Demoralized, Defeated, and Tormented with Miserably Co-opted Washington Organizations

The Washington-based Arab-American organizations have squandered two decades of crucial time and tens of millions of dollars. The ADC and the AAI -- not to mention the NAAA, which was looted for millions and then committed suicide -- have allowed themselves to become little more than "client organizations" for the "client regimes". In doing so they have lost nearly all of their grassroots and credibility; existing today as empty shells serving as mouthpieces and in reality political pimps for the regimes and associated business interest that sponsor and control them.

The situation has gotten worse, year after year. Today self-respecting and knowledgeable Arab Americans want little to do with these "client organizations". Indeed, many of those most involved have concluded that true Arab concerns, especially those of the Palestinian people, would be much better served if ADC and AAI were to be gone from the scene rather than plodding along with the pretense and illusion of having positive impact for any others than the self-serving cabal that runs them and profits by them. Their role nowadays amounts to no more than filling the gap of representation in the mass media that needs to have a "TV Arab" to give a facade of partiality and balance.

Over the years MER more than any other publication has made unique information and analysis about "the Washington Scene" available. We have compiled some of those articles and made them more easily available now in a special Arab American section that also includes a new Arab American forum. And we encourage those of you who have your own experiences to tell and onclusions to share to do so through this open forum. It's at: http://www.MiddleEast.org/aa