Given the upheavals occurring across the Middle East, with some of the most difficult situations right on their doorsteps, it might be seen as remarkable that business leaders in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar demonstrate high levels of satisfaction in the current economic environment in their countries and optimism about the future. Read More »
Air Date: 5/26/2011
M.J. Rosenberg, Senior Foreign Policy Fellow, Media Matters Action Network; Khaled Elgindy, Visiting Fellow, Foreign Policy Brookings Institution; Jim O'Sullivan,Chief Analyst, National Journal Daily. Read More »
Reactions to President Obama's speech on developments in the Arab World were a striking reminder of just how deep and troubling the disconnect in the U.S.-Israel-Arab relationship, and how dysfunctional politics in the U.S. have become. Read More »
Air Date: 5/19/2011
Stephen Walt, Professor of International Relations at Harvard Kennedy School of Government; Lara Friedman, Director of Policy and Government Relations for Americans for Peace Now. Read More »
A few days back, The New York Times reported that President Obama was planning to deliver a major speech designed to "reset" U.S. relations with the Arab World. I found the article troubling. Read More »
Air Date: 5/12/2011
Dina Amer, Egyptian Ameircan, CNN Field Producer, Egypt; Jawad Nabulsi, Egyptian Social Activist and Entrepreneur, Founder, Nebny Foundation; Kathy Kiely, Managing Editor of Politics, National Journal. Read More »
The killing of Osama bin Laden—a man who was responsible for numerous acts of mass murder—should have been the end of a story. I have no doubt that the essential elements of how he met his death are true: that he was tracked down by intelligence agencies; that with the President's authorization, a meticulously planned operation was designed; and that after being presented with estimates as to the certainty of the target and prospects for success, the President dispatched a team to the site and in the process of carrying out the plan, bin Laden was killed. Read More »
Air Date: 5/5/2011
Ziad AbuZayyad, Co-Founder and Co-Editor Palestine/Israel Journal; Mark Quarterman, Senior Adviser and director of the Program on Crisis, Conflict, and Cooperation at the Center for Strategic International Studies; Ayman Mohyeldin, Correspondent for Al Jazeera. Read More »
The Israeli response to news that Palestinian factions had achieved a unity agreement was predictably irritating. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu derided the agreement in stark terms, saying that the Palestinians had a choice of either "Peace with Israel or peace with Hamas". His spokesperson reduced this bumper sticker rejection of Palestinian unity even further to "reconciliation or peace". Read More »
Amb. Chas Freeman Jr., former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia; Colonel Morris Davis, former chief prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay; David Mark, Senior Editor at Politico and moderator of "The Arena." Read More »
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 »
Air Date: 4/21/2011
Daniel Levy, Co-Director of the Middle East Task Force; Tom Malinowski, Washington Director of the Human Rights Watch; Ahmed Ahmed, Arab American comedian Read More »
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 »
Air Date: 4/14/2011
Nabeel Khoury, Director of the Near East South Asia Office of the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research; Tarik Yousef, founding Dean of the Dubai School of Government; Khalid Abdulla-Janahi, Co-Chair Global Agenda Middle East council, World Economic Forum. Read More »
"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 naďve and ahistorical understanding about how democracies come into being and then function and evolve. Read More »
Air date: 4/7/2011
Matthew Hoh, Director, Afghan Study Group, Center for International Policy; Lara Friedman, Director of Policy and Government Relations for Americans for Peace Now; Jim Rosapepe, Maryland state Senator. Read More »
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 »
Air Date: 3/31/2011
Aaron David Miller, Woodrow Wilson Center Public Policy Scholar; Faiz Shakir, Vice President and Editor of ThinkProgress; Tamara Cofman Wittes, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Read More »
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 »
Air Date: 3/24/2011
Ellen Laipson, President and CEO of the Henry L. Stimson Center; Jim O'Sullivan Chief Analyst for the National Journal Daily. Read More »
#FF Arab American Orgs @AAIUSA @NAAP_NY @TheAANews @AAFSArab @ArabCCC @ArabDawn @ArabAmericans @Arab_America @ArabVoters @ADCtweets
about 1 hour, 15 minutes ago.
only 33% of Americans have positive view of #Egypt, +30pt drop http://t.co/GEXSvziQ 'growing gap btwn us must be taken seriously'
about 5 hours, 43 minutes ago.
'If Washington was confident of innocence of its citizens it would wait for #Egyptian judiciary to acquit them' http://t.co/GBLcV50G @aaiusa
about 7 hours, 37 minutes ago.
Kahlil Gibran Awards Gala - April 18
Be Part of the Change!If we are to believe what we are hearing and reading from a variety of confirmed and unconfirmed sources, in Israel and the U.S., some day in the next few months we may wake up to the news that Israel has bombed Iran's nuclear facilities. Or maybe not. 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 »
