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Hussain Abdul-Hussain

Hussain Abdul-Hussain is the Washington bureau chief of Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai and a former visiting fellow at Chatham House in London. Previously, he helped launch and manage the Iraqi stream of the Arabic TV network Alhurra. Before relocating to Washington, Abdul-Hussain worked as a reporter, and later as managing editor, for Lebanon’s The Daily Star. He has reported from conflict zones on the border between Lebanon and Israel, and from Baghdad shortly after the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime. Abdul-Hussain has also contributed articles to US newspapers, including The New York Times and the Washington Post, and appeared on American TV news networks such as CNN and MSNBC. In addition, he is a frequent commentator on Arabic satellite TV networks.

Articles By Hussain Abdul-Hussain

Broken and Broke, Lebanon Has a Choice: A State of Peace or of Perpetual War? By Hussain Abdul-Hussain - Oct 7, 2019

Once the only free economy in the Arab Middle East, Lebanon has now joined the league of failed economies. It has two exchange rates for its currency: one fixed and official, the other floating and on the black-market, which started to peel away from the official rate weeks ago. After nearly three decades of pegging … Continue reading “Broken and Broke, Lebanon Has a Choice: A State of Peace or of Perpetual War?”

To Avoid Being Stereotyped, the Arab World Must Acknowledge and Fix Its Own Flaws By Hussain Abdul-Hussain - Sep 25, 2019

In August, Israa Ghrayeb, a 21-year-old Palestinian woman, was beaten to death. Her family claimed she had fallen from a second-floor window, but three of her male relatives have since been charged with her murder. Her apparent crime was to post a video of herself having dinner with her fiancé and his sister. The death … Continue reading “To Avoid Being Stereotyped, the Arab World Must Acknowledge and Fix Its Own Flaws”

Failure to Place Iran-Backed Militias Under Iraq Authority Endangers Nation Building. So Baghdad Should Try Again By Hussain Abdul-Hussain - Sep 8, 2019

On July 1, Iraq’s prime minister, Adil Abdul-Mahdi, issued a surprise decree to compel Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) – a coalition of predominantly Shia militias – to join the government’s armed forces and to sever all “political and organizational ties” with non-state actors. Observers, particularly those with an excess of conventional wisdom, cautioned against this, … Continue reading “Failure to Place Iran-Backed Militias Under Iraq Authority Endangers Nation Building. So Baghdad Should Try Again”

Iran Puts Pressure on the Druze of Lebanon By Hussain Abdul-Hussain - Jul 8, 2019

On June 30, Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, a Christian, set out on a tour of predominantly Druze communities in Mount Lebanon, escorted by Saleh Al-Gharib, minister of state for refugee affairs and a Druze. The history between Druze and Christians in Mount Lebanon is brutal. During the 1975-1990 civil war in Lebanon, the area saw vicious fighting, in which the … Continue reading “Iran Puts Pressure on the Druze of Lebanon”

Tehran Wants Iranian-Americans to Feel Alienated and US Democrats are Helping By Hussain Abdul-Hussain - Jun 23, 2019

The Iranian regime has stumbled on a treasure trove: Iranian-Americans. Estimates of their numbers vary, but at least half a million Americans of Iranian origin live in the US. And while many of those are outspoken opponents of the Islamic Republic, many others have been either neutral in their views or oblivious to politics – … Continue reading “Tehran Wants Iranian-Americans to Feel Alienated and US Democrats are Helping”