Ramzy Baroud

In a recent report, the United Nations Mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, concluded that, on January 3, French warplanes had struck a crowd attending a wedding in the remote village of Bounti, killing 22 of the guests. According to the findings, based on a thorough investigation and interviews with hundreds of eyewitnesses, 19 of … Continue reading “The Secret Wars of Africa’s Sahel: What Is Behind Mali’s Ongoing Strife”

The Israeli government’s position regarding an impending investigation by the International Criminal Court of alleged war crimes committed in occupied Palestine has been finally declared by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "It will be made clear that Israel is a country with rule of law that knows how to investigate itself," Netanyahu said in a … Continue reading “Israel Rejects ICC Investigation: What Are the Possible Future Scenarios?”

A "major setback" was the recurring term in many news headlines reporting on the outcome of Israel’s general elections of March 23. While this depiction specifically referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to secure a decisive victory in the country’s fourth elections in two years, this is only part of the narrative. Certainly, … Continue reading “Kafkaesque Politics: The Missing Lessons From Israel’s Latest Elections”

A Palestinian man, Atef Yousef Hanaysha, was killed by Israeli occupation forces on March 19 during a weekly protest against illegal Israeli settlement expansion in Beit Dajan, near Nablus, in the northern West Bank. Although tragic, the above news reads like a routine item from occupied Palestine, where shooting and killing unarmed protesters is part … Continue reading “The Nakba of Sheikh Jarrah: How Israel Uses ‘The Law’ To Ethnically Cleanse East Jerusalem”

Recent statements made by US officials suggest that Washington will continue to pursue a hardline policy on Venezuela. The new Biden Administration, however, may need to rethink its approach. US State Department spokesperson, Ned Price, remarked on February 3 that he “certainly” does not “expect this administration to be engaging directly with (President) Maduro.” Namely, … Continue reading “Why the US Should Reverse Course on Venezuela”

On February 4, representatives from the Palestinian Movement, Hamas, visited Moscow to inform the Russian government of the latest development on the unity talks between the Islamic Movement and its Palestinian counterparts, especially Fatah. This was not the first time that Hamas’s officials traveled to Moscow on similar missions. In fact, Moscow continues to represent … Continue reading “‘Engaging the World’: The ‘Fascinating Story’ of Hamas’s Political Evolution”

Many Palestinian intellectuals and political analysts find themselves in the unenviable position of having to declare a stance on whether they support or reject upcoming Palestinian elections which are scheduled for May 22 and July 30. But there are no easy answers. The long-awaited decree by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas last January to hold … Continue reading “Elections Under Fire: Palestine’s Impossible Democracy Dilemma”

"That’s certainly our goal and our intention." This was the noncommittal answer given by White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, when, on February 12, she was asked by a reporter whether the new Joe Biden Administration intends to shut down the notorious Guantánamo Bay Prison by the end of the president’s first term in office. … Continue reading “‘Is This Who We Are?’: Gitmo Is America’s Enduring Shame”

At a glance, it may appear that the split of Arab political parties in Israel is consistent with a typical pattern of political and ideological divisions which have afflicted the Arab body politic for many years. This time, however, the reasons behind the split are quite different. As Israel readies for its fourth general elections … Continue reading “Ready To Work With Netanyahu: Mansour Abbas Splinters Arab Vote in Israel”

Motivated by their justifiable aversion to former US President Donald Trump, many analysts have rashly painted a rosy picture of how Democrats could quickly erase the bleak trajectory of the previous Republican administration. This naivety is particularly pronounced in the current spin on the Palestinian-Israeli discourse, which is promoting, again, the illusion that Democrats will … Continue reading “‘Leaving Aside’ International Law: Why Democrats Are as Dangerous as Republicans to a Just Peace in Palestine”