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Hussein Ibish

Senior Resident Scholar, AGSI

Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute. He is a weekly columnist for The National (UAE), former columnist for Bloomberg, regular contributor to The Atlantic 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.

Analysis

CLEAR ALL

Israel’s Attack on Qatar Forces a Gulf Strategic Realignment

The GCC states now consider an attack on one to be an attack on all, and Saudi Arabia may be covered by a Pakistani rather than U.S. military umbrella.

Hussein Ibish

11 min read

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with QQatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and GCC representatives meet ahead of an emergency Arab-Islamic leaders' summit convened to discuss the September 9 Israeli attack on Hamas on Qatari territory, in Doha, Qatar, September 15. (Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS)

Israel Strikes Hamas in Qatar

AGSI outlines the wide implications of Israel’s attack targeting Hamas in Doha for the Gulf and U.S. policy in the region.

11 min read

A damaged building, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, September 9. (REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)

Gulf States Want Nothing To Do With Netanyahu’s Arab Force

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants “Arab forces” to eventually take over in Gaza, but Gulf countries will never accept his terms.

Hussein Ibish

16 min read

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit hold a press conference following the ministerial committee of the Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Joint Summit on Gaza, in Amman, Jordan, June 1. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

Iran Takes a Huge Hit but Isn’t Doomed or Out of Options

President Trump's attack on Iran's nuclear facilities may or may not have irreparably damaged them, but the Al Udeid strike suggests Tehran is seeking to avoid a prolonged conflict with Washington.

Hussein Ibish

8 min read

President Donald J. Trump holds a meeting with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, and other cabinet members in the Situation Room at the White House in Washington, DC, June 21. (The White House/Handout via REUTERS)

Is Trump Embracing a Regime Change Policy?

President Trump may be on the brink of getting the United States drawn into another "forever war," this time against Iran.

Hussein Ibish

12 min read

President Donald J. Trump speaks with reporters while flying aboard Air Force One en route from Calgary, Canada to Joint Base Andrews, Md., June 16. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Iran Is Attacked, the Gulf Reacts

AGSI explains what Israel’s sudden and massive attack on Iran is likely to mean for Gulf Arab states, Iran, the United States, and global and regional economies.

34 min read

Smoke rises after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 13. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Events

CLEAR ALL

Oct 20, 2025

1:00pm - 2:00pm

Unpacking the Saudi-Pakistani Mutual Defense Agreement

On October 20, AGSI will host a discussion on Saudi-Pakistani defense ties.

Register
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, September 17. (Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, September 17. (Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS)

Sep 16, 2025

Book Talk: Iran’s Grand Strategy: A Political History

On September 16, AGSI hosted a discussion on the roots of Iran's strategic outlook.

Women carry Iranian flags under the Azadi (freedom) monument tower during a rally commemorating the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 10. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Women carry Iranian flags under the Azadi (freedom) monument tower during a rally commemorating the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 10. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Jun 23, 2025

U.S. Strike on Iran: Regional and Diplomatic Fallout

On June 23, AGSI hosted a discussion on the United States' attack on Iranian nuclear sites.

President Donald J. Trump speaks from the East Room of the White House in Washington, June 21, after the U.S. military struck three Iranian nuclear and military sites, as Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen. (Carlos Barria/Pool via AP)
President Donald J. Trump speaks from the East Room of the White House in Washington, June 21, after the U.S. military struck three Iranian nuclear and military sites, as Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen. (Carlos Barria/Pool via AP)

Jun 16, 2025

Assessing Iranian, U.S., and Gulf Reactions and Options Following Israel’s Unprecedented Attack on Iran

On June 16, AGSI hosted a discussion on Israel's attack on Iran.

Rescuers work at the scene of a damaged building in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 13. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA via REUTERS)
Rescuers work at the scene of a damaged building in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Tehran, Iran, June 13. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA via REUTERS)

May 15, 2025

Will Trump’s Visit Mark a New Chapter in U.S.-Saudi Relations?

On May 15, AGSI hosted a discussion on Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with U.S. President Donald J. Trump at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. (Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with U.S. President Donald J. Trump at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. (Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS)

Feb 4, 2025

After Assad: What’s Next for Syria and the Region?

On February 4, AGSIW hosted a discussion on the collapse of the Assad regime and the future of Syria.

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa attends a meeting with former rebel faction chiefs in Damascus, Syria, in this handout image released December 24, 2024. (SANA/Handout via REUTERS)
Syria's de facto leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa attends a meeting with former rebel faction chiefs in Damascus, Syria, in this handout image released December 24, 2024. (SANA/Handout via REUTERS)

External Publications

Gazans Are Bravely Defying Hamas — Here’s How to Help Them Build a Future

The people of Gaza are right to blame both Hamas and Israel for the horrors they continue to endure.