March 12th

Breaking the Gordian knot In Print by Ziad Asali - Al-Ahram (Opinion) - May 1, 2003 - 12:00am As tension persists in the Arab world over the Iraq war, it is imperative to act quickly to repair the political and diplomatic damage to US-Arab relations and our reputation in the Middle East. » Read more

The Mideast crisis: Ziad J. Asali Interview with ATFP - USA Today - August 22, 2003 - 12:00am This week's devastating violence between Israel and the Palestinians appears to have rendered the eight-week-old truce, or hudna, null and void. After Thursday's killing of a senior Hamas official by Israel in retaliation for a suicide bombing of a bus in Jerusalem which 20 people died. The Islamic militant group Hamas threatened revenge and formally abandoned the cease-fire. » Read more

Fences Don't Always Make Good Neighbors Media Mention of ATFP In Seattle Post-Intelligencer - January 14, 2004 - 1:00am Henry Kissinger still wants to be a player in U.S. foreign policy, but he is off base on a crucial issue in the Middle East. I'm convinced that Kissinger would give up all his riches -- accumulated by parlaying his government expertise into lucrative business connections -- if he could be secretary of state-in-perpetuity. Power has always meant more to him than money. When he was guiding our nation's foreign affairs in 1969 and the early 1970s as President Nixon's national security adviser and secretary of state, the world was his chessboard. » Read more

Bush's Inaction Over General's Islam Remarks Riles Two Faiths; Muslims call for rebuke of Boykin, but such a move could isolate key Christian supporters Media Mention of Ziad Asali In The Los Angeles Times - November 23, 2003 - 1:00am More than a month has passed since the disclosure that a fundamentalist Christian policymaker at the Pentagon had disparaged Muslims for worshipping idols. Yet to U.S. diplomats charged with selling America to the Arab world, the remarks by Lt. Gen. William G. "Jerry" Boykin are an albatross they cannot seem to shake. "I get calls from officials in Arab countries every day about Boykin," said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute. "They are stunned nothing has happened." » Read more

Bush Letter to Sharon In Print by Ziad Asali - Congressional Quarterly (Opinion) - January 4, 2005 - 1:00am Before making any serious comments about the letter that President Bush presented to Mr. Sharon we must take note that it was written before the passing of Chairman Arafat and the changes that have lead to the democratic election of a new Palestinian President. Political reality has changed and will unquestionably have an impact on policy. » Read more

Tangible Results Needed In Print by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) - September 12, 2006 - 12:00am The agreement on forming a new unity government among the Palestinians, coming at the heals of British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s diplomatic tour of the Middle East, could constitute a significant opportunity to heed the growing chorus of respected American voices calling for an urgent effort to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However progress will require more than words. Serious actions and tangible results will be indispensable. » Read more

Building an alliance towards the historic compromise In Print by Ziad Asali - The Jordan Times (Opinion) - November 19, 2004 - 1:00am A consensus about the contours of a genuine and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians is well known. Its essential elements have been expressed in Clinton's Taba proposal, the Geneva and Nusseibeh- Ayalon plans, and the roadmap. Surveys of Palestinians, Israelis, American Jews and Arabs indicate support for a two-state solution. However, an opposing minority in each camp has exercised its power predictably and effectively to thwart the will of the majorities. These forces are opposed to peace because they think time is on their » Read more

Where do we go from here? In Print by Ziad Asali - The Baltimore Sun (Opinion) - November 18, 2004 - 1:00am You would have thought that now that he is gone, we would not have Arafat to kick around anymore, but you would be wrong. The sheer volume of words uttered and written to vilify him and define his legacy in the worst light surly seems excessive for a dead person who was considered irrelevant and “ not a partner.” Having criticized him publicly and clearly in both Arabic and English, I feel that this persistent attention, may have more to do with hurting the image of the Palestinian people rather than that of their departed leader. » Read more

Of Image and Peace In Print by Ziad Asali - (Opinion) - January 9, 2004 - 1:00am Newspaper headlines on the day after Christmas read: “12-Week Lull in Mideast Ends,” on the cover of the Los Angeles Times; “Attacks broke a lull that had lasted more than two months,” reported the Chicago Tribune; “Lull in Violence Ends,” was the headline in the San Francisco Chronicle and 3,000 miles away The New York Times reported, “The suicide bomb attack…broke a relative calm that existed on both sides since October.” » Read more

America Must Restore its Middle East Credibility In Print by Ziad Asali - The Daily Star (Opinion) - April 13, 2003 - 12:00am As tension mounts in the Arab world over the new war in Iraq, it is imperative that we act quickly to repair the political and diplomatic damage to U.S.-Arab relations and our reputation in the Middle East. » Read more