- November 23, 2024
Articles
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 […]
Justice This Time Around: Will Goldstone’s Report Deliver?
By RAMZY BAROUD ‘We may be witnessing the beginning of the end of the era of impunity,’ Nadia Hijab, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Institute for Palestine Studies, was quoted by IPS in response to the findings of a 574-page report by a four-member United Nations Fact finding mission. The mission, led by internationally-renowned […]
Perpetual Grief over September 11th
By RAMZY BAROUD The anniversary of the infamous tragedy of 9/11, 2001, and the subsequent ramifications indeed induce, throughout the world, a plethora of feelings of sorrow. The 9/11 event should have never taken place. Regardless of the situation, targeting civilians is unconditionally reviled. No matter where we stand on war, and how do we […]
A Fresh Approach in Afghanistan: An End to War?
By RAMZY BAROUD Left out of the options under consideration in "Obama’s war" is the only one with any chance of success. Despite assurances to the contrary in Washington and a major policy speech in London, one need not quibble with the obvious fact that the situation is deteriorating beyond repair in Afghanistan. Although international […]
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 […]
Fighting for the Right to Walk
By RAMZY BAROUD Gaza’s troubles have somehow been relegated, if not completely dropped from the mainstream media’s radar, and subsequently the world’s conscience and consciousness. Weaning the public from the sadness there conveys the false impression that things are improving and that people are starting to move on and rebuild their lives. But nothing could […]
Drones and Democracy in Afghanistan
By RAMZY BAROUD With elections just around the corner in Afghanistan, it might be timely to reflect on the US engagement with that stricken nation and consider just how much foreign intervention has contributed to the prospect and possibility of free and democratic elections. More, it is fitting to consider what kind of example the […]
Fatah: A New Beginning or an Imminent End?
By RAMZY BAROUD This is hardly the rational order of things. An overpowering military occupation was meant to be resisted by an equally determined, focused and unyielding national movement, hell-bent on liberation at any cost and by any means. This is the unwritten law that has governed and shielded successful national liberation projects throughout history. […]
Gaza’s Kite Runners
By RAMZY BAROUD When seen from a distance, kites in Gaza may look quite ordinary. But while Gazan children, in many respects, are just children, their kites are hardly ordinary. Often adorned by the red, black, green and white of the Palestinian flag, Gazan children’s kites are expressions of defiance, hope and the longing for […]
Israeli Conundrum: ‘How to Deal with Iran’
By RAMZY BAROUD Israeli officials face a conundrum that may take more than military muscle-flexing to resolve: how to deal with Iran? The solution to this dilemma will require no less than sheer political genius. It must be frustrating for Israeli policymakers and their friends and backers elsewhere to stand idle as Iran openly carries […]
The Real Tragedy – Who Killed Arafat and Why?
By RAMZY BAROUD Who killed Yasser Arafat? When the Palestinian leader was declared dead in a French hospital on Nov. 11, 2004, there was no way of knowing how questions related to his death should be phrased. Was he killed or did he die from old age? If he was killed, then who killed him […]
Gaza and the Language of Power
By RAMZY BAROUD Nearly six months have passed since the Israeli army ceased pounding the tiny stretch of land that is the Gaza Strip. Since then, Gaza continues to appear on the news once in a while, as a recurring subject of human misery. The tireless efforts of British MP George Galloway, and the courageous […]
Forget the Headlines: Iraqi Freedom Deferred
By RAMZY BAROUD As US combat troops redeployed to the outskirts of Iraqi cities on June 30, well-staged celebrations commenced. The pro-US Iraqi government declared “independence day” as police vehicles roamed the streets of war-weary Iraq in an unpersuasive show of national rejoicing. US mainstream media joined the chorus, as if commemorating the end of […]
Hamas’ Political Impasse: Between Principal and Necessity
By RAMZY BAROUD Much can be said to explain, or even justify Hamas’ recent political concessions, where its top leaders in Gaza and Damascus agreed in principle with a political settlement on the basis of the two-state solution. On June 25, Damascus-based leader of the Islamic group’s political bureau, Khaled Meshaal reiterated Hamas’ rejection of […]
Beyond Politics: People for Sale in Hungry World
By RAMZY BAROUD One might be tempted to dismiss the recent findings of the US State Department on human trafficking as largely political. But do not be too hasty. Criticism of the State Department’s report on trafficked persons, issued on 16 June, should be rife. The language describing US allies’ efforts to combat the problem […]
Ahmadinejad Re-elected: Israel and Obama’s Iran Puzzle
By RAMZY BAROUD The election victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is likely to complicate US President Barack Obama’s new approach to his country’s conflict with Iran. The reason behind the foreseen obstacle is neither the US nor Iran’s refusal to engage in future dialogue but rather Israel’s insistence on a hard-line approach to the […]
A Boy and an Artificial Leg: A Gaza Story
By RAMZY BAROUD His room is ready; the walls have fresh paint and my kids prepared a basket of chocolates and other treats to place beside his bed. They hung a poster on his door that has been decorated with colored pens and glitter that says “Welcome Shobhi!” I have taught them that “Sobhi” actually […]
Obama’s Speech: Great Oratory, Wrong Message
By RAMZY BAROUD If great oratory is a prerequisite to peace, justice, and human rights, then President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo, on June 4, shall be enough to cure every ill afflicting every Muslim nation. But since rhetoric never solved any real problem, one is left to question the wisdom behind Obama’s touted speech, […]
Can Obama Work His Magic on Arabs?
