Ramzy Baroud

When the United States government declared its war on Afghanistan in October 2001, thus taking the first step in its so-called "war on terror," following the devastating attacks of September 11 earlier that year, Iran jumped on board. Then Iranian President Mohammed Khatami, dubbed a reformist, provided substantial assistance in the US effort aimed at … Continue reading “Just Politics: Iran, Like the Rest, Is Not Blameless”

No matter what Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas does, his popularity is declining. In some ways, Abbas’ threshold for popularity was really never impressive to begin with, a trend that is unlikely to change in the near future. But now that a power struggle in his Fatah party is looming, and his two-decade investment in … Continue reading “The Good, Bad, and Uncertain About Recognizing ‘Palestine’”

"What is the Palestinian strategy?" is a question that I have been asked all too often, including on 15 May, the day that millions of Palestinians around the world commemorated the 67th anniversary of the Nakba, the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians by Zionist militias in 1947-48. The question itself doesn’t require much elaboration, as … Continue reading “Nakba and the Question of ‘Palestinian Strategy’”

In a western capital far away from Gaza and Cairo, I recently shared a pot of tea with an “Egyptian refugee”. The term is familiar to me, but never have I encountered an Egyptian who refers to himself as such. He stated it as a matter of fact by saying: “As an Egyptian refugee ..” … Continue reading “The Arab Boat: It’s an Arab-Palestinian Nakba, and We Are All Refugees”

Are you surprised that there has been little mobilization to help Yarmouk, the Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus, which is overrun by militants, and besieged by the Syrian army? Palestinians – and Syrians – there are killed in a myriad of ways, including starvation. As we stand and watch in horror and … Continue reading “Stuck in Area A: Disowning the Palestinians”

The population of Syria’s Palestinian Refugee Camp, Yarmouk – whose population once exceeded 250,000, dwindling throughout the Syrian civil war to 18,000 – are a microcosm of the story of a whole nation, whose perpetual pain shames us all, none excluded. Refugees who escaped the Syrian war or are displaced in Syria itself, are experiencing … Continue reading “Do Something, Anything: Naming and Shaming in Yarmouk”

Waiting on Israeli society to change from within is a colossal waste of time, during which the suffering of an entire nation – torn between an occupied home and a harsh diaspora – will not cease. But what are Palestinians and the supporters of a just peace in Palestine and Israel to do? Plenty. Those … Continue reading “How Palestinians Can Defeat Apartheid”

Imagine if an American presidential candidate made a plea to his supporters on election day with the following statement: "The Republican administration is in danger. Black voters are going en masse to the polls. Liberal NGOs are bringing them on buses." Even in a country where Chris Matthews is a media celebrity and Pamela Geller … Continue reading “Netanyahu the Mythbuster: ‘Special Relationship’ No More”

No matter how one attempts to wrangle with the so-called "Islamic State" (IS) rise in Iraq and Syria, desperately seeking any political or other context that would validate the movement as an explainable historical circumstance, things refuse to add up. Not only is IS to a degree an alien movement in the larger body politic … Continue reading “‘Islamic State’ as a Western Phenomenon? Reimagining the IS Debate”

Truly, US President Barack Obama’s recent call to address the root causes of violence, including that of the so-called "Islamic State" (IS) and al-Qaeda was a step in the right direction, but still miles away from taking the least responsibility for the mayhem that has afflicted the Middle East since the US invasion of Iraq … Continue reading “The Truth About Root Causes of Terrorism”