Monday, 27 August 2018

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The death of John Sidney McCain this past Saturday signaled the end of an error in America’s history. McCain who died at 81 years of age embodies the American ethos in ways that harken back to the era of American heroes and patriotic icons. He lived many lives all rolled up into one: a fighter-pilot, POW, a decorated hero, political icon, and self-styled maverick. But more importantly, and perhaps the most defining of his virtues, his decency as a human being. Although making this summary judgment diminishes the complexity of the independent man who was known for never shying away from a principled stance.

At a town hall-style event he held during campaigning for the presidency against Barack Obama in 2008, a lady proclaimed her distrust in Obama saying “I can’t trust Obama. I have read about him, and he’s not, um, he’s an Arab,” in his appearance in Lakeville, Minnesota in October of that year. McCain responded by saying "no, ma'am he is a decent family man, citizen, who I happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign is all about." At the time my response was negative toward candidate McCain as his answer suggests decency and being an Arab were mutually exclusive. But as I reflect on the man 10 years later, I came to understand his answer in a different light; it was not about a philosophical discussion over ethnicity or stereotypical ideas attached to the Arab world, rather he was making a strong stand to defend the honor of the political system and the men and women who dedicate their lives to serving the nation.

It was revealing by him affirming Obama's patriotism and refraining from doubling down on the "bad" Arab stereotypical idea. At a time when 9-11 was still fresh in the psyche of the American people. Islam and Arab were perceived to be the enemy of the American people. What he didn’t say, spoke volumes. He was never fazed by the jeers of many of his supporters as he repeatedly confirmed his belief in Obama’s patriotism. He lost the presidency, in part, to his unwavering commitment to playing the political game for the higher purpose of country and decency. His defeat provided him a renewed vigor to reaffirm his maverick status in US Senate.

Though McCain took aggressive positions, he was able to strike the elusive balance between power and cooperation grounded in the reality of patriotism.
Walid Jawad

As a Republican, McCain advanced the ideals of his party by taking principled stands for what he believed in. He withheld his initial support of the Republican Party presidential nominee, Donald Trump, in the last elections after the leaked tapes of Trump’s locker-room talk surfaced. The relationship between the two men never recovered. As the Republicans in Congress moved to deliver on Trump’s election promise to repeal Obama Care, the Affordable Care Act, he was the last to walk onto the Senate floor to cast his vote. No one was sure of his decision. Senators, the White House, and the nation held its collective breath. In a dramatic fashion before the gathering Republican leadership, he held up his hand before his decision. The same right arm he can’t raise above his head after years of torture in a Vietnamese camp as a prisoner of war. (POW). An audible gasp could be heard signaling the tiebreaking vote; thumb down. The Republican Party holds the majority in both chambers of Congress, House, and Senate have failed to pass a vote to repeal and replace the controversial Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

In responding to reporters after the vote with the a bandage upon his forehead covering the scar of brain cancer surgery he said “We must now return to the correct way of legislating and send the bill back to committee, hold hearings, receive input from both sides of aisle, heed the recommendations of nation’s governors, and produce a bill that finally delivers affordable health care for the American people,” he stood for his principle continuing “We must do the hard work our citizens expect of us and deserve.”

Capture and Release

He followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, both four-star naval officers, but he never achieved the same highest rank of his lineage. He left the Navy as a Captain after years in captivity in Vietnam. His plane was shot down and held captive for over five years. The capture and torture by themselves would make a hero out of any one soldier, but to know that he passed up on the opportunity to be released because he wanted to deny his captors the opportunity to use the occasion for propaganda. McCain was accused of being a reckless person, but that episode revealed the essence of the man; principled and stubborn.

This is a moment of reflection for the US to re-examine its soul and reconfigure its identity. The US has lost its way moving far from the ideals upon which it was built. There is no doubt in the intention of politicians on both sides of the aisle; they are inspired by the values that were entrusted to them. The dividing line is between those who are committed to carrying American’s values forward and those who feel obligated to revert the country to the purity of those ideals. The US cannot afford approaching the international community with the singular objective of winning a zero-sum game. The US is strongest when it finds ways to strike mutually beneficial options with allies, friends, and adversaries.

Though McCain took aggressive positions, he was able to strike the elusive balance between power and cooperation grounded in the reality of patriotism. McCain’s legacy will continue to guide a generation through his words and principled actions. It behooves legislators and politicians to be guided by McCain’s disciplined principles to decency sans political dogma.

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Walid Jawad is a former Senior Policy Analyst at U.S. Department of State and a former Washington, DC correspondent. He covered American politics for a number of TV outlets since 1997. Walid holds an undergraduate degree (B.A) in Decision Science and Management Information Systems and a Masters in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. You can follow him @walidaj.

Last Update: Monday, 27 August 2018 KSA 21:39 - GMT 18:39

Apple’s $1 trillion valuation: The creation of a Syrian mind

Wednesday, 8 August 2018

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Walid Jawad

The record-breaking trillion-dollar value Apple Inc. reached on August 2 was a historical benchmark making it the first company to be valued at $1 trillion. A claim that will always be credited to this innovative technology company.

But this story is not a financial story claimed by the stock market, nor is it a technology story dwelling in the binary world on ones and zeros, it is a story of the son of a Syrian immigrant.

