- November 24, 2024
Articles
Between Politics and Principles: Hamas’ Perilous Maneuvers
By Ramzy Baroud Despite all of Hamas’ assurances to the contrary, a defining struggle is taking place within the Palestinian Islamic movement. The outcome of this struggle – which is still confined to polite political disagreements and occasional intellectual tussle – is likely to change Hamas’ outlook, if not fundamentally alter its position within a […]
The Egyptian Revolution Should Not Be Subsidized
By Ramzy Baroud, Special to Gulf News The initial clarity of Egypt’s revolutionary discourse has been replaced by perplexing discussions involving a range of issues from ‘Islamists vs liberals’ to football violence. The latest such issue involves the rift between the US and the Egyptian government over the latter’s crackdowns on organizations with questionable sources […]
Cold War in Warm Waters: US-China’s Dangerous Contest for Asia-Pacific
By Ramzy Baroud On two occasions in my life I found myself living close to the South China Sea. The sea became my escape from life’s pressing responsibilities. But there is no escaping the fact that the deceptively serene waters are now also grounds for a nascent but real new cold war. China takes the […]
BDS: Power of the People at Work
By Ramzy Baroud The issue is not about hummus, chocolate bars or Dead Sea vacations. It is about civil society taking full responsibility for its own action (or lack of). The issue is not exactly about Israeli products either, but rather about how even a seemingly innocent decision like buying Israeli dates may enable the […]
Reality of Hamas-Fatah Unity
By Ramzy Baroud, Special to Gulf News While top officials representing rival Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, signed yet another unity agreement on February 6 in Doha, Qatar, Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan crossed the 50-day mark of his hunger strike. His health was rapidly deteriorating. Since his arrest on December 17, “Khader was subjected to […]
Israel Vying for War: Attacking Iran Will Not Repeat History
By Ramzy Baroud On April 10, 2002, then British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons, ‘Saddam Hussein’s regime is…developing weapons of mass destruction, and we cannot leave him doing so unchecked.’ A year later, Blair, enthusiastically joined a US-led coalition that launched an illegal war against Iraq. Their hunt for weapons of […]
Anti-Semitism and Israel’s Inherent Contradictions
By Ramzy Baroud In a recent article, columnist Yaniv Halili described British author Ben White as ‘anti-Semitic’. He also denounced Arab Knesset member Hanin Zoabi for writing a forward to White’s latest book, Palestinians in Israel: Segregation, Discrimination and Democracy. Those of us who can see through such distorted thinking know that White is a […]
Blame NATO for the Mess in Libya
By Ramzy Baroud The British Foreign Office and the US State Department are seriously concerned. Human rights officers in the United Nations are angry. Canada, for some reason, seems particularly enraged. The target of all this fury is Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC), which is berated for failing to curtail widespread human rights violations throughout […]
US vs. Genuine Reforms at the United Nations
By Ramzy Baroud The country that has long been known to abuse its powers and privileges in the United Nations is now leading a campaign to reform the same organization. While UN reforms are welcomed, if not demanded, by many of its member states, there is little reason to believe the recent US crusade is […]
The Puzzling Matter of the Israeli Liberals
By Ramzy Baroud Regardless of who may rule Israel, little change ever occurs in the country’s foreign policy. Winning parties remain obsessed with demographics and retaining absolute military dominance. They also remain unfailingly focused on their quest to initiate racist laws against non-Jewish residents of the state, and continue to hone the art of speaking […]
A Roadmap for Brave UN Reforms
By Ramzy Baroud Theodore MacDonald was too ill to attend the launch of his book, Preserving the United Nations; Our Best Hope for Mediating Human Rights. Less than three weeks later, on March 7, 2011, the longtime champion of human rights and social justice passed away. Professor MacDonald’s last book was in many ways the […]
The Revolution Will Be Televised, and also Manipulated
By Ramzy Baroud In the final days of the Libyan conflict, as NATO conducted a nonstop bombing campaign, an Aljazeera Arabic television correspondent’s actions raised more than eyebrows. They also raised serious questions regarding the journalistic responsibility of Arab media – or in fact any media – during times of conflict. Using a handheld transceiver, […]
Hamas and the Brotherhood: Reanimating History
By Ramzy Baroud There was an unmistakable hint of triumph in the comments made by Ismail Haniyeh, Prime Minister of the elected Hamas government in Gaza when he was hosted by Mohammed Badie, Supreme Guide of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood. Both leaders said what would be expected of them under these circumstances. Haniyeh asserted that his […]
Twisted Logic of Using Violence to Achieve Peace
By Ramzy Baroud ‘Sooner or later, there will be no escape from conducting a significant operation [in Gaza],’ said Israeli army Chief of Staff Lieutenent General Benny Gantz on December 27, the third anniversary of Operation Cast Lead. Gantz’s chillingly casual remarks were cited as just another nonchalant declaration of war against a besieged, impoverished, overcrowded […]
Palestine: Those Who Inspired Us in 2011
By Ramzy Baroud Mustafa Tamimi was a 28-year-old resident of the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh. His meticulously trimmed beard served as the centerpiece of his handsome face. In December 2011, when an Israeli soldier shot him from a short distance with a tear gas canister, half of Mustafa’s face went missing. More soldiers […]
