Israel and the Palestinian conflict – lessons from the peacekeeper’s toolbox
State-building in Gaza is essential, but it has a Catch-22 quality: there can be non state-building with Hamas but (for as long as they are... Read More
The law of shame that defies Jewish values
This deplorable new law forfeits the Jews’ dream of having a real democratic state in which they take pride; a just and benevolent state at... Read More
Conference on security and cooperation in the Middle East
The Association of World Citizens has for a good number of years proposed a Conference for Security and Cooperation in the Middle East with full... Read More
Protests in Gaza – changed perceptions from India
The worsening security situation that India faces today at its borders regions is making it see the violence in Gaza through the lens of Kashmir,... Read More
Hamas will invite war in the search for a long-term solution
Those who suggest that Hamas is irredeemable, as many Israelis contend, are simply wrong. Notwithstanding their public statements to the contrary, Hamas knows that Israel... Read More
Recasting the Levant
The approach in the Levant should be to hold and manage territory using international military force, deterring further escalations, for the indefinite future until informal... Read More
Restraining Persia
There can be no new Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Iran is too much of an enigma. We do now know exactly what we are... Read More
Yemen – political stalemate, mercenaries prosper, the population disintegrates, and humanitarian relief blocked
Today, the choice between an end to the armed conflict with negotiations for a renewal of a Yemeni State on the basis of the con-federal... Read More
An open letter to Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar
In the end, Mr. Haniyeh and Mr. Sinwar, you and successive Israeli leaders have made many fatal mistakes by missing repeated opportunities to end the... Read More
An open letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu
You, Mr. Netanyahu, have a solemn responsibility to end this conflict because not a single Israeli or Palestinian should die in a blood-soaked conflict that... Read More
Ain Al-Hilweh redux – what’s still Palestinian in those refugee camps?
Today, some 51 years following the establishment of Palestinian refugee camps on Lebanese soil (Ain al-Hilweh was among the first), we must ask ourselves a... Read More
Why US must expand, not withdraw, forces from Syria
The US cannot impact the development of events in Syria without a credible and strong military backing to deter any adversary from acting in any... Read More
Seventy years of Palestinian resistance since the establishment of the state of Israel
This month marks not only 70 years since the establishment of Israel and the Palestinian Nakba, but 70 years of ongoing Palestinian resistance.
Lebanon’s refugee crisis through a sectarian lens
It is important to reflect on the essential role sectarianism has played in preventing the Lebanese State from establishing an effective and rational asylum policy... Read More
Israel at seventy – time to celebrate and time to lament
No military might, fences, or walls will provide Israel the safety and security it seeks. Only peace forged from a position of strength would guarantee... Read More
Fewer refugees, more refugeeism – why is it so?
As Lebanon prepares to commemorate 100 years of “statehood” two years from now, it apparently neglected during that century to develop the legal tools it... Read More
Reporting Syria: this is a story about people – an interview with Rania Abouzeid
A conversation with reporter Rania Abouzeid about practicing journalism, the role of media in the conflict, and the future of Syria.
Decertifying the Iran deal is dangerously reckless
Revisiting the Iran deal would have provided a golden opportunity to change the regional dynamic, as long as Iran is ready and willing to play... Read More
Lebanon’s parliamentary elections – women shattering the glass ceiling?
After almost a decade of delays that stalled Lebanon’s political process, parliamentary elections held next month will be a watershed moment for women and youth... Read More
The dying in Syria rests on the conscience of the West
President Obama and now Trump have put America to shame for failing to live up to its moral responsibility as the global leader, by abandoning... Read More
Israeli and Hamas leaders must face the bitter reality
Israel and Hamas must drop any demand that cannot realistically be met, as it only casts serious doubts about each other’s ultimate intentions. Sadly, though,... Read More
“Army of Islam” – Erdogan’s plot against Israel
How many more sinister steps can Erdogan take before the EU and the US recognize that he is a threat against Western strategic interests? He... Read More
Is a war between Israel and Iran/Hezbollah imminent? – part two
The irony is that none of the players involved directly or indirectly in the civil war in Syria want to escalate the conflict by threatening... Read More
Is a war between Israel and Iran/Hezbollah imminent?
Hezbollah, with the full support of Iran, will maintain its threatening posture toward Israel by continuing its efforts to increase its stockpile of weapons, but... Read More
The horror of Syria – the curse on our houses
Aid workers speak out against the suffering of Syria, the failures of politicians and the cynicism of political campaigns to discredit foreign aid.
