Articles
International Media
https://www.skynewsarabia.com/world/1700725-%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%AA%D9%8A%D9%86-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A8-%D9%81%D9%88%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%8A-%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B4%D8%B9%D9%84-%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%94%D8%A9%D8%9F – Quoted in Sky News Arabia سكاي نيوز عربية among various international analysts on what the latest election in Russia and the general trajectory mean for the war in Ukraine and Russia’s relations with the West. I pointed out that the relations will continue to deteriorate as Russia’ pursues anti-Western agenda beyond Ukraine and aligns with other militant dictatorships, while the West finally wakes up to the necessity of providing increased aid to Ukraine. It’s worth noting that the Middle Eastern analysts quoted in the article pretend to buy into the fairness of the “elections” in Russia and the level of support Putin has, but also favor Russia’s victory in Ukraine and believe that Russia’s hegemony will be favorable to the Arab world.
https://www.aletihad.ae/news/%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A-%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D9%8A/4471636/%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A8--%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B4%D9%83%D9%84-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AE-%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%A7 ; https://en.aletihad.ae/news/mena-world/4471706/us-election-campaigns-kick-off-with-rerun-of-2020-scenario – Looks like the popular UAE daily Al-Etihad finally has an English language edition. I was quoted in both Arabic and English regarding the latest trends in US elections 2024 after Biden and Trump clenched their respective parties’ dominations. I focused on polls and the gains and limitations in each camp, while another commentator discussed the policy and political challenges ahead. Thanks to Abdalah Abodief.
https://www.skynewsarabia.com/middle-east/1701330-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%94%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B0%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%85%D9%84-%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B3-%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%94%D9%88%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%AF%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%B9-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9%D8%9F – Quoted among various regional voices in an exceptionally important Sky News Arabia سكاي نيوز عربية article that represents a major shift in tone concerning the Israel-Hamas war in the Arabic language media, for the first time describing Hamas operations as a complete failure and also joining many of the Gaza voices that are now assigning at least some of the blame to Hamas for the humanitarian disaster. Worth reading for all the different perspectives on what went wrong with Hamas, but as for my own contribution, I discussed expectations versus reality on the participation of the various other factions and proxies in encircling Israel, and why that did not work out as planned, as well as how the plan to use international pressure to isolate Israel was undercut by the loss of UNWRA credibility & funding.
US Media
Quoted at length in a very important piece by Ray Fernandez writing for Technopedia about the rising trend of social media account hijacking and the financial and reputational damage for end users arising from these trends. The article goes deep into a discussion about the lack of responsiveness to such incidents by tech giants, such as Meta, potential policy initiatives by governments, why the US government has been reluctant to get involved, and whether meddlesome measures will ultimately provide any measure of relief to users. I talk about the various measures the companies and governments could be using to be more accountable and to protect end users. In general we are likely to see governments demand more accountability from big tech, which still is likely to have a limited impact. Ultimately, while social media companies could be much more helpful and much better with the detection of attacks, responses to client complaints, and enforcement of security protocols, the end users are still responsible for implementing best practices for safeguarding their own accounts.
I am deeply honored to be quoted in this Technopedia report by Ray Fernandez concerning the recent leak of AT&T customer data after a purported breach 3 years ago. Worth noting that this report received a great deal of pushback from some relevant stakeholders, and from a policy perspective, AT&T’s reaction to all of the relevant incidents has been unacceptable for many reasons, including those that didn’t make it into the final version of the report. However, the article also addresses other interesting issues including why hackers would wait so long to sell the data, and what happens to this data once it’s out on the market. Well worth reading whether you’re a techie, a consumer advocate, or just a concerned citizen. Let’s just say that some of the issues I am referring to are reason enough for the policymakers to increase the onus of responsibility on the companies.
TV Video Appearances and Podcasts
“A federal appeals court in the U.S put the controversial Texas immigration law back on hold just hours after the Supreme Court had cleared the way for the Texas administration to enforce the immigration control measures. The controversial law allowed state officials to arrest & detain people suspected of entering the U.S illegally from Mexico. The appeals court will continue to hold arguments to decide whether the law is unconstitutional and should be blocked indefinitely.” I took part in a panel of experts from India on News9Live Global Lens to discuss the growing and possibly decisive role of migration and border security in US Election s2024. We addressed many important questions, such as:
Who will benefit more from the border security crisis - Democrats or Republicans?
Does Joe Biden have an opportunity to fix the problem or will he ultimately be blamed for creating it in the first place no matter what he does?
Is the Texas law creating a dangerous precedent in terms of racial profiling and xenophobia - or is Trump’s rhetoric more to blame?
As the stand-off between the federal and Texas state authorities continues over the balance of powers, what are some of the circumstances and factors that are making border security such a hot button issue?
Recent data points to border security raising bipartisan concerns - but do Democrats and Republicans care about it for different reasons?
How is the American society being affected by this debate, and what can be said about the Republican criticism of the migration handling in terms of international experiences, priorities, and efforts to stem illegal migration and address Nationalsecurity issues, including in India?
... and much more
“85% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, 32,000 people have died and famine has now become imminent. Gaza is smaller in size than any American state but what is happening? The war is affecting the United States.” I joined WION (World Is One News) to discuss whether the block of “uncommitted” voters attacking Biden over his Gaza policy is significant enough to affect the outcome in the US presidential Election 2024, why Biden’s policy on Israel-Gaza is shifting, what sort of outreach and messaging the Biden administration has and should be doing in terms of addressing concerns by these voters, and the implications of this form of pressure for the Palestinians and for the US national security interests.
The Washington Outsider Report on the Coalition Radio
–Ep.134
Must watch discussion on The Washington Outsider Report on the Coalition Radio with Princeton University’s Dr. Harold James. Are we headed for a big conflagration on the basis of economic warfare and financial trends between states, based on historical evidence? The discussion unravels common misuses and understandings of globalization and globalism, and reveals why the “zero sum game” on trade is bound to lead to conflict and will be unlikely to solve any of the domestic concerns that neo-isolationists are pushing forward in the US and Europe. Moreover, other countries that are using economic warfare as a tool of fighting hybrid wars against the US also stand to learn from history how such provocations and efforts to bankrupt or undermine the prosperity of other countries have led to direct confrontation, and eventual horrible economic outcomes. Some of the issue we tackle include:
The surprising origins of the word “globalism”
The challenges and opportunities of a new “Industrial Revolution”
What the tensions between Germany and France during the Moroccan Crisis of 1911 can tell us about some of the current geopolitical stand-offs
The “winners” and “losers” of some of the contemporary geoeconomic trends. Are protectionism and isolationism really the answers?
How certain forms of economic cooperation can safeguard against Hydridwarfare attacks
What are the takeaways from some of the recent movements? Who has an interests in pushing grassroots Populism?
Can we prevent major wars breaking out in light of all the existing warning signs?
... and so much more!
The Washington Outsider
SCANDAL: In a major exclusive investigation for The Washington Outsider, Giovanni Giacalone reveals the dirty secrets of Italy’s political underbelly, intelligence, and corrupt judiciary - and how Italy has become a safe haven for Palestinian terrorists of all stripes, contradicting Rome’s international obligations and commitments.
Other Interesting Reads
A new Middle Eastern think tank has a piece exploring globalization and its various discontents, and how some of the major choke points of globalization are moving to non-Western countries. The piece also weighs whether the US has any particular strengths to harness the forces of globalization in its favor against these changing tides.