Washington Watch Articles From 2003
TEACHING AND LEARNING
DAVIDSON, NC—I spent this Spring as the Batten Professor of Public Policy at Davidson College in North Carolina. It was a wonderful opportunity to leave Washington and spend five months teaching a remarkable group of young people.
TROUBLING BUT HELPFUL: U.S.-IRAQI DIALOGUE
In March and then again this past week, I had the opportunity to host a televised dialogue between students in the United States and groups of Iraqis in Baghdad.
NO QUESTIONS ASKED
One can’t fault the White House for trying to sell the war and the President. What is troublesome, however, is the way the American media has been such an uncritical conveyor of these White House efforts.
AN IMPORTANT NIGHT FOR THE SPIRIT OF HUMANITY
In the most difficult of times, Arab Americans convened their annual Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity awards dinner in Washington, DC.
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF GEORGE W. BUSH
For the second time in his short presidency, George W. Bush has reversed a downward slump in the polls and is now registering high public approval ratings. Recent polls place the President’s approval numbers between 61 percent and 74 percent.
WHAT NEXT?
Giddy over their perceived success in Iraq, some neo conservative ideologues are all ready preparing for the next battle.
ARAB OPINION OF U.S. HITS ALL TIME LOW
Arab public opinion attitudes toward the United States have dropped to dangerously low levels, even before an anticipated U.S.-led attack on Iraq.
DEMOCRATS DEBATE WAR
Last week, Democrats debated the Bush Administration’s plan to go to war. The scene was the winter meeting of the Democratic National Committee (DNC)—the governing body of the party.
SECRET EVIDENCE AND PROFILING : TWO DISTURBING PRACTICES
In response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Bush Administration has increasingly relied on the use of both secret evidence and ethnic profiling.
US ATTITUDES TOWARD ARABS SHOW SOME POSITIVE CHANGE
With war looming in the Middle East, the U.S. public continues to hold mixed attitudes toward many Arab countries.
BUSH’S MISSION
If President George W. Bush’s two speeches this week are any indication, it appears that he, in fact, has his heart set on a military confrontation with Iraq. For weeks now, I’ve argued the opposite.
U.S. OPINION AND THE WAR
Anti-war sentiment, on display during last week’s mass demonstrations, is actually deeper and more wide-spread than those protests.
THE 2004 DEMOCRATIC RACE BEGINS
It is January 2003 and, as expected, the 2004 contest to select a Democratic candidate to challenge President George W. Bush has already begun.