Monday April 25, 2011
The Middle East is in turmoil, its political map being rewritten by revolts against the status quo. But in the heart of this region, in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, actors, on all sides, appear to be stuck playing out the same stale scenes.In recent weeks, the U.S. President, the U.N. Secretary General, and a host of other heads of state have weighed in on the importance of resolving this conflict. But other than to lamely insist that "the parties must return to the negotiating table", no one seems to have an original idea as to how to do it. This insistence on resuming negotiations, of course, ignores political reality. Read More »
Monday April 18, 2011
While much of what has come to be known as “the Arab Spring” remains a work in progress, there can be no doubt that a new dynamic has been unleashed across the region – one that will have a profound impact as it continues to play out in the years to come. Read More »
Monday April 11, 2011
"Will Arabs be able to form real democracies?" (or some variation on that theme) is a question I am frequently asked these days. After several exchanges with those who ask this question, I have come to realize that in most instances, in the backs of their minds, are a set of assumptions about what constitutes a "real democracy" and a rather naïve and ahistorical understanding about how democracies come into being and then function and evolve. Read More »
Monday April 04, 2011
The matter of bigotry against Muslims in America has been with us for quite some time now. In the past week, there were multiple incidents that served to catapult this problem to the forefront of national attention. Read More »
Monday March 28, 2011
For weeks now President Barack Obama has faced a barrage of criticism from Republicans over his Administration's failure to intervene in Libya's ongoing conflict. The GOP's assault accused the President of "weakness", "dithering", and "a lack of leadership". But, coming from the same cast of characters who recklessly led us into Iraq, the attacks could be dismissed as partisan rhetoric. Read More »
Monday March 21, 2011
All too frequently these days, I am asked whether our past polling at Zogby International gave us any advance clues to the uprisings that have occurred in several Arab countries. The answer, of course, is no. We were surprised, as, I believe, were the demonstrators themselves by the outpouring of support and the rapid growth of their movements in Tunisia, Egypt and beyond. Read More »
Monday March 14, 2011
For all the fanfare and bluster, the U.S. House of Representative's Committee on Homeland Security hearings on "The Extent of Radicalization in the Muslim Community and That Community's Response" produced little of value. The entire affair was so shockingly ill-conceived and so poorly executed as to leave one wondering whether the Committee's Chairman, New York Republican Peter King, was fit to lead. Read More »
Monday March 07, 2011
Let me state quite directly: Islamophobia and those who promote it are a greater threat to the United States of America than Anwar al Awlaqi and his rag-tag team of terrorists. On one level, al Awlaqi, from his cave hide-out in Yemen, can only prey off of alienation where it exists. Read More »
Monday February 28, 2011
I stood, this morning, before a room filled to capacity with members of the Democratic Party's Ethnic Council. The Council is an assembly of representatives of America's rich and diverse ethnic immigrant communities. Members come from across the United States. Read More »
Monday February 21, 2011
When speaking about the Arab uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and beyond, the language used here in the U.S. is euphoric. Expressions like "nothing will ever be the same again" and "the existing order is being swept away" are common. Read More »
Monday February 14, 2011
If one lesson is to be learned from the remarkable events unfolding in Egypt, it is that Arab public opinion matters. For too long Arab voices have not been listened to, nor have Arab sensibilities or aspirations been respected. The Egyptian people have not only risen up, demanding to be heard, they have challenged other Arabs and the West to pay attention to what they are saying. Read More »
Monday February 07, 2011
When U.S. politicians are forced to discuss critical Middle East matters, more often than not, their remarks either display an ignorance of facts, are shaped more by political needs than reality, or are just plain dumb. Commentary about the popular revolt in Egypt provides a case in point. Read More »
Monday January 31, 2011
Across the Middle East dramatic events have been unfolding in rapid-fire succession, confounding U.S. policy makers. Read More »
Monday January 24, 2011
Tunisia is on my mind. Events unfolding there have been both dramatic and inspiring, and are dominating discussions across the Arab World. The scenes coming from Tunis have been riveting. A peaceful mass revolt that persisted in the face of repression and violence has brought down a dictator and a government in a marvelous display of "people power". Read More »
Monday January 17, 2011
The senseless shootings in Tucson (that left six innocents dead and thirteen wounded - including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords) traumatized the nation, threatening, for a moment, to exacerbate an already deep political divide. Shock always takes a toll, frequently causing reactions that can be quite revealing. Read More »
Monday January 10, 2011
In a display of faux piety, the 112th Congress opened its first day of business by reading aloud the Constitution of the United States. Referring to it as "our sacred text", one-by-one, over 130 Members of Congress queued up to participate, each solemnly reading a few words before giving way to a colleague who would read a few more. Read More »
Monday January 03, 2011
It was one hundred years ago, that my father's oldest brother crossed a continent and an ocean to come to America. Habib Rashid Zogby, fourteen at the time, made the long trip with his uncle, leaving his mother, father and six siblings in Lebanon. Read More »
Monday December 27, 2010
The Christmas story as it is told in the West, in scripture and tradition, contains timeless elements that have shaped our culture in significant ways. As we tell it, year in and year out, the story conveys to those who listen powerful themes evoking deep feelings. Read More »
Monday December 20, 2010
Back in the early 1990's, at the end of Lebanon's civil war, together with a few other Arab American organizations, we requested and secured a meeting with then Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell to discuss both the situation in Lebanon and some unhelpful positions taken by the Senate that we felt might adversely impact the still troubled situation in that country. Read More »
Monday December 13, 2010
Lebanon and its friends around the world are on edge waiting for indictments to be issued related to the assassination of Prime Minister Rafiq al Hariri. The investigators working on this case are apparently nearing the completion of their inquiry and are preparing to submit their findings to the International Tribunal—possibly within a matter of days. Read More »
RT @Justin_D_Martin: City of #Jerusalem approves #Jews-only parking area http://t.co/B3z3pHIL - MT via @AAIUSA
about 8 hours, 59 minutes ago.
City of #Jerusalem approves #Jews-only parking area http://t.co/B3z3pHIL - MT via @AAIUSA
about 9 hours, 1 minute ago.
@AAIUSA Are you tired of never having enough money? Do what I did and start an online business. makingeasymoneyathome .com
about 9 hours, 7 minutes ago.
Kahlil Gibran Awards Gala - April 18
Be Part of the Change!ABU DHABI, UAE: I've just finished teaching a three week January term course at New York University's Abu Dhabi campus (NYUAD). I've had the great fortune to teach before at some wonderful schools across the U.S. But this, for me, was a special experience, the result of the unique mix of students who had been brought together in this one place. Read More »
Air Date: 12/29/2011
Rob Malley, Middle East and North Africa Program Director at the International Crisis Group; Amb. Hussein Hassouna, Chief Representative of the League of Arab States to the United States; Lara Friedman, Director of Policy and Government Relations for Americans for Peace Now. Read More »
The subcommittee's meeting today to explore whether there are risk factors or preincident indicators of terrorist activity identified by intelligence and law enforcement organizations to enable them in thwarting attacks while preserving -- let me repeat that -- preserving individuals' right to privacy and civil liberties. Read More »
