- May 12, 2024
Middle East
Staying Human: The Heroic Legacy of Vittorio Arrigoni
By Ramzy Baroud "Dear Mary," wrote Italian justice activist Vittorio Arrigoni to a friend. "Do you [know who] will be on the boats?… I’m still in Gaza, waiting for you. I will be at the boat to greet you. Stay human. Vik." "Mary" is Mary Hughes Thompson, a dedicated activist who braved the high seas […]
A Neoconservative ‘Shock and Awe’: The Rise of the Arabs
By Ramzy Baroud A pervading sense of awe seems to be engulfing Arab societies everywhere. What is underway in the Arab world is greater than simply revolution in a political or economic sense– it is, in fact, shifting the very self-definition of what it means to be Arab, both individually and collectively. Hollywood has long […]
‘From the Gulf to the Ocean’: The Middle East is Changing
By Ramzy Baroud Now that the Egyptian people have finally wrestled their freedom from the hands of a very stubborn regime, accolades to the revolution are pouring in from all directions. Even those who initially sided with Hosni Mubarak’s regime, or favored a neutral position, have now changed their tune. ‘Arabs celebrate from the Gulf […]
Hurriya is Arabic for Freedom: Just Listen to Egypt Roar
By Ramzy Baroud ‘Just listen to that roar,’ urged a CNN correspondent in Egypt, as thousands of Egyptian protesters charged, fists pumped, against hundreds of armed Egyptian security forces. What a roar it was, indeed. The protests have shown the world that Arabs are capable of much more than merely being pitiable statistics of unemployment […]
Tunisia: How We Got Here and the Task Ahead
By Ramzy Baroud Hunger strikes. These were the last resort for Tunisian activists as they fought against a brutal and highly oppressive regime. Prior to the ousting of Zineal-Abidine Ben Ali by an unprecedented people’s uprising on January 14, there seemed to be no end in sight to the regime’s wide-ranging human rights violations. Over […]
Whitewashing Defeat: Obama’s Indecisiveness Defines His Presidency
By Ramzy Baroud He may still possess the poise of a confident leader and an eloquent intellectual, but the presidency of Barack Obama is now suffering its most difficult phase to date. Certainly, Obama cannot solely be blamed for all the factors that have stifled his country’s chances of recovery from the failures of the […]
Lebanon at Stake: Turkey Must Reveal Its Cards
By Ramzy Baroud The timing of the Turkish Prime Minister’s two-day visit to Lebanon could not be more judicious. Lebanon’s enemies have been banging the drums of war louder than ever before. All the malevolent plans hatched following the assassination of Lebanon’s former Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri are about to converge for one formidable goal: […]
More Than a Bribe: Obama Surrenders Palestinian Rights
By Ramzy Baroud The Middle East policies of US President Barack Obama may well prove the most detrimental in history so far, surpassing even the rightwing policies of President George W. Bush. Even those who warned against the overt optimism which accompanied Obama’s arrival to the White House must now be stunned to see how […]
Iraqi Christians Are Already at Home
By Ramzy Baroud On Sunday, October 31, when a group of militants seized a church in Baghdad, killing and wounding scores of Iraqi Christians, it signaled yet another episode of unimaginable horror in the country since the US invasion of March 2003. Every group of Iraqis has faced terrible devastation as a result of this […]
The Middle East’s Stagnant ‘Change’
By Ramzy Baroud Democracy in the Middle East continues to be a hugely popular topic of discussion. Its virtues are tirelessly praised by rulers and oppositions alike, by intellectuals and ordinary people, by political prisoners and their prison guards. Yet, in actuality, it also remains an illusion, if not a front to ensure the demise […]
Obama as a Salesman
By Ramzy Baroud It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to claim that the resumption of peace talks between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority have thus far yielded nothing of value, at least not as far as settling the decades-long struggle. For one, the media has paid the talks little attention, aside from the ceremonial […]
‘Dying to Win’: Newt Gingrich’s ‘Terrorism’
By Ramzy Baroud On September 30, within the time frame of a few hours, an accused man reportedly confessed to terrorism charges in Germany, the terrorism threat level was raised in Sweden, and former US Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich lengthily discussed ‘suicidal jihadists’ in a speech he made in Denver. Although it was […]
Farewell to Arms: Jenny, Iraq and the Next War
By Ramzy Baroud Let’s call her Jenny. Jenny was alone, and clearly confused. Her face was dotted with acne, and her short, blond hair was stiff at the ends. As the Skyline train sped towards the next destination, she stood ‘at attention’ in her military fatigue and boots staring aimlessly into the vastness of the […]
Why Mitchell Said ‘No’: Hamas is Not Ready to be ‘Engaged’
By Ramzy Baroud One key difference between Hamas and its rival, the Fatah movement in the West Bank, is that Hamas is accountable to a much more complex set of priorities and expectations. While Fatah is effortlessly co-opted, Hamas remains confined by ideological standards and the stringiest political space. Although, on one hand this represents […]
The Photo before the Storm: Peace Talks Already Failed
By Ramzy Baroud A picture is not always worth a thousand words. The recently released photographs of Palestinian and Israeli leaders in Washington during their first direct talks in many months certainly don’t say anything new. It was the status quo at its best, a mere procession of regional and US leaders before hungry cameramen. […]
