To engage, or not to engage: that is the question
(from Gulf News, 20 February 2013)
Americans and Arabs need to find some common ground but that can only be possible if extremists on both sides are challenged by more moderate voices
America's new Vietnam syndrome (from Gulf News, 6 February 2013)
The kind of questioning that Hagel had to face at his confirmation hearing only goes to show that the ideological divisions of the 1970s have survived into the 21st century, reborn now as arguments over whether Iraq was ‘worth it’
Conspiracy theories won't lead to truth (from Gulf News, 14 November 2012)
Linking Petraeus’ resignation with the Benghazi attack will only make Washington’s still-toxic political climate worse at a time when a fresh start might just be possible
Fundamental difference between Democrats & Republicans (from Gulf News, 31 October 2012)
Sometimes the big problem in US politics comes not when Democrats and Republicans differ, but when they agree.
Little to choose between camps (from Gulf News, 17 October 2012)
The question Republicans have so far failed to answer is what Romney would actually have done differently had he been the president
Setting the tone for the final countdown (from Gulf News, 3 October 2012)
In a country that has been sharply polarised for more than a decade, it is a bit shocking to surf the TV, radio or computer and see the degree to which Americans live in what seems to be utterly separate political worlds
Task Cut Out for Romney and Mursi (from Gulf News, 19 September 2012)
Romney is still trying to connect with American voters, while Mursi needs to sell himself and his government to the international community.
Why do Republicans fear the Arab Spring? (from Gulf News, 8 August 2012)
If elected president, Romney’s right-wing attitude risks vitiating US foreign policy by looking upon all Islamist governments as America’s enemies
The coming clash in Cairo: Mursi v Military (from Gulf News, 27 June 2012)
Egypt has been under military rule for 60 years, not 16 months
Washington must learn to live with the Islamists (from Gulf News, 16 May 2012)
Instead of indulging in alarmist stereotypes, it is time for US politicians to find Muslim leaders who they can work with
Conspiracy theories don't fool people (from Gulf News, 8 February 2012)
The Syrian and Egyptian governments are concocting tales of intrigue to mask heavy-handedness and mismanagement
Libya episode casts doubts on policy of foreign intervention (from Gulf News, 2 November 2011)
The apparently genuine gratitude many Libyans feel for the assistance of Nato and its Arab allies should not obscure the fact that everything in Libya took longer, cost more money and turned out to be more politically difficult than anyone predicted on the way in.
Egypt: All politics is local (from Gulf News, 24 August 2011)
A timid approach to constitutional reform and a refusal to lift emergency law have taken the shine off the military
Obama in a quandary over Syria (from Gulf News, 15 June 2011)
Comparatively speaking Tunisia, Egypt and even Libya were easy. Syria is something else entirely.
The Republicans & Netanyahu (from Gulf News, 1 June 2011)
What we saw in Washington last week was both unprecedented and a bad omen for the future.
Terror is a tactic, not an opponent (from Gulf News, 3 May 2011)
Al-Qaeda's leader is gone, but the ideology he represented is far from dead.
US should stay the course in the Libyan intervention (from Gulf News, 23 March 2011)
Does the international community - Arab and Western nations alike - have the wherewithal to finish what it has started?
Think twice about a Libya no-fly zone (from Gulf News, 9 March 2011)
Military intervention may end the humanitarian crisis, but no Western or Arab power has the stomach for it right now.
Why Republicans are Holding their Tongues on Mideast Unrest (from Gulf News, 23 February 2011)
Obama's critics are playing it safe in an uncertain situation. He should use this breathing space while he has it.
A Chance to End Decades of Hypocrisy (from Gulf News, 9 February 2011)
The US cannot - and should not - pick Egypt's next leader, but it should do everything it can to ensure that Egyptians get a real opportunity to do so.
Will Obama Walk the Talk in Tunisia? (from Gulf News, 26 January 2011)
Tunisia presents President Obama with the opportunity to show that, unlike Bush and his other predecessors, he will put the long-term interests of Arab people ahead of the short-term interests of Arab governments.
