Washington Watch Articles From 2016
Platform and Politics: The Change We Made
The quadrennial process of party platform writing is more of a political exercise than a policy deliberation. When party leaders sit down to debate what will or will not go into their platform, their eyes are less focused on what will constitute sound policy.
The Two Conventions
After back-to-back Republican and Democratic conventions, the stage is set for a 100-day mad dash to the November presidential contest. There were telling differences between the two events.
Bad Policy, Bad Politics
To understand why the United States fails so miserably in efforts to achieve an Israeli/Palestinian peace, all you need to do is take a look at the mix of bad policy and bad politics found in the Israel/Palestine sections of platforms of both the Republican and Democratic parties.
Watch the Conventions!
I grew up watching both parties' conventions. Television networks covered them from beginning to end. Oftentimes, because the outcome was not assured, there was drama and tension.
Putting Middle East Christians at Risk
This week a coalition of mostly far-right "Christian" organizations hosted a conference in Washington that claimed to be defending persecuted minorities in the Middle East.
The Need to Recognize Reality
At last week's Democratic Party platform drafting meeting, I introduced Bernie Sanders' amendment to the Israel/Palestine section calling for an end to the occupation and settlements.
Exploiting the Nightmare of Orlando
We woke up last Sunday morning to news of the senseless slaughter of 49 innocents at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Because many of the victims were gay, it appeared that this had been a hate crime.
My Role With the Democratic Platform Drafting Committee
I wasn't going to write about this subject, but something happened yesterday over lunch that prompted me to reconsider.
The Sanders Phenomenon
There is a Sanders phenomenon. It is real and the factors that have prompted its emergence need to addressed and understood.
Benjamin Netanyahu Did It Again
For weeks now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been engaged in public negotiations designed to bring Isaac Herzog, Chair of the "centrist" Zionist Union bloc, into his coalition government.
Double Standard in Defending Christians
Christians in the Levant, especially those in Syria, Iraq, and Palestine, are facing grave challenges that are either misunderstood or ignored in the West.
Our Original Sins
In some of my writings, I have observed the way the US has, for centuries, absorbed countless waves of immigrants from many continents transforming them, in short order, into Americans—comparing this to the European situation which does not, as a rule, provide the same opportunities for advancement and inclusion.
From Cairo to Goldberg
Earlier this month "The Atlantic" magazine featured a cover story, "The Obama Doctrine", written by Jeffery Goldberg.
A Lesson America Can Teach
Europe clearly has a problem with anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and intolerance toward new immigrants.
Why I Support Bernie Sanders
In 2003, while I was teaching at Davidson College in North Carolina, I saw an ad in the local newspaper announcing a "Going Out of Business" sale of Utica Linen products.
"Hints" of an End to Yemen's Nightmare
For decades now, Yemen's people have suffered from bad governance, underdevelopment, and prolonged civil conflict. Despite enduring these multiple hardships, Yemenis have largely been ignored by the rest of the world.
The “13 Keys” to Winning the White House
This year's presidential contest has proven to be both fascinating and, at times, frightening. Both parties are engaged in near existential struggles.
Dangerous and Delusional
The performances by four of the five remaining presidential candidates at AIPAC's policy conference made this a perfectly strange and unsettling week in Washington.
AIPAC’s Anti-BDS Campaign
When the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) comes to town this week for their annual policy conference, high on the agenda of issues they'll be pushing Congress to support are bills designed to "fight the boycott of Israel".