Free Republic

It is with profound sadness that we learned of the passing of Fouad Ajami, who lost his battle with cancer on Sunday. Fouad is truly one of the most brilliant Middle East scholars of our time. His Hoover Institution family will forever miss his superb scholarship, quick wit and gentle spirit. As we reflect upon a man whose life and intellectual contributions influenced so many, our thoughts and prayers go to his lovely wife, Michelle. Fouad Ajami was born September 18, 1945 in Arnoun, Lebanon. Ajami was a senior fellow of the Hoover Institution, and more recently the Herbert and...

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba (AP) - Plans to close Guantanamo are not sitting well with the Sept. 11 victims' relatives who sat stunned while two alleged terrorists declared they were proud of their role in the plot.

UN sources report that in unofficial discussions Russia agrees to support US-French version of ceasefire in Lebanon. Resolution expected to pass Tuesday. Washington outraged at Siniora, who withdrew his support under pressure from Iranians and Syrians WASHINGTON - The French-American resolution for a cessation of hostile activities in Lebanon overcame a significant hurdle Monday. In unofficial discussions that were held between the ambassadors of the five Security Council members, each of whom has veto power, Russia agreed to support the proposal. The practical implication of this is that, together with the Chinese and the British, there will be no veto....

Fouad Ajami, the Lebanese-American analyst, notes the contradiction of "an Arab world that besieges American embassies for visas and at the same time celebrates America's calamities."[1] But this seeming paradox actually makes sense. The more attractive the United States is to Arabs, the more pro-U.S. feelings threaten Arab nationalists and Islamists. As a result, both Arab nationalists and Islamists have an even greater incentive to distort Washington's policies and the nature of U.S. society in their propaganda. For these opponents of liberalism, the United States becomes the great Satan whose devilishness justifies their behavior and explains their failures. The anti-American...

   Arafat's war By Fouad Ajami, professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and author of "The Dream Palace of The Arabs" [Vintage 1999]. Wall Street Journal, March 29, 2002   The Arab summiteers in Beirut were on their way to dinner, it turned out, when a young man from the West Bank town of Tulkarm struck at Netanya for that terrible "Passover massacre." In a land soaked with blood, this was a deed whose memory will endure for years to come. The man of Tulkarm struck within "Israel proper," behind the "green line," away from...