By RAMZY BAROUD Among many major misconceptions pertaining to Arabs and Muslims is the common belief that they are a weak-willed, irrelevant collective, easily influenced and effortlessly manipulated. This mistaken assumption underscores the very ailment that has afflicted US foreign policy in the Middle East for generations. As media pundits and commentators began their drum-rolling in […]
Netanyahu’s New Quest: The Game is On
By RAMZY BAROUD "We’ve accomplished quite a few things, and I think the most important one is to cement the principle that the path to peace is through negotiations and not through violence." These were the ‘encouraging’ words modestly uttered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a joint press conference with the US president. […]
Gaza Disowned: The Pope, Israel and ‘Reconciliation’
By RAMZY BAROUD "Gaza is not on the Pope’s itinerary, nor will it be. There will be no change in these plans. But I’ll say it very clearly, the Pope is absolutely not going to Gaza." Such were the astounding comments made by the Pope’s spokesman in Israel, Wadie Abunasser, prior to Pope Benedict XVI […]
The Drones Are Coming: New War on Civilians
By RAMZY BAROUD US President Barack Obama took the podium in a White House press conference and stood with an all-embellished confidence that often accompanies new presidents. He was flanked by two leaders whose apparent grandeur barely reflected their embattled situations on the ground: Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari. The […]
War without Context: Fatah, Hamas and Flawed Language
By RAMZY BAROUD From a distance, the struggle between Hamas and Fatah appears commonplace, a typical third world country’s political scuffle over interpretation of democracy that went out of control, or simply a ‘power struggle’ between two political rivals vying for international aid and recognition. In fact, the conflict may appear as if it popped […]
Clinton’s Unpromising Start
By RAMZY BAROUD Incongruous. One can hardly think of a more suited term to describe the new US administration’s approach to peacemaking in the Middle East. Though there is little evidence that previous US administrations had genuinely attempted to play a balanced role in forging a just peace between Israel and the Palestinians, many hoped […]
Middle East ‘Spies’: A New Front for Gaza’s Conflict
By RAMZY BAROUD The reverberations of the Israeli war on Gaza are still felt throughout the Middle East. One could in fact speak of a silent war being waged in the region. Now that Israel’s clear intentions in Gaza – discrediting Hamas and ultimately ousting them from their democratically elected position – resulted in utter […]
Non-Violence in Palestine: Timing and Intentions
By RAMZY BAROUD When one speaks of or advocates non-violence, does he promote such an idea because he believes that historically it has been a more effective means of liberation, or is it purely because he thinks that it is a more self-respecting means of struggle? In recent history, many advocates of non-violence have been […]
Israel Investigated, But Will It Repent?
By RAMZY BAROUD Any variation of the words “Palestine” and “massacre” are sure to yield millions of results on major search engines on the World Wide Web. These results are largely in reference to hundreds of different dates and events in which numerous Palestinians were killed by the Israeli army or settlers. But references to […]
Netanyahu and the Future of the Peace Process
By RAMZY BAROUD It seems that the Palestinian-Israeli peace process is in serious jeopardy. This is the immediate impression one gleans from media reports from Israel. Unlike Israel’s Kadima and Labour party "moderates" prime minister-designate Benyamin Netanyahu is widely seen as an obstacle to negotiations aimed at facilitating a two-state solution. The media stories, however, […]
Not the Last Dispatch: Al-Zaidi Story Just Beginning
By RAMZY BAROUD On December 14, 2008, Iraqi journalist, Muntazer Al-Zaidi threw his shoes at then-US President George W. Bush. On February 20, 2009, Al-Zaidi received a short trial of 90-minutes by the Baghdad Central Criminal Court. On March 12, Al-Zaidi was sentenced to three-years in prison for assaulting a head of state during an […]
Intifada: A Third Chapter
By RAMZY BAROUD Though the dust has settled in Gaza, the rubble from the untold number of demolished buildings, homes and mosques is far from being cleared away. Graves continue to receive victims, young and old alike, from Israel’s most recent offensive. And in the midst of this, with the hopes of some respite and […]
