PUBLICATIONS

2020

Trump's disastrous response to the George Floyd protests is hurting America's image around the world”,  Business Insider, June 13, 2020.

With Nik Kowsar, “Iran’s Mishandled Coronavirus Response Is Triggering a Backlash  Against the RegimeBusiness Insider, May 11, 2020.

Trump threats to Iran culture sites were illegal, bad strategy and a break with tradition” , USA Today, January 9, 2020.

2019

Trump Killed the Afghan Peace Process but There’s Still  a Chance to  Get It Right”, Los  Angeles Times, September  24,  2019.

2017

"Can Good Television Beat the Islamic State?", Foreign Policy, April 7, 2017.

"Islamophobia, ISIS, and Authentic Muslim Narratives: Television’s Potential Role", Huffington Post, February 22, 2017.

2016

With El Hadj Dijitteye, "The Word on the Street in Timbuktu (About the ICC Trial)", Huffington Post, October 3, 2016.

With Raza Rumi,  “Music Can Combat Extremism in South Asia”, Fair Observer, July 4,  2016.

"Why Culture Matters", Arguendo, June 22, 2016 (one of five commissioned articles on the significance of the ICC’s war crime charges of the destruction of cultural heritage in Timbuktu).

"Building Artists and Leaders in Palestine: The Freedom Theatre Ten Years On"Huffington Post, April 25, 2016. 

“Why Culture is Essential for Conflict Recovery and Sustainable Development”Huffington Post, April 4, 2016. 

"The Problem With John Kerry’s Trip to Hollywood"Foreign Policy, February 19, 2016.

2015

"Mali's culture: the 'lynchpin' to recovery from conflict"Devex, September 15, 2015.

"The Timbuktu Renaissance: One year later", Brookings Markaz Blog, June 3, 2015.

"The Road Not Taken in Pakistan"Foreign Policy, April 27, 2015.

"Why Mali Belonged Next to France in the Paris Rally", Brookings Markaz Blog, January 16, 2015.

2014

"What Woman Was Ever Born to Such Misfortune"Foreign Policy, September 24, 2014.

"Timbuktu Renaissance: Culture at the Heart of Peace-building and Socio-economic Development", Brookings UpFront Blog, August 4, 2014.

"The Timbuktu Renaissance: Harnessing Music, Heritage and Culture to Save Mali", Brookings UpFront Blog, June 10, 2014. 

"Challenging the Pakistani Taliban Through Culture", Brookings UpFront Blog, March 7, 2014.

“How AmericaAbandoned Egypt’s Arab Spring”, CNN Opinion, January 26, 2014. 

2013

“The Power of Protests in Washington and Cairo”Huffington Post, September 19, 2013.

“Cultural Diplomacy: Key to International Relations”TotalPolitics.com, August 19, 2013.

“Egypt’s Identity Torn in Two”, CNN Opinion, August 16, 2013.

 “Missing in Action: What Happened to Washington’s Policy in Egypt?”Foreign Policy, August 15, 2013.

 “Get Ready for Egypt’s ‘Second Revolution’", CNN Opinion, June 28, 2013.

“Think Again:  Lessons from Cambodia’s Rebirth Through the Arts”, Huffington Post, May 14, 2013.

“U.S. Embassy Learns a Hard Lesson on Twitter”, CNN Opinion, April 10, 2013. 

“The U.S.  Gets It Wrong on Egypt – Again”, CNN Opinion, January 24, 2013.

2012

“A Class Act in Diplomacy:  Leading with Humility”, Huffington Post, November 1, 2012.

With Khaled Abol Naga, “Will Egypt’s New President Be a Reformer?”, CNN Opinion, August 21, 2012.

“Abu Dhabi and What It Means to be a Global Cultural Capital”, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, vol.13, issue 2, June 2012.

With Khaled Abol Naga, “Egypt’s Military Must Stop Torturing Detainees”CNN Opinion, May 22, 2012.

With Khaled Abol Naga, “As Repression in Egypt Grows, U.S. Must Back Fair Vote”, CNN Opinion, May 07, 2012. 

“Empowering Egyptian Women through Music”, Huffington Post, March 26, 2012.

“Cultural Diplomacy for the 21st Century”Huffington Post, February 22, 2012.

2011

 “Hard Power Trumps Soft in US Policy Towards Egypt”Huffington Post, December 23, 2011.

With Khaled Abol Naga, “Egypt’s Elections Can’t Be Trusted”, CNN Opinion, November 28, 2011.

“The Gospel of Sufism in Post-Revolutionary Egypt”, Huffington Post, September 16, 2011. 

With Akif Ahmad, “Pakistanis want a better future, just like us", CNN Opinion, May 18, 2011.

With Nadia Oweidat, “A new Arab world is coming, with or without U.S.”, CNN Opinion, February 28, 2011.

With Nadia Oweidat, “Why Washington was blindsided by Egypt's cry for freedom”, CNN Opinion, February 11, 2011.

“Richard Holbrooke and Rembrandt”Huffington Post, January 13, 2011. 

2010

“Cultural Diplomacy and the ‘Oh, I Didn’t Know That’ Factor”, Huffington Post, December 15, 2010. 

“Cultural Diplomacy: the Humanizing Factor”, in International Cultural Policies and Power, ed. J.P.Singh, Palgrave McMillan, 2012, pp. 101-112.

With Sam Schneider, "Beyond the Rhetoric: the Human Impact of Settlements", USC Center on Public Diplomacy blog (CPD blog), September 29, 2010 

“Explosions in Palestine, but Not What You Think”, Common Ground News Service, August 24, 2010.

“America in Alexandria, de Tocqueville in Arabic”, Huffington Post, July 7, 2010.

 With Hailey Woldt, “Shanghai’d, or the USA Pavilion as Corporate Theme Park”, CPD blog, June 8, 2010.

2009

 “The Unrealized Potential of Cultural Diplomacy: ‘Best Practices’ and What Could Be, If Only…”, The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, volume 39, Number 4/2009, pp. 260-279.

With Nadia Oweidat, “The Great Silencing: Intolerance and Censorship in the Arab World”, CNN.com, October 13, 2009.

“It‘s the Culture, Stupid”,  World Politics Review, Oct. 13, 2009.

"New Way Forward: Encouraging Greater Cultural Engagement with Muslim Communities", Brookings Institution, September 2009. 

 “The Other Pakistan”, Newswire, CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy, September 17, 2009.

“The Lockerbie Trial: a Unique Moment in International Justice and Diplomacy”, Huffington Post, August 21, 2009.

2008

With Kristina Nelson, assisted by Mohammed Yousri, "Mightier than the Sword: Arts and Culture in the U.S.-Muslim World Relationship", Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution, 2008.

2006

“Culture Communicates: Diplomacy that Works”, in The New Public Diplomacy: Soft Power in International Relations, Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.