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Stories written by Ramzy Baroud
Ramzy Baroud is an internationally-syndicated columnist and the editor of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is "My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story" (Pluto Press, London), now available on Amazon.com.

Gaza. Somalia. Humanity Lives On

I remember how exhilarated I felt when I was told I was old enough to fast for the month of Ramadan. My feelings had little to do with abstention from…

August 12, 20111 CommentRead More

Competing Narratives in Syria: Between Tired Slogans and a Looming Dawn

There is no linear narrative capable of explaining the multifarious happenings that have gripped Syrian society in recent months. On March 23, as many as 20 peaceful protesters were killed…

August 7, 20111 CommentRead More

Arab Awakening and Western Media: Time for a New Revolutionary Discourse

When President Ali Abdullah Saleh tried desperately to quell Yemen’s popular uprising, he appealed to tribalism, customs, and traditions. All his efforts evidently failed, and the revolution continued unabated. When…

July 28, 2011Comments OffRead More

Ground Your Warplanes, Save the Horn of Africa

“When you are hungry, cold is a killer, and the people here are starving and helpless.” Not many of us can relate to such a statement, but millions of ‘starving…

July 22, 20112 CommentsRead More

Confused Strategy: How the PA Sold Out Palestinian Unity

If you happen to be a Palestinian government employee, chances are you will receive only half your usual salary this month. The other half will only be available when international…

July 14, 20116 CommentsRead More

Yemen Continues to Inspire Amid Great Odds

The Yemeni people are unrelenting in their demands for democracy. Millions continue to stage rallies across their country in a display of will that is proving the most robust out…

July 7, 20115 CommentsRead More

US Foreign Policy Invigorated at the Expense of Gaza

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made a series of stern and fiery statements recently, giving the impression that war is somehow upon us once again. Oddly, Clinton’s sudden…

July 1, 2011Comments OffRead More

Economy Alone Fails to Explain Turkey’s Success

Many commentators today are basing the success of Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the June 12 elections largely on its ability to guide the country through a decade…

June 25, 20113 CommentsRead More

‘Permanent’ Despair: Did Egypt Really Open Rafah Crossing?

For most Palestinians, leaving Gaza through Egypt is as exasperating a process as entering it. Governed by political and cultural sensitivities, most Palestinian officials and public figures refrain from criticizing…

June 17, 2011Comments OffRead More

One Missile, One Playground: The Will of Gaza

GAZA — A “Hamas commander” drove a beat-up gray van in northern Gaza and theatrically spoke on his walkie-talkie as I sat in the passenger seat. The van was almost…

June 10, 20112 CommentsRead More

Crushed Ice in Nuseirat: My Gaza Refugee Camp Revisited

GAZA — “Do you remember Mahmoud?” asked Abu Nidal, my neighbor from nearly 20 years ago, when I lived in Gaza. “Yes, of course, I do,” I answered. I remembered…

June 3, 2011Comments OffRead More

Welcome to Gaza: Revolution and Change at the Rafah Border

The Palestinian security officer at the Rafah border was overly polite. He wore a black uniform and walked around self-assuredly, as he instructed weary travelers on their next moves before…

May 29, 2011Comments OffRead More

Unity is Not Compromise: Towards a Real Palestinian Strategy

As the Palestine Papers demonstrated, the major obstacle to a real, lasting and just peace in Palestine is the Israeli leadership’s unwillingness to accept anything less than full domination over…

May 20, 2011Comments OffRead More

Gaza Marathon: A Race for Freedom and Summer Camps

Nader al-Masri is an inspiration. The 31-year-old Gaza athlete seems completely oblivious to challenges that would seem insurmountable to most. On May 5th, he led a small pack of nine…

May 11, 2011Comments OffRead More

Palestinian Unity and the New Middle East

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to the Hamas-Fatah deal in Cairo was both swift and predictable. “The Palestinian Authority must choose either peace with Israel or peace with Hamas.…

May 6, 2011Comments OffRead More

US Rethinks Strategy: War as Opportunity in Libya

The brutality of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and his refusal to concede power, is costing Libya much more than innocent lives. The country is now also facing a possible loss…

April 29, 20113 CommentsRead More

Staying Human: The Heroic Legacy of Vittorio Arrigoni

“Dear Mary,” wrote Italian justice activist Vittorio Arrigoni to a friend. “Do you (know who) will be on the boats? … I’m still in Gaza, waiting for you. I will…

April 21, 2011Comments OffRead More

‘Matter of Policy’: Gaza War and Goldstone’s Moral Collapse

Shocking is not a sufficient term to describe Justice Richard Goldstone’s decision to recant parts of the 2009 report on alleged war crimes in Gaza. The document, known as the…

April 15, 20112 CommentsRead More

War on Palestinian Memory: Israel Resolves Its Democracy Dilemma

Palestinian citizens of Israel must have been proud of the fact that their collective tenacity always proved stronger than any Israeli attempt at dislocating them from their rightful historical narrative.…

April 8, 201117 CommentsRead More

For the Love of Egypt: When Besieged Palestinians Danced

A dear friend of mine from Gaza told me that he hadn’t slept for days. “I am so worried about Egypt, I have only been feeding on cigarettes and coffee.”…

April 3, 2011Comments OffRead More