Washington Watch Articles From 2014
The Gaza Saga Continues
Bombs stopped falling on Gaza for three days, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to what had once been their homes and neighborhoods.
Arab Americans and American Muslims Are at Risk
This past week the Arab American Institute (AAI) released its third biannual poll of American attitudes toward Arabs and Muslims. Conducted by Zogby Analytics, 1100 likely voters were surveyed nationwide. The results were deeply troubling.
The ‘Washington Post’ Fails in Gaza
Press coverage of this ugly war on Gaza has only served to remind us of the fundamental problem that has plagued the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the very beginning: Israelis are seen as real individual people; while Palestinians are an abstraction— objects of contempt, scorn, or pity—but not real people with whom we can relate.
The Nightmare of Gaza Continues
I can only imagine the horror in Gaza today as Israel intensifies its assault of that overcrowded, impoverished strip. It is a continuing nightmare story of pain and loss, of trauma and devastation.
The "Morality" of the Powerful
...we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons.”
Time for United Nations Intervention
Reactions to the horrific back-to-back kidnappings and murders of three young Israelis and a Palestinian teen have made clear several disturbing realities that must not be ignored.
Making Up History to Make Your Case
After long-simmering sectarian tensions exploded in Iraq a few weeks back, critics from the right and left have had field day taking their shots at the Obama Administration's Iraq policy, or lack thereof.
Nothing Good Will Come of This
In response to the presumed kidnapping of three young Israelis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck back with a vengeance.
Who Lost Iraq? And What We Can Do about It
Eventually the question will be asked— "Who lost Iraq?" In a way it might be seen as an improper question to ask since it presumes that Iraq was ours to lose
The Story Behind the Polls
On June 3rd, Zogby Research Services (ZRS) released the results of polling in seven Arab countries (Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE). Conducted during the month of May, the ZRS polls measured Arab attitudes toward the United States and President Barack Obama five years after his historic June 4, 2009 Cairo University speech.
Netanyahu: Playing Us for Fools
Over the past few weeks a number of comments related to the now collapsed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks caught my attention. Collectively they establish why the talks failed and make clear what must change if any negotiated settlement is to be successful in the future.
The Impact of Pope Francis
During Pope Francis' short tenure as leader of the Catholic Church, he has demonstrated a keen understanding of the transformative power of spontaneous or unexpected gestures to impact opinion and bring hope to those who have felt the sting of rejection.
What a Difference a Decade Can Make
When Benyamin Netanyahu last came to Washington as Prime Minister of Israel the setting was quite different. Back then, President Bill Clinton was distracted, beset by scandals that culminated in his impeachment
The Importance of Vision
A few days ago, I spent an afternoon with members of the Syrian opposition delegation visiting Washington. They briefed me on their many meetings with the Obama Administration (including a lengthy session with the president) and with members of the Senate and Congress. We also discussed problems they are facing on the ground in Syria and issues with their messaging strategy.
The Choice We Face, the Debate We Must Have
I was deeply disturbed last week when US Secretary of State John Kerry, in response to criticism from former Senate colleagues, felt compelled to walk back his warning that Israel risked becoming an "apartheid state" if it failed to make peace with the Palestinians.
Blair: The Neocon
Like many a "hawkish" liberal before him, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair crossed over to the dark side of neo-conservatism. This was on display last week in a keynote address Blair delivered at Bloomberg's London headquarters. After reading and rereading the speech, "Why the Middle East Matters", I was struck by how similar it was to the "agitprop" used by George W. Bush in the lead-up to the Iraq war.
The US Should Accept Palestinian Unity
While Palestinians celebrated the reconciliation agreement signed between Fateh and Hamas, the reactions in Washington and Israel were reminiscent of the biblical "weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Democrats Need Ethnic Voters to Win in November
In this November's mid-term elections, the Democratic Party will be focused on winning back the governorships and legislatures in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
Profiling Should End
Because Arab Americans and American Muslims have been waiting to see when the Obama Administration would finally act to end Bush-era ethnic and religious profiling guidelines and practices, we were troubled to read press accounts this week indicating that Attorney General Eric Holder may be proposing to keep in place many of the programs that have so compromised our rights.
Russell Conwell: His Theology of Wealth and Today's GOP
I did my doctoral work at Temple University, whose founder was a nineteenth-century Baptist preacher, Russell Conwell. Conwell was, to be sure, an accomplished writer, a captivating preacher, and a visionary entrepreneur, but the theology he helped to popularize was, in a word, disturbing.