Category: Events & Appearances

Participating in the Bush Institute conference on human freedom

On May 26, 2011, I took part in one of the panels of the Bush Institute Conference on Human Freedom, alongside many distinguished colleagues from around the world. The conference gave me the chance to meet with President Bush for the first time since his departure from the White House.

The second panel, “The Future of Freedom on the Middle East,” moderated by Bush Institute executive director Jim Glassman, featured stories from the frontlines told by Ammar Abdulhamid, Founder and Director, Tharwa Foundation; Khadija Arfaoui, Retired Professor, American Studies, Women’s Studies, English and Human Rights Activist, Environmental, Human Rights and Women’s Rights Issues; Esraa Abdel Fattah, Projects Manager, Egyptian Democratic Academy; Ahmed Salah, Veteran Egyptian Activist, Director, New Future House Center Coordinator, The Coalition of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution; Bassem Samir, Executive Director, Egyptian Democratic Academy; and Mouheb Ayari, President, I Watch Organization.

Turmoil in Syria and The Regional Consequences

On May 25, 2011, I took part in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Panel on “TURMOIL IN SYRIA AND THE REGIONAL CONSEQUENCES.” Other speakers included: Tamara Wittes (Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs – U.S. Department of State), Murhaf Jouejati (Professor of Middle East Studies – National Defense University), Itamar Rabinovich (Charles Bronfman Distinguished Nonresident Senior Fellow – Saban Center for Middle East Policy) and Paul Salem (Director, Carnegie Middle East Center). Here is the transcript, and here is the video.
Continue reading “Turmoil in Syria and The Regional Consequences” →

White House invites Arab bloggers to Obama’s Middle East speech

By Joby Warrick, The Washington Post

Of the dozens of journalists covering the speech live from the State Department, few had a greater personal stake in President Obama’s words on the Middle East than Ammar Abdulhamid.

The 44-year-old Marylander is a Syrian exile and democratic activist who contributes to several blogs closely followed by his former countrymen in Syria, where a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters has left hundreds dead. From the minute Obama began his much-anticipated speech on Thursday, Abdulhamid’s cell phone buzzed with emails and texts from readers anxious to learn details. Continue reading “White House invites Arab bloggers to Obama’s Middle East speech” →