Ramzy Baroud

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice couldn’t possibly have been more accurate when she accused Iran of “playing games” with the international community. Rice was specifically referring to an announcement made April 30, by deputy head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Agency Muhammad Saeedi, that his country is willing to allow “snap inspections” by the … Continue reading “Iran vs. US: Nuclear Standoff or Realpolitik?”

There is a degree of surrealism in all of this. Hamas has presented its choice for prime minister to President Mahmoud Abbas, as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine says it has agreed in principle to join a Hamas-led government. In the Arab world, such political transformation (Islamists and Socialists working together to … Continue reading “Hamas Victory Has Changed Everything”

The mainstream media’s lionizing and exalting of the fatally ill Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon could only be compared to that of great men and women of past years. The hundreds of endearing commentaries, venerating news reports and glorifying television programs – massively sprung in the wake of his unexpected stroke on Wednesday, January 4 … Continue reading “Exalting Sharon: A Dire Case of Collective Amnesia”

Many lessons can be drawn from the observation of Israeli dominion over the Palestinians in the past fifty-five years, most notably the audacious mandate of institutionalized violence. Even more alarming than the crimes themselves is the fact that even after blatantly violating international law, Israel manages to remain in the safety of the fold of … Continue reading “Israel’s Successful Use of the Art of Realpolitik”

The BBC’s striking revelations regarding the secretive and disconcerting British role in making an Israeli nuclear bomb possible, deserves more than a quick pause and a few dozen news reports. It obliges a thorough investigation coupled with a complete reversal in the double standard that views Israel’s fully-fledged nuclear capabilities as a trivial concern. The … Continue reading “Israel’s Nuclear Puzzle Resolved: But To What End?”

The deadly terror attacks in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheik Red Sea resort in July and the earlier October 2004 bombings at two other Red Sea resorts seem to have disrupted the consistency of the rationale that links the current terrorism upsurge in the Middle East to the US war effort in Iraq. The Christian Science Monitor … Continue reading “Blaming the Mosques for the Sins of Governments”

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s highly publicized tour in the Middle East, Asia and Europe carried with it little or no surprises. But even then, one must not altogether write off the possibility of some lessons to be learned, even if indirectly. The Middle East leg of her journey, which lasted from June 17-20, … Continue reading “Managed Democracy: Washington’s Prospective Policy in the Middle East”

"Ramzy, I must admit it, it’s so hard being a Palestinian these days.” That’s how a friend of mine, a dedicated individual who is spending her days and years advocating justice for the Palestinian people, ended a distressing message to me a few months back. I recall her words often, and as often I recall … Continue reading “Grandpa’s Battered Radio”

The reported desecration of the Quran by US guards at the infamous Guantánamo prison, as originally reported by Newsweek on May 9, 2005, was not – as it should’ve been – an opportunity for a thorough examination of US army practices, and thus human rights abuses, toward Muslim inmates in the numerous detention camps erected … Continue reading “Muslim Lives are Desecrated, Not Just Their Book”

Cast aside the nonsensical rhetoric about U.S. President George W. Bush’s ostensibly successful efforts to bolster democratic tendencies “sweeping” the Middle East, and you’ll discover that the facts are not so rosy, with Iraq remaining the most horrific reminder. Bush seems to preside over an entirely different world reality when he adamantly presents himself as … Continue reading “Battling the Windmills While Iraq Burns”