< Back

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

The US Congresswoman Pushing Turkey’s Agenda By Hussain Abdul-Hussain - Nov 10, 2019

Members of the US Congress who put country before party are described as honest and free-spirited mavericks. But when a legislator puts another country before party, it raises some eyebrows. Over the past month, Ilhan Omar, the Democratic Congresswoman from Minnesota, has defied her party three times by casting her vote in ways that apparently … Continue reading “The US Congresswoman Pushing Turkey’s Agenda”

Lebanon Doesn’t Need Hariri’s ‘Reforms’; It Needs to Change the Way It Governs By Hussain Abdul-Hussain - Oct 23, 2019

A monthly $6 tax on WhatsApp calls turned out to be the spark that lit protests against the ruling Lebanese establishment. Since mid-October, thousands have taken to the streets throughout the country, with Tripoli in the north leading the demonstrations. Men and women have been dancing in the streets to tunes curated by DJs – … Continue reading “Lebanon Doesn’t Need Hariri’s ‘Reforms’; It Needs to Change the Way It Governs”

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”