Steve Jobs was born to Abdulfattah Jandali and Joanne Schieble on February 24, 1955 in San Francisco. In the summer of 1954, Abdullatif took his wife to be, both 23 years at the time, to Syria to introduce her to his well-off family despite Joanne’s father opposition.

Arthur Schieble, her father, wouldn’t give his blessing to a union with her Muslim suitor on religious grounds – he was a strict Catholic who wouldn’t accept a man for his daughter of a different Christian denomination let alone a different religion.

Upon returning from Syria, Joanne found out that she was pregnant with Steve. In the face of her dying father’s opposition she and Abdulfattah elected not to defy his wishes waiting for him to die in peace and then marry.

ALSO READ: ‘Arabhood’: A political story in ‘American’ English

In the meantime, Joanne had to make an immediate decision about the pregnancy in order to avoid shaming the family name. She left her Wisconsin hometown to a California doctor who sheltered unwed mothers to help them safely deliver their children and arrange for adoption.

At that time abortion was illegal and the ones that were illegally performed were dangerous. Joanne didn’t have a choice but to acquiesce to the San Francisco option.

She tried delaying signing the adoption papers expecting her father to pass away freeing her to keep Steve. Unluckily for her, and perhaps luckily for us as consumers of Steve’s technological genius, his adoption was completed before Steve’s maternal grandfather passed away.

Steve’s fate was sealed. Our iPhones were guaranteed to become today’s reality.

What made Steve the genius he came to be was not only genetics, but also his upbringing and the environment which shaped him
Walid Jawad

The Garage

In the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson, his adoptive parents were very kind and caring.

They did more for him than many parents would do for children of their own blood. It is amazing the length they went to accommodate his wishes and nurture his special talent and aptitude for electronics.

The biography walks the reader through the various phases of Jobs upbringing and schooling. The challenges his parents faced as they advanced the educational pursuit of their nonconforming adopted child.

In sixth grade, a year younger than his peers after skipping 5th grade, he gave his parents, Paul and Clara Jobs, an ultimatum to move him to a different school or he would drop out of school all together. His modest parents had to scrape all they had to move the family to another house a few miles down the road.

The move was necessary to cross the school districting line to the a better school system. The house they moved into had a garage, it was that garage where Steve and his friend Stephen Wozniak started their Apple technology adventure.

Apple: The Forbidden Fruit

Could have Steve imagined his company trailblazing in the world of finance as it does in tech? His death, October 5, 2011, cut his life too short at the age of 56. Far too young by any measure especially for someone who had much more to give humanity.

He was the type of person who wouldn’t be satisfied with accolades or by setting records. He was always working on the next big thing. In his short lifetime he revolutionized our lives and made the sci-fi stories of the past a reality we live every waking moment of our lives.

I for one, am attached to my iPhone in ways I don’t care to admit. I have retired my memory relegating it entirely to my iPhone Notes and Calendar. I communicate in words, though unspoken they echo in the ether of eternity.

I even talk to my Siri although these days we seem to have re-occurring communication breakdowns, now that Apple is not giving Siri the time of day. Although I give Siri a chance, I refuse to do so with Apple’s Maps as it causes me more aggravation than I’m willing to accept. Yes, Apple’s technology is not perfect yet the company is in a league on its own.

Apple’s $1 trillion capitalization makes it worth more than many countries. The tech company competes with the net worth of Greece and Israel and surpasses the worth of any Arab country according to Credit Suisse 2017 list. An unfair comparison pitting apples to oranges. Yet it provides an interesting numerical contrast.

‘Hot-blooded Arab’

Steve wasn’t 100 percent Syrian. His biological father, Dr. Abdulfattah Jandali, was from Homs, but his mother was Armenian. She was born in the US as a result of her parents escaping the Turks. Although Abdulfattah and Joanna were of different ethnicity both groups of people suffered at the hand of the oppressive Turks. That suffering didn’t stop there as it continued for Steve. Abandoned by his biological parents.

What made Steve the genius he came to be was not only genetics, but also his upbringing and the environment which shaped him. At any turn throughout his life, his flare for innovation and obsession for electronics could have been squashed.

Steve Jobs disposition was reinforced by his environment and advanced by his choices; a quest to innovate. The offspring of an immigrant father and a mother who’s the daughter of refugees.

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The product of a loving and determined couple of modest means. Although Abdulfattah came to the US to advance his own life, he ultimately contributed to the US and the quality of life of the rest of the world through his son.

This story of immigration is nestled inside a system that thrives on diversity. The land of opportunity extends her promise to those who come to her shores with the intent to capitalize on it.

Many people from every corner of this globe came to the US and made a life for themselves and their families.

The proof is evident when a person has the determination and is offered the opportunity to realize their dreams they will succeed regardless of their gender, race, color, national origin, and religion.
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Walid Jawad is a former Senior Policy Analyst at U.S. Department of State and a former Washington, DC correspondent. He covered American politics for a number of TV outlets since 1997. Walid holds an undergraduate degree (B.A) in Decision Science and Management Information Systems and a Masters in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. You can follow him @walidaj.

Last Update: Wednesday, 8 August 2018 KSA 15:11 - GMT 12:11