Americans coming of age as an organized community is a classic American tale of immigrants seeking opportunity, benefiting from America’s freedoms, but also experiencing, at times, the dark side of exclusion and discrimination that has so often been a part of our nation’s history. Read More »
Apr 16 2013
Apr 27 2013
Jul 19 2013