A new American political age (from Gulf News, 12 January 2011)
The attack on Rep. Giffords highlights the ways in which 21st century polarization differs from its 18th through 20th century versions.
Expect a lot of US rhetoric on Iran (from Gulf News, 15 December 2010)
The closer we get to 2012, the harder it will be for Obama to ignore talk of the Iranian threat.
Washington Isn't As Simple As the Tea Party Believes
(from Gulf News, 17 November 2010)
The learning curve for new members of Congress is always steep. This year, it may be even steeper.
Welcome to Campaign 2012 (from Gulf News, 3 November 2010)
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, yes, it has already started.
Republicans Have Forgotten Reagan's Take on Government
(from Gulf News, 20 October 2010)
The former President's heirs have reduced his philosophy to a parody of itself.
Obama exhibits political savvy that his Republican critics lack
(from Gulf News, 6 October 2010)
Democracies can only engage in lengthy wars when those conflicts enjoy some degree of popular backing.
Republicans hold upper hand, but not by much
(from Gulf News, 22 September 2010)
The Democrats are in trouble - but Obama remains America's most popular politician. That might mean that November's outcome is less clear-cut than many pundits and political pros believe.
Has Obama Risked Too Much on Middle East Peace Talks?
(from Gulf News, 8 September 2010)
The talks that began last week in Washington hold little promise - but they may be the best option available just now.
America still has a great capacity for self-correction
(from Gulf News, 25 August 2010)
Despite the often bigoted tone of debates surrounding Islam in America, there is cause for hope.
Fear of the other cripples US (from Gulf News, 11 August 2010)
Politicians on the right who should know better are acting in an irresponsible manner
Expect Little From Washington This Year (from Gulf News, 28 July 2010)
With a tough election looming, Obama is unlikely to pay much attention to the Middle East.
US will declare victory and pull out (from Gulf News, 14 July 2010)
America's debate over Afghanistan is starting to sound a lot like discussions about Iraq five years ago.
U.S. politicians are too partisan (from Gulf News, 23 February 2010)
For many political observers on both sides of the aisle the Senate, in particular, has become a study in dysfunction: a place where a lethal combination of ego and tradition make it nearly impossible to get anything done.
Swagger isn't actually a policy (from Gulf News, 13 January 2010)
Obama is right to focus on identifying where the intelligence system failed and fixing the shortcomings
Health care battle isn't over (from Gulf News, 30 December 2009)
Obama may have the Senate's approval, but he remains a long way from signing a bill.
The Post-Nobel Challenge for Obama (from Gulf News, 16 December 2009)
The U.S. President's desire to end the wars he has inherited must be backed by peaceful transitions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
2012 is still a long way off (from Gulf News, 2 December 2009)
Let's all stop comparing Sarah Palin and Barack Obama's poll numbers. The election is too far off for them to mean anything.
(complete article)
(complete article)
An end to the 'War on Terror' (from Gulf News, 17 November 2009)
It is high time we ended the dangerous fiction that America is at 'war' with a tactic.
(complete article)
(complete article)
Regaining America's Lost Respect (from Gulf News, 4 November 2009)
One year after the American presidential election it is too soon to judge Barack Obama's administration a success or failure, but the progress he has made in restoring the country's international reputation is significant, and praiseworthy. (complete article)
The US war in Iraq is far from over (from Gulf News, 21 October 2009)
It is time for a more honest discussion in the US about what, exactly, getting out of Iraq means.
(complete article)
(complete article)
Learning the wrong lessons (from Gulf News, 7 October 2009)
Washington's dominant narrative concerning the 'surge' is, at best, incomplete and in many ways flat-out wrong. Using it as a guide for policy in Afghanistan is a serious mistake. (complete article)
Thinking through US strategy (from Gulf News, 23 September 2009)
Appearing on five Sunday talk shows Barack Obama took time to discuss Afghanistan. The conclusion? Our strategy remains very much a work in progress. (complete article)
Why is this even an issue? (from Gulf News, 9 September 2009)
The rest of the rich world - and much of the not-so-rich-world - takes universal health care for granted. Why is America different? (complete article)
A Worker in the Shadows (from Gulf News, 4 September 2009)
From the Weekend Review Section: Ted Kennedy was among the last of a vanishing breed of U.S. Senators.
