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.
Ukraine’s Day of Reckoning
It’s been more than two months since Ukraine was a front-page news in the US press. It had become an old story and was being displaced by the horrors unfolding daily in Gaza.
The US Needs to Say “No” to Israel and “Yes” to Palestine
In recent weeks, the Biden administration has attempted to pivot from its initial unconditional support for Israeli actions in Gaza by combining caution with a vague plan for “the day after.”
Can Biden Win Back Arab American Voters?
I’ve been organizing Arab Americans for almost a half century. For the past three decades, working with my brother, John Zogby, we've polled the community’s views on a range of political topics. I’ve learned to value polling because it opens a window and allows you to hear and understand what people are saying and what their views may portend for the future.
American Politics: A Dysfunctional Mess
In case you haven’t noticed, American politics are a dysfunctional mess. You might be excused for missing this sad reality, as the US never tires of chiding other countries for their lack of democratic institutions or their failure to adhere to or protect democratic values.
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.
For Arab Americans, Blue is Not Blue
News last week that the US and Israel were about to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) advancing Israel’s entry into the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP) shouldn’t have caught us by surprise. But it did. For months, we had been assured by various Biden Administration officials that Israel could not meet the requirements of the program. Concerns focused on the VWP’s statutory requirement that participant governments must guarantee full reciprocity to US citizens seeking entry - without regard to race, religion, or national origin.
Baffling and Insulting
That some Biden administration officials appear to be in a rush to admit Israel into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which allows for mutual, short-term entry between participating countries and the U.S., is both baffling and insulting.
Looks Like Biden/Trump Replay in 2024
A 2024 Biden-Trump presidential campaign rematch may not be the contest that most Americans want. But in all likelihood, it will be the contest they’ll get.