In 1985, James Zogby co-founded the Arab American Institute, an organization based in Washington, D.C. that acts as the political and policy research branch for the Arab American community, and he remains its president. He also leads Zogby Research Services, a company known for pioneering surveys throughout the Middle East. Host Gabrielle David interviews Zogby about the U.S.’s relations with Arab countries and Israel, discussing the fragile connections with Hamas, the PLO, and the Palestinians, as well as the prospects for these parties moving forward.

“Any way you look at it, the northern rim of the Arab World is a mess. US politicians, echoing Israel’s position, speak glibly (and dishonestly) of a transformed or new regional order. In reality, the situation has worsened. Israel has accelerated its genocidal war on Gaza, land-grabbing ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, and occupations and deadly bombings of Lebanon and Syria.  Meanwhile, Arabs are without inspired leadership capable of projecting a strategic vision. Instead, they are mired in the muck of failed ideologies or imposed structures of governance. Before anyone can speak of a transformed Middle East, two things must occur: Israel’s occupations and out-of-control brutal behavior must be stopped, and new Arab leadership must emerge that can project a vision for the future that can inspire and transform the politics of Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine.”

—James J. Zogby, “The Need For a Vision to Inspire Arabs of the Mashreq,” Arab American Institute, July 21, 2025