Hussein Ibish

Senior Resident Scholar, AGSIW

Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. He is a weekly columnist for The National (UAE), former columnist for Bloomberg, regular contributor to The New York Times and The Daily Beast, and frequent contributor to many other U.S. and Middle Eastern publications. He has made thousands of radio and television appearances and was the Washington, DC correspondent for the Daily Star (Beirut). Many of Ibish’s articles are archived on his Ibishblog website.

His most recent book is What’s Wrong with the One-State Agenda? Why Ending the Occupation and Peace with Israel is Still the Palestinian National Goal (ATFP, 2009). Ibish was included in all three years (20112012, and 2013) of Foreign Policy’s “Twitterati 100,” the magazine’s list of 100 “must-follow” Twitter feeds on foreign policy.

Ibish is the editor and principal author of three major studies of Hate Crimes and Discrimination against Arab Americans 1998-2000 (ADC, 2001), Sept. 11, 2001-Oct. 11, 2002 (ADC, 2003), and 2003-2007 (ADC, 2008). He is also the author of “At the Constitution’s Edge: Arab Americans and Civil Liberties in the United States” in States of Confinement (St. Martin’s Press, 2000), “Anti-Arab Bias in American Policy and Discourse” in Race in 21st Century America (Michigan State University Press, 2001), “Race and the War on Terror,” in Race and Human Rights (Michigan State University Press, 2005) and “Symptoms of Alienation: How Arab and American Media View Each Other“ in Arab Media in the Information Age (ECSSR, 2005). He wrote, along with Ali Abunimah, “The Palestinian Right of Return” (ADC, 2001) and “The Media and the New Intifada” in The New Intifada (Verso, 2001). He is the editor, along with Saliba Sarsar, of Principles and Pragmatism (ATFP, 2006).

Ibish previously served as a senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine, and executive director of the Hala Salaam Maksoud Foundation for Arab-American Leadership from 2004-09. From 1998-2004, Ibish served as communications director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. He has a PhD in comparative literature from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

The Houthi Challenge to Maritime Security

On March 12, AGSIW hosted a discussion on the Houthi challenge to maritime security in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Israeli Perspectives on the Post-October 7 Middle East Crises

On February 20, AGSIW hosted a panel discussion examining Israel's foreign and domestic policy since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

2024 Outlook

On January 9, AGSIW hosted a virtual roundtable with its leadership and scholars as they looked ahead and assessed trends likely to shape the Gulf region and U.S. foreign policy during the coming year.

How Is the Israel-Hamas Conflict Affecting Gulf Arab States and Their Strategic Calculations?

On November 7, AGSIW hosted a discussion on Gulf responses to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

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Qatar May Hold the Key to Hamas' – and Gaza's – Future

Israel might try to kill Hamas leaders in Qatar, leave them alone, or even use them to help craft a postconflict order in Gaza.

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The Hamas-Israel Conflict May Upend Saudi and U.S. Calculations

Washington and Riyadh will be watching the next steps before reassessing the potential for a triangular agreement with Israel.

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Secretary Xi’s Visit to Saudi Arabia Doesn't Look Like a Threat to U.S.-Saudi Partnership

Saudi Arabia’s expanding relationship with China signals its attempts to emerge as a mid-level international power, but that shouldn't threaten the partnership with Washington.

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Why the U.S.-Saudi Crisis is So Bad and So Unnecessary

Lack of trust has left Washington and Riyadh misreading each other's intentions to the point of creating a crisis where none should have ever existed.

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Iran Has One Last Chance to Revive the 2015 Nuclear Deal

A new EU proposal, embraced by the United States, gives Iran a last chance, but Tehran seems fixated on using it to shut down the IAEA investigation.

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Biden’s Middle East Trip Achieved as Much as Possible

The U.S. president didn't return from the region with a long checklist of accomplishments, but he didn't go with a checklist of ambitions.

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Biden’s Trip Aims at Resurrecting U.S. Leadership in the Middle East

Having found success in reviving the Western alliance after the invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration is seeking a stronger coalition in the Middle East.