Washington Watch Articles From 2023
Isolated
Events of the past week have highlighted how the US’ feckless indulgent behavior toward policies pursued by Israel have damaged America’s standing in the world. Two United Nations votes calling for a ceasefire in Gaza showed the US has been abandoned by most of our closest allies, many of whom are increasingly questioning our global leadership.
What Israel, Hamas, and the US Should Have Known
Looking at the unfolding horror in Gaza, I am reminded of two important lessons that should have been heeded by Hamas, Israel, and the US.
Reality Check on Saudi-Israel Normalization
There has been a great deal of commentary about a possible US-engineered Saudi-Israel normalization agreement: what it would actually do; whom it might benefit; and, most importantly, whether any such arrangement is even possible given current political realities in the US and Israel.
NATO’s Caution Was Right
At the recently concluded NATO summit, while member states displayed continued resolve to provide Ukraine the material and political support needed to counter Russia’s assault, they would not agree to Prime Minister Zelenskyy’s demand to an expedited Ukrainian entry into NATO.
Why Jackson’s Foreign Policy Was Unique
This week, I traveled to Chicago for a two-day reunion of Jesse Jackson’s historic 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns. I was invited to speak on unique contributions he made to America’s foreign policy debates.
Questions Regarding the Moral Underpinnings of US Foreign Policy
Two recent and seemingly unrelated news stories raise serious questions about whether any consistent values undergird American foreign policy. One involves the US response to attacks by Israeli settlers on the Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya. The other is about the Biden administration’s considering shipping cluster bomb munitions to Ukraine.
New Course for Ukraine
In recent weeks, there have been a number of irresponsible op-eds pressing the Biden administration to supply more advanced US weapons to Ukraine, arguing that the only acceptable outcome to the conflict is a “total Russian defeat.” It is maddening how often these “pundits” have wrongly sought to justify the expanded use of force in conflict zones.
The China/Saudi Arabia/Iran Agreement: Cautious Optimism is Required
Pundits and politicians have had their say on the announcement in Beijing that after four days of negotiations, agreement has been reached between Saudi Arabia and Iran to restore diplomatic ties. While reactions have ranged from euphoria to cynicism to outright hostility, reality dictates that cautious optimism is the better course.
Our Message to Secretary Blinken
I was part of a small delegation of Arab Americans invited to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken the day before his recent visit to Egypt, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority. Our meeting came on the heels of two tragic days in Israel/Palestine.
Twenty Years Ago: The Debate We Should Have Had on Iraq
Twenty years ago this month, the U.S. was rushing headlong into war with Iraq—a war that has proven to be one of the most fatal and consequential travesties in modern American history. What follows is the story of how one congressman and I tried and failed to get the Democratic Party on record opposing that war.