- November 24, 2024
Articles
Afghanistan: Ten Years of Tragedy and Misguided Policy
By Ramzy Baroud On July 1 2002, US planes bombed an Afghan wedding in the small village of Deh Rawud. Located to the north of Kandahar, the village seemed fortified by the region’s many mountains. For a few hours its people thought they were safe from a war they had never invited. They celebrated and, […]
People’s Conspiracy: Writing off the Arabs
By Ramzy Baroud, Special to Gulf News Professor Robert B. was my first Middle East politics lecturer at the University of Washington. Only minutes into his opening lecture, he made a comment that had me sink into my seat with embarrassment: “The Arab world is made of strong leaders and weak people.” While I didn’t feel […]
The Syrian Uprising: US Follows a Failed Path
By Ramzy Baroud United States ambassador to Syria Robert Ford is quite a feisty diplomat. He shows up unannounced and uninvited at various hot spots in the country, greeted with varying degrees of enthusiasm and, oftentimes, anger. When he made a highly touted appearance in the city of Hama in July, residents reportedly greeted him […]
Abbas’ Speech Seems to Appreciate Changing Reality
By Ramzy Baroud – Special to Gulf News Mamhoud Abbass’ UN General Assembly speech on September 23 is likely to go down in history. This is not owing to the intellectual enormity of Abbas himself, nor of his politically-subservient Palestinian National Authority (PNA), but rather because it reflects the triumph of the Palestinian will after […]
Ibrahim Zaza: The Gaza Boy Newspapers Omitted
By Ramzy Baroud ‘Both of Ibrahim’s arms were cut off. He had a hole in his lung. Parts of his legs were missing. His kidney was in a bad condition…we need people to stand with us.’ These were the words of an exhausted man as he described the condition of his dying son in an […]
Another ‘Symbolic Victory’: Abbas’ New Political Gambit
By Ramzy Baroud – Arab News When Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas decided to go to the United Nations to request the admission of Palestine as a full member, he appeared to have had an epiphany. Had he finally realized that for the past two decades he and his party, Fatah, have gone down a […]
Taking on Turkey: Israel’s ‘Dangerous’ Game
By Ramzy Baroud The UN Palmer Report, which largely exonerated Israel for murdering nine unarmed Turkish civilians in international waters on May 31, 2010, seemed in some ways like the last straw. Prior to its publication, the camel’s back had already mostly broken, and a collapse in Turkish-Israeli ties was looming. Turkey’s sin was seeking […]
Arab Spring Exposes Duplicity of Conventional Western Policy
By Ramzy Baroud, Special to Gulf News For many Arabs, Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg is just another politician committed to preserving his interests and those of the ruling class in his country. Despite his attempts at appearing kinder than other mainstream British leaders, it isn’t hard to see through Clegg’s repeated enthusiastic references […]
For the Love of Israel: Congresswoman’s Misguided War on the UN
By Ramzy Baroud From an Israeli point of view, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is the ideal American politician. Although many in the US government aspire to her level of commitment to Israel, few can measure up to a dedication that extends beyond the very interests of her own country. “Lawless extremists infest Congress like crabgrass besets […]
Libyans Must Fully Liberate Themselves
By Ramzy Baroud, Special to Gulf News Now that Gaddafi and his sons are on the run, western allies are speaking of an orderly transition, nation-building, and direct intervention in managing post-Gaddafi Libyan affairs. It is understood that the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi and his contemptible regime was a ‘regime change from the air’, orchestrated […]
Libya’s Next Fight: The West
By Ramzy Baroud At a press conference in Tripoli on Aug. 26, a statement read aloud by top Libyan rebel commander Abdel Hakim Belhadj was reassuring. Just a few months ago, disorganized and leaderless rebel fighters seemed to have little chance at ousting Libyan dictator Moammar Ghaddafi and his unruly sons. But despite vague references […]
Israel’s ‘Nice Little War’: Gaza, Egypt in the Range of Fire
By Ramzy Baroud Israeli writer Uri Avnery recently wrote an article entitled ‘How Godly Are Thy Tents?’, which began with the words, "First of all, a warning." The reference was made to the tent cities that have sprung up across the country by middle class Israelis demanding change and reforms. The organizational style of these […]
Lurking Dangers to the Arab Quest for Freedom and Reform
By Ramzy Baroud, Special to Gulf News Arab revolutions are currently facing real dangers, which vacillate between lack of prioritisation, stagnation and foreign intervention. In Egypt, there have been deliberate attempts to divide the objectives of the revolution into blurred ideological classifications. A chasm is already growing between ‘liberal’ and Islamic forces regarding the identity […]
The US-Arab Disconnect
By Ramzy Baroud As the Arab Spring continues to challenge dictators, demolish old structures and ponder roadmaps for a better future, the US remains committed to its failed policies, misconceptions and selfish interests. Arabs may disagree on many things, but few disagree on the fact that there is now no turning back. The age of […]
Gaza. Somalia. Humanity Lives on
By Ramzy Baroud I remember how exhilarated I felt when I was told I was old enough to fast for the month of Ramadan. My feelings had little to do with abstention from food and drink between dawn and sunset each day. For a child, there is little joy in that. The meaning and implications […]
