Washington Watch Articles From 2002
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.
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.
A FURTHER REACTION TO THE SPEECH
I am writing on my return from an eight-day visit to the Arab world. It was a difficult time to be in the region. President George W. Bush’s strange and disturbing speech of June 24 had been received like a blow to the system.
A LESSON IN POLITICS
Within a matter of a few weeks two of the United States’ top congressional leaders appeared separately on the same television program to let the country know how little they knew or cared about the realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
THE EVER-EXPANDING WAR
In case you haven’t noticed, we’re in a war. It’s bigger than Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. And much bigger than Afghanistan and the Taliban.
ARAB AMERICAN ATTITUDES TODAY
Arab Americans, across the spectrum, retain strong pride in their ethnicity but have become increasingly concerned about the policies of the Bush presidency.
UNDERSTANDING AMERICA’S RIGHT WING, PART II
While a small band of influential neo-conservatives have played a significant role in shaping the foreign policy outlook of today’s Republican Party, it is the religious right that has come to set that party’s domestic agenda.
UNDERSTANDING AMERICA’S RIGHT WING, PART I
Despite the fact that Jean-Marie Le Pen was soundly defeated in France’s recent presidential elections, that he made the run-off and gained almost one-fifth of the vote set off alarm bells throughout Europe.
CONFRONTING THE SURREAL VIEWS OF THE U.S. CONGRESS
U.S. public opinion is shifting, some members of Congress are developing a clearer understanding of Middle East realities, but extremist ideologies and fear of political pressures continue to hold sway on Capitol Hill.
U.S. POLITICS vs. MIDDLE EAST REALITY
After President George W. Bush proclaimed Ariel Sharon a “man of peace” and praised his withdrawal from the West Bank, I was inundated by questions from U.S. reporters. Many were indignant, others were just confused.
“IT’S THE POLICY, STUPID!”
In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, front page headlines and news magazine cover stories in America asked “why do they hate us?” Pundits and scholars across the ideological spectrum offered answers that ranged from the serious to the silly.
IDEALOGUES AND REALISTS BATTLE FOR U.S. POLICY
President Bush’s April 4th speech, on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, represented but one round in a long internal fight raging within this Administration.
THE PEACE OF THE ARABS OR THE VIOLENCE OF SHARON?
It has been an achingly frustrating week of highs and lows in the search for Middle East peace. The high point, of course, was the Arab League Summit’s endorsement of Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah’s simple but eloquent peace initiative.
NEW CHALLENGES TO CIVIL LIBERTIES
Civil liberties in the U.S. took a triple hit last week.
A COMMENTARY ON UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 1397
Last week, I read two diametrically opposed editorials in the Arab press, both commenting on the U.N. Security Council’s passage of the U.S.-supported Resolution 1397.
BUSH GOT IT RIGHT
President Bush got it right. After a Gallup poll released last week showing that a substantial majority of Muslims have unfavorable attitudes toward the U.S., the President responded “We’ve got work to do.
THE IMPACT OF ABDULLAH’S INITIATIVE
News that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Abdullah is contemplating a major initiative to break the impasse in Middle East peace making efforts is a most welcome development.
THE INTERNMENT OF JAPANESE AMERICANS:SIXTY YEARS LATER
On February 19, 1942, then-U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 which designated large areas of the western United States as “military areas”, requiring special protection.
NEW STRATEGY DEBATE CONTINUES:WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?
I was both surprised and gratified by the response my article “Toward a New Palestinian Strategy” received. To date it has been translated into seven languages and been reprinted in dozens of newspapers, websites and internet list serves.