Rebranding Iraq: Playing with Numbers and Human Lives
By Ramzy Baroud The soldiers of the US 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division hollered as they made their way into Kuwait. ‘We won,’ they claimed. ‘It’s over.’ But what exactly did they win? And is the war really over? It seems we are once again walking into the same trap, the same nonsensical assumptions […]
Trapped at Ground Zero
By Ramzy Baroud The controversy over the right of Muslim Americans to build community center and mosque a short distance from the site of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks is both strange and outright inappropriate. It should never be necessary for law-abiding Americans to justify exercising their right to freely practice their own religion. […]
Smoke on a Bridge: Lebanon Awaits a Verdict
By Ramzy Baroud – Beirut, Lebanon Jamal is a Lebanese driver in his late 50’s. He appeared unshaven and terribly exhausted as he drove his old passenger van from the airport in Beirut to the Bekaa Valley. Although it was not a particularly arduous trip, it was made more grueling by the way Jamal drove, […]
Millennium Goals Revisited: Noble Ideas, and Feel-Good Moments
By RAMZY BAROUD When the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were first declared, they were met with a sense of promise. A decade later, despite all the official insistence that all is on track, it is increasingly clear that this approach to development was flawed from the onset. For ten years, numerous committees, international […]
Turkey Accepts the Challenge
By RAMZY BAROUD ‘Even despots, gangsters and pirates have specific sensitiveness, (and) follow some specific morals.’ The claim was made by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a recent speech, following the deadly commando raid on the humanitarian aid flotilla to Gaza on May 31. According to Erdogan, Israel doesn’t adhere to the code […]
‘Overcoming the Bush Legacy’: New Language Is Not Enough
By RAMZY BAROUD When former US President George W. Bush left the White House, he left behind one of the most unpleasant legacies in history. He redefined the US’ role in world affairs, tainted the country’s reputation, and left his successor with a political inheritance that seemed almost irrevocable. This, of course, says nothing of […]
Yemen’s Sorrowful Options: ‘Revolt, Migrate or Die’
By RAMZY BAROUD When the Soviets concluded their pull out from Afghanistan in February 1989, the United States government abruptly lost interest in the country. A devastated economic infrastructure, entrenched poverty, deep-rooted factionalism and lack of international aid caused the country to descend into complete chaos. Internal violence also worsened, but it was no longer […]
The Lobby vs. America: On Netanyahu’s Lies and the Spineless Politicians
By RAMZY BAROUD As I listened to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu address an animated crowed of supporters on March 22, I felt physically sick. The man has already displayed time and again a complete lack of moral sense or ethical framework in his words and actions. In his recent arguments, he once again twisted […]
The Useless Logic of Round Numbers: War is Criminal Any Day
By RAMZY BAROUD The media’s habit of revisiting certain issues at set intervals can be strange and even illogical at times. For example, many news outlets commented on President Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office, as well as on the anniversary of his election win, and then again one year after his inauguration day. […]
Gaza and Lebanon: Beware the Iron Wall, the Coming War
By RAMZY BAROUD The Israeli military may be much less effective in winning wars than it was in the past, thanks to the stiffness of Arab resistance. But its military strategists are as shrewd and unpredictable as ever. The recent rhetoric that has escalated from Israel suggests that a future war in Lebanon will most […]
The Lobby Within
By RAMZY BAROUD A just and peaceful solution to the protracted Palestinian-Israeli conflict is only possible when the US ceases to block every attempt made towards it. This assertion might raise many questions, for example, just how is one to define a just and peaceful resolution? And for what reasons would the US obstruct such […]
A People’s History of Thanksgiving
By RAMZY BAROUD This week Americans will observe ‘Thanksgiving’ commemorating a romanticized era in their nations record, celebrating the supposed solidarity and brotherhood enjoyed by the first settlers and the indigenous people of what is now called the United States. However, this fantastic tale of friendship contradicts the candid remarks of many notable personalities in […]
How Israel Won the Settlement Battle Again
By RAMZY BAROUD When British Foreign Secretary David Miliband uttered a few words regarding the illegality of the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, many wanted to believe that London was taking a sharp stance against Israel’s continued violations of international law. Alas, they were wrong. The fact is Miliband’s statement, made during a […]
Iran’s Nuclear Theater Meant to Divert Attention
By RAMZY BAROUD World events have taken an interesting turn recently, with the Goldstone report, which wreaked havoc in the beginning of the week being nearly completely overshadowed by Iran’s revelation of another nuclear facility, according to diplomats in Vienna on September 25. The Iran nuclear threat – although theater is a more suitable term […]
US Audacity of Hope Falters
By RAMZY BAROUD The US has decided to be ‘flexible’ regarding its once touted call for a total Israeli freeze on the expansion of its occupied territories’ settlements, all illegal under international law. A senior official spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity on August 27. “It was more important that the scope of a […]