Syria: Tired Slogans and a Looming Dawn
By Ramzy Baroud There is no linear narrative capable of explaining the multifarious happenings that have gripped Syrian society in recent months. On March 23, as many as 20 peaceful protesters were killed at the hands of Syrian security forces, and many more were wounded. Since then, the violence has escalated to such a level […]
Syrian Voices Refuse to Die Down
By Ramzy Baroud As the Baath regime attempts to quell an unprecedented popular uprising in Syria, it is doing so with a level of brutality that has far surpassed other Arab revolutions (with the exception of Libya). The barbarism of its response has characteristics of Israel’s cruelty in Gaza, Muammar Gaddafi’s disregard for civilian lives […]
Arab Awakening and Western Media: Time for New Revolutionary Discourse
By Ramzy Baroud When President Ali Abdullah Saleh tried desperately to quell Yemen’s popular uprising, he appealed to tribalism, customs and traditions. All his efforts evidently failed, and the revolution continued unabated. When Saleh denounced women for joining men in demonstrations in Sana’a – playing on cultural sensitivities and a very selective interpretation of religion […]
Ground Your Warplanes, Save the Horn of Africa
By Ramzy Baroud ‘When you are hungry, cold is a killer, and the people here are starving and helpless.’ Not many of us can relate to such a statement, but millions of ‘starving and helpless’ people throughout the Horn of Africa know fully the pain of elderly Somali mother, Batula Moalim. Moalim, quoted by the […]
Arab Media Cannot Ignore the Truth about Libya’s Blacks
By Ramzy Baroud, Special to Gulf News When Libyan rebels intercepted and seized a British intelligence and Special Forces unit in early March, the matter was handled with a sense of urgency and diplomacy. While all eight members of the SAS unit were reportedly released ‘unharmed’, black Africans haven’t been so lucky. Since the popular […]
Confused Strategy: How the PA Sold Out Palestinian Unity
By Ramzy Baroud If you happen to be a Palestinian government employee, chances are you will receive only half your usual salary this month. The other half will only be available when international donors find it in their hearts to make up for the huge shortage of funds currently facing the Palestinian Authority (PA). With […]
Yemen Continues to Inspire Amid Great Odds
By Ramzy Baroud The Yemeni people are unrelenting in their demands for democracy. Millions continue to stage rallies across their country in a display of will that is proving the most robust out of all the Arab revolutions. The Yemenis face great challenges, however, including the political vacillation of their country’s opposition, and the US’ […]
US Invigorates Policy at Gaza’s Expense
By Ramzy Baroud United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made a series of stern and fiery statements recently, giving the impression that war is somehow on us once again. Oddly, Clinton’s sudden reappearance on the Middle East diplomacy scene was triggered by the brave attempts of peace activists to break the siege on […]
Economy Alone Fails to Explain Turkey’s Success
By Ramzy Baroud Many commentators today are basing the success of Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the June 12 elections largely on its ability to guide the country through a decade of remarkable growth. Economic indicators are often seen as the obvious logic behind economic stability – lack thereof. However, they are not […]
Gaza Border ‘Opening’ is Just Rhetoric
By Ramzy Baroud For most Palestinians, leaving Gaza through Egypt is as exasperating a process as entering it. Governed by political and cultural sensitivities, most Palestinian officials and public figures refrain from criticising the way Palestinians are treated at the Rafah border. However there is really no diplomatic language to describe the relationship between desperate […]
One Missile, One Playground: The Will of Gaza
By Ramzy Baroud – Gaza A ‘Hamas commander’ drove a beat-up gray van in northern Gaza and theatrically spoke on his walkie-talkie as I sat in the passenger seat. The van was almost barren, save for the most basic equipment propelling it to move forward over the bumpy roads of an overcrowded refugee camp. Iyad […]
Revolutionary Egypt Forges Ahead
By Ramzy Baroud, Special to Gulf News The streets of Cairo are chaotic. Each driver seems to be governed by an entirely different set of traffic rules. Yet, somehow, the cars continue to move forward — for the time being, at least. Egypt is finally free, and Egyptians are savouring every moment of their newly […]
Crushed Ice in Nuseirat: My Gaza Refugee Camp Revisited
By Ramzy Baroud – Gaza ‘Do you remember Mahmoud?’ asked Abu Nidal, my neighbor from nearly 20 years ago, when I lived in Gaza. “Yes, of course, I do,” I answered. I remembered him as yet another troublemaking child among the Nuseirat Refugee Camp’s numerous rabble-rousers. He was defined by a stream of snot that […]
Welcome to Gaza: Revolution and Change at the Rafah Border
By Ramzy Baroud The Palestinian security officer at the Rafah border was overly polite. He wore a black uniform and walked around self-assuredly, as he instructed weary travelers on their next moves before being allowed back into Gaza. On the other side of the border, in Egypt, there was much anxiety, fear and anticipation. ‘Things […]
Al Nakba, An Unforgiving Reality
By Ramzy Baroud, Special to Gulf News It is essential that when we remember Al Nakba, we do not confine our mourning simply to what has been lost. We also need to understand the nature and magnitude of that loss, and what it continues to mean for so many. On May 15, Palestinians worldwide commemorated […]