Iraq War: Moral Victory, and Selective Body Counts
By Ramzy Baroud Someone ought to let mainstream news producers know that the nearly 4,500 US soldiers killed in the Iraq war were not the only victims. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have also been killed as a result of the unwarranted US invasion, and many more have been wounded and/or forever maimed. Chances are, […]
Hamas at 24: Politics of Resistance in Changing Middle East
By Ramzy Baroud Ever since Hamas emerged victorious in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, myriad public opinion polls revealed that its popularity in the Occupied Territories was on a steady decline. However, there are actually few indications that Hamas as a popular movement will be departing the Palestinian political landscape anytime soon. Ongoing talks in […]
Masked in Gaza: The Untold History of Palestinian ‘Militancy’
By Ramzy Baroud Essam Al-Batsh and his nephew, Sobhi Al-Batsh, are the latest in a long line of reported Palestinian ‘militants’ killed by Israel. The civilians were both targeted while driving in a car in downtown Gaza on December 8. According to an Israeli army statement, “(They) were affiliated with a terrorist squad that intended […]
Towards a True Paradigm Shift in Palestine
By Ramzy Baroud The Palestinian Uprising or Intifada of 1987 remains the single most significant triumph of popular mobilization in Palestinian history. The First Intifada, as it is commonly known, had, once and for all, placed the Palestinian people as a collective on the political map of a region that previously had room only for […]
League Action Reflects Regional Rivalry
By Ramzy Baroud, Special to Gulf News According to various media commentators, the rapid Arab League mobilisation against Syria is proof of the organisation rising to an urgent collective responsibility against impending dangers. However, such an assumption is either misguided or misconstrued. The so-called Arab Spring has largely been credited for the League’s actions. While […]
On Freedom and Imperialism: Arab Spring and the Intellectual Divide
By Ramzy Baroud The so-called ‘Arab Spring’ is creating an intellectual divide that threatens any sensible understanding of the turmoil engulfing several Arab countries. While it is widely understood that revolutions endeavor to overthrow political structures and aim to change the social order and power paradigm within any given society, there is still no single, […]
Turkey and the Syrian ‘Abyss’
By Ramzy Baroud When Recep Tayyip Erdogan became Turkey’s prime minister in 2003, he seemed to be certain of the new direction his country would take. It would maintain cordial ties with Turkey’s old friends, Israel included, but also reach out to its Arab and Muslim neighbors, Syria in particular. The friendly relations between Ankara […]
Syria’s Fate in Its Citizens’ Hands
By Ramzy Baroud, Special to Gulf News The popular uprising in Syria is hovering over a fine line that separates it from full-blown civil war. If the latter were to happen, it could open the door to other frightening developments, including foreign military intervention. Protests in Syria began on January 26, and a more inclusive […]
Syria Uprising Falls Victim to Power Plays
By Ramzy Baroud Syrians continue to be victimized, not only in violent clashes with the Syrian military, but also by regional and international players with various agendas. Protests in Syria began on January 26, and a more inclusive uprising was set in motion on March 15. The initial demand was for serious political reforms, but […]
Freedom Waves will Reach Gaza
By Ramzy Baroud Another mission accomplished, or so it seems. Israeli navy has managed to thwart yet another civil society ‘provocation’ (as described by the Israeli Embassy in Dublin, Irish Times, November 4). Thus the 27 activists from nine countries aboard two boats were rounded up and hauled, along with their ‘provocative’ medical supplies, to […]
Israel in a State of Denial
By Ramzy Baroud, Special to Gulf News In his October 10 column for Israel’s Ynetnews, Guy Bechor reached a bewildering conclusion. "Israelis were the first ones of all people to raise the delegitimisation argument: Israel would turn into the new South Africa as result of its isolation in the western world, they said … However, […]
‘Islamists’ on Probation: Western Reaction to Tunisian Elections
By Ramzy Baroud Following Tunisia’s first fair and free elections on October 27, the Western media responded with a characteristic sense of fear and alarm. For many, it seemed that the ghost of the Islamic menace was back to haunt ‘Western values’ throughout the Arab world. The narrative employed by media outlets was no more […]
The Shock Doctrine: The Unwritten Libya Chapter
By Ramzy Baroud, Special to Gulf News Shortly before committing suicide in 1961, the American author Ernest Hemingway wrote about his electroshock therapy. "Well, what is the sense of ruining my head and erasing my memory, which is my capital, and putting me out of business? It was a brilliant cure but we lost the […]
Iraq War Declared Over, but War Party Persists
By Ramzy Baroud In a White House Statement on October 21, US President Barack Obama pledged that his country would finally withdraw forces from Iraq. “After nearly nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over,” he said. Providing some context to Obama’s announcement, a CBSNews.com report published on the same day stated, “The war […]
Real ‘Theater of the Absurd’: Netanyahu and His Endgame in Palestine
By Ramzy Baroud During his deliberately offensive speech on September 23, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the General Assembly as ‘the theater of the absurd.’ Israel’s few friends at the United Nations – led by the US delegation – listened gleefully and applauded as Netanyahu heralded a steady stream of insults. Netanyahu then returned […]