(complete article)
(complete article)
Are Americans really that angry? (from Gulf News, 26 August 2009)
An attempt to explain America's Summer of Anger. (complete article)
US Debate Resonates (from Gulf News, 12 August 2009)
One might think the health care debate is a purely domestic issue - holding no importance for the Middle East. Nothing could be further from the truth. (complete article)
In matters of the gun, America bites the bullet
(from Gulf News, 31 July 2009)
Has US accepted a nuclear Iran? (from Gulf News, 29 July 2009)
What was most surprising about Hillary Clinton's Iran comments was the lack of reaction they elicited here at home. (complete article)
In Rhythm with Fame (from Gulf News, 17 July 2009)
Michael Jackson was a star in his time. Whether he remains so, only time will tell. (complete article)
Learn from McNamara's follies (from Gulf News, 15 July 2009)
Does Robert McNamara's career - and his fate in the decades after he left government - hold any lessons for his successors in the Bush and Obama administrations? (complete article)
Is Barack Obama a liberal? (from Gulf News, 1 July 2009)
The US president is probably best described as a figure of the centre-left who believes the country is drifting in his direction. (complete article)
Obama will have to focus on Iran (from Gulf News, 17 June 2009)
Right now Iran looks like the worst sort of crisis: the kind where everyone agrees that the US needs to do something despite the fact that, realistically, there is not much it can do. (complete article)
Even change needs a little time (from Gulf News, 3 June 2009)
Tomorrow, US President Barack Obama is scheduled to be in Cairo to deliver what is billed as a major address to the Muslim World. What can, or should, he say? And how might it be received? (complete article)
Nancy Pelosi's Bad Week (from Gulf News, 20 May 2009)
Is US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a villain? Someone directly responsible for America's Bush-era torture policies? A figure who should now be brought down in an act of collective catharsis?
In a word, no; though one could be forgiven for thinking otherwise after the media coverage of the last week. On the basis of the current evidence Pelosi surely bears a measure of responsibility for Washington's moral failings of the last seven years. It is, however, a comparatively small share. (complete article)
In a word, no; though one could be forgiven for thinking otherwise after the media coverage of the last week. On the basis of the current evidence Pelosi surely bears a measure of responsibility for Washington's moral failings of the last seven years. It is, however, a comparatively small share. (complete article)
Division in US will affect Middle East (from Gulf News, 6 May 2009)
Until last week there remained a hope, however faint, that a thoughtful and conciliatory new president might be able to convince Republicans of his goodwill and change Washington's tone. Then, on Friday, Justice David Souter announced his retirement from the US Supreme Court.
By Monday morning it was hard to avoid the conclusion that, despite US President Barack Obama's best efforts, the GOP is not interested in reconciliation and is not going to be brought round.
Why, you may ask, should this be of interest to readers outside the United States? Because the retreat of Democrats and Republicans to their respective political trenches means that foreign policy is apt to become merely another ideological battleground. This is especially problematic in the case of the Middle East - a region likely to present Obama with some of his toughest choices; including several that may put him at odds with his own party. (complete article)
By Monday morning it was hard to avoid the conclusion that, despite US President Barack Obama's best efforts, the GOP is not interested in reconciliation and is not going to be brought round.
Why, you may ask, should this be of interest to readers outside the United States? Because the retreat of Democrats and Republicans to their respective political trenches means that foreign policy is apt to become merely another ideological battleground. This is especially problematic in the case of the Middle East - a region likely to present Obama with some of his toughest choices; including several that may put him at odds with his own party. (complete article)
