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following is a chapter in a book published by Hoover

Daoud Kuttab

 It might seem like a contradiction to pose the question of howthe United States can deal with international terror in a civilizedway, but there are many nonviolent things that can bedone short of, or alongside, violent responses. To understandwhat these might be, we must first recognize the nature of the

main actor: the United States.

 America the Exceptional In a unipolar world, in which the United States has lonesuperpower status on the political, financial, and military levels,much more is expected of America than of any other

country.

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Your editorial “This Time?” published on November 28  misrepresented the Palestinian point of view. Your editorial quotes unspecified reports that Palestinian negotiators didn’t want to refer to Israel as a Jewish sate because “that might undercut the Palestinian’s right to return to Israel.”

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following is my letter to the editor in the Daily Princetonian

   Regarding ‘A bizarre and unsupported argument’ (Monday, Nov. 19, 2007):

    Seffy Muller ’08 thinks it bizarre that, in his lecture, Norman Finkelstein “reduced the Palestinian Israeli conflict to the international legality and historic fact.” So if he is not supposed to talk about these rather neutral references, would a look at the human side of the conflict be better? Here’s a look at the morality of the 60 years of the creation of the Palestinian refugee problem: 40 years of military occupation and illegal Jewish-only settlements in Palestinian lands as well as hundreds of Israeli violations of human rights. Continue Reading »

The government rejected a petition to grant a local radio license for the third biggest city of Jordan, Zarqa.  In one of its last decision the outgoing Jordanian cabinet rejected the application by AmmanNet to set up a community radio station that will not broadcast news or politics. Continue Reading »

Deeds and not words are the key to any argument

Leslie H. Gelb fails the same test of “backing up their premise” that he sets for professors Mearsheimer & Walt. In  “Dual Loyalties,” ( NY Times September 23^rd Book Review of “The Israel lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy)  he denies the power of the ‘lobby’ by arguing the US administration has since 1967 privately expressed support for Palestinian statehood.

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A minimum strategic goal by Daoud Kuttab

In all previous attempts at negotiations with Israel, Palestinians have never made any real breakthrough. Progress has only been made on procedural or superficial issues, even if expectations were always raised unreasonably high, which in turn created exaggerated hopes for the peace process. This has been the case since the Madrid peace conference and was true of the Oslo process. Throughout, the Palestinian position was in permanent retreat and concessions were offered Israel at no cost.

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Wednesday, September 26, 2007A little humility

By Daoud Kuttab
Guest Columnist

    The controversy surrounding an academic invitation to the Iranian president reflects one of the more serious problems that is negatively affecting the image of the United States around the world.    It was clear that Columbia president Bollinger and his staff wanted to boast that their university respects freedom of expression by inviting a controversial head of state. But when this academic exercise was challenged (mostly by radical pro-Israeli elements), he was forced to tweak this right in order to satisfy his critics and more importantly, the university donors. The way in which this problem was handled (nasty irreverent and unprovoked attack at a guest you invited) made the Ivy League university lose any credit it could have gained by what was otherwise a courageous decision. Continue Reading »

Palestine and the world a love hate relationship 

By Daoud Kuttab

 

Moments after Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas dismissed the Hamas led government and declared a state of emergency on June 15^th , he got a supportive phone call from the US Secretary of State Condoleza Rice. Within 24 hours US president George Bush and other world leaders had also called Abbas. In less than a week the 18 month crippling international economic siege on the Palestinian Authority was magically lifted. The signature of the new Palestinian finance minister Salam Fayyad who also headed the emergency Continue Reading »