Columnist

Faisal J. Abbas

Faisal J. Abbas is the editor in chief of Arab News

X: @FaisalJAbbas

Latest published



Ukraine — a stark reminder of Western unreliability

On Feb. 17, we ran an interview in Arab News with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti coinciding with his country’s 14th anniversary of independence.

February 26, 2022

It’s not that complicated, Mr. Biden!

In response to a question from Al Arabiya at the White House on Wednesday, President Joe Biden said his administration was considering restoring the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen to the US list of foreign terrorist organizations.

January 20, 2022

Why America shares blame for the attack on Abu Dhabi

The deadly terrorist attack on Abu Dhabi on Monday by the Houthi militia in Yemen, despicable as it was, came as no surprise to those of us in the region — especially here in Saudi Arabia — who are already familiar with how low these terrorists can sink.

January 18, 2022

Kadhimi must not become another Rafik Hariri

Sunday’s attempt to assassinate Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi was deplorable, unacceptable … and entirely predictable.

November 07, 2021

Lebanon’s government is playing the wrong game show

After Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador from Lebanon, some suggested that the Kingdom had been over-sensitive to mere words. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

November 01, 2021

Facebook needs fixing, now!

Two events related to tech giant Facebook this week should force us to stop and reflect about how the rise of social media has impacted us as societies, especially in the Arab world.

October 05, 2021

In loving memory of Youssef Khazem: Colleague, mentor and friend

The news on Wednesday of the death of our dear colleague and former assistant editor in chief Youssef Khazem came as a shock, but it was no surprise. Youssef had suffered from cancer for nearly three years and, sadly, the former war correspondent lost his final battle.

September 16, 2021

America is sending the wrong signals to Iran

A raft of foreign policy decisions since the Biden administration took office — some ill advised, some badly timed, and in some cases both — prompt a question I thought would never have to be asked: Do US foreign policy advisers know who their friends in this region actually are?

September 15, 2021

5-year-old Lian was burnt to death by the Houthis, will the world care?

Who, apart from heartless terrorists, would deliberately fire a missile at a gas station and kill at least 17 people? Who, apart from a group of savages who adhere to an evil ideology, would then fire another missile at an ambulance that came to rescue any survivors?

June 06, 2021