Washington Watch Articles From 2002
ON THE EVEOF ISRAELI ELECTIONS
Less than one month remains before Israeli voters go to the polls for their third national election in four years.
DOES THE RIGHT HAND KNOW WHAT THE LEFT HAND IS DOING?
There’s a wonderful old saying that describes the situation where “the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing.
LOTT AND THERACIAL DIVIDE
By now the world knows that Republican Senator Trent Lott is in trouble because of the comments he made at a December 5th, 100th birthday party for retiring Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina.
WHAT ARABS THINK ABOUT OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD
Americans are frequently asked by public opinion pollsters to give their evaluations of other countries in the world.
A NON-STORY AND THE US-SAUDI RELATIONSHIP
The US-Saudi relationship, while still strong on the official end, is nevertheless in grave danger.
ARAB AMERICANS & AMERICAN JEWS AGREE
I’ve always maintained that for there to be an effective U.S. policy pressing for a just Middle East peace, there had to be a U.S. constituency that demanded such a policy.
BUSH: NEW WIN, BUT OLD CHALLENGES REMAIN
The Republican takeover of the United States Senate is widely credited to the remarkable ten-day effort made by President George W. Bush.
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, NO NEWS AT ALL
For Arab Americans the 2002 elections produced much good news, some bad news and, in other instances, no news at all.
WHAT DO ARABS THINK ABOUT?
To the anti-Arab polemicists of the world, the answer is simple: the Arabs are driven by their hatred of Israel and the West.
WHAT ARABS THINK
During the past year there has been an unprecedented interest in the Arab world. Many in the West, profoundly shaken by the traumatic events of September 11, 2001, began to look more closely at the Middle East, a region, about which they only had limited knowledge.
2002 ELECTORAL CONFUSION
If the 2000 election was remarkable for the lack of a clear direction indicated by the final vote tally, it appears that the 2002 elections will only add to this picture of confusion.
HARIRI IS RIGHT
Politics in America is like a game, a deadly serious game with very real consequences. There are rules to the game and there are things you must do to play.
U.S. POLICY UNCHANGED
There are a number of things that must be said about President Bush’s decision to sign the Foreign Relations Authorization Act (also called H.R. 1646).
GORE IGNITES IRAQ DEBATE
The Administration’s pressure on Congress to rush headlong into passing a “war resolution” authorizing the use of force against Iraq was dealt a blow last week.
An Israeli Campaign That Can’t Work
I got in trouble this week. Some American Jewish leaders became upset with me because I have been widely quoted referring to their pro-Israel advertising campaign as “racist.
TALK OF WAR MAKES POLITICAL CHANGES
It was just one month ago that Terry McAuliffe, Chairman of the Democratic Party delivered a strongly worded critique of the Bush Administration’s handling of the reins of government.
ONE YEAR LATER, THE DAMAGE DONE
Last week I traveled to Cairo to address the Arab League’s Foreign Ministers meeting.
ONE YEAR LATER ARAB AMERICAN RIGHTS ARE DEFENDED
That was the message that Zachary Rolnik, a 40 year-old Boston businessman, left for me in the early morning hours of September 12, 2001. I was, of course, concerned.
LESSONS FROM THE HILLIARD AND MCKINNEY DEFEATS
There are a number of lessons to be learned and observations to be made following the defeat of Congress Member Cynthia McKinney in a Democratic primary election last week.
A NEW DEBATE ON IRAQ POLICY
The battle over whether or not the United States should militarily act against Iraq is now in full bloom. After Senator Joseph Biden forced the question by calling for three days of congressional hearings on the issue, the discussion has exploded into a rather sharp debate.