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Recent Events & NewsAbducting Students: At What Cost?
David Hamod Op-Ed in The Des Moines Register (4/13/25) 
In recent weeks, the world has been shocked by images of masked and hooded individuals – apparently U.S. Government officials – rounding up college students for detention and deportation.
This is a stunning development, one that inflames passions and sensibilities. Discussion of this issue so far has rightly revolved around freedom of speech, civil liberties, and due process. But now is the time for U.S. policymakers to consider the impact that these abductions are having worldwide. America prides itself on our rule of law, and seeing students accosted and “disappeared” from our nation’s streets is deeply troubling. Parents around the world are understandably disturbed by such authoritarian tactics, and their immediate reaction will be to keep their children out of harm’s way (i.e.- out of the United States). These abductions have begun to have a chilling effect that we have seen only once before in recent memory: In the months and years after September 11, 2001, enrollments by Arab and Muslim students in U.S. colleges and universities plummeted. This includes the countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), where chambers of commerce like NUSACC promote U.S. goods and services. In 2004, in the aftermath of 9/11, the National U.S. – Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC) quantified financial losses resulting from restrictive American visa policies targeting the Arab world. These policies contributed to a precipitous drop in Arab and Muslim visitors, including students. Click here to view the report. To read the full report, please click here.
U.S. - Arab trade is facing an important inflection point. The good news: In 2024, U.S. exports to the Arab world rose four percent to $68.18 billion. Imports totaled $46.84 billion, resulting in a U.S. trade surplus of $21.33 billion. The bad news: These topline figures obscure deeper shifts in how trade is being structured, perceived and, increasingly, politicized. The U.S. - Arab commercial relationship no longer hinges on mutual benefit. It is becoming a reflection of power and a test of political loyalty.
In 2025, the return of Donald Trump to the White House has ushered in a full pivot back to transactional diplomacy. With sweeping tariffs dominating U.S. policy – targeting not just competitors like China, but also allies seen as benefiting from “unfair” trade imbalances – Arab economies must now recalibrate their strategies. Gulf countries that once relied on stable, reliable trade ties with Washington are now navigating a reality in which arms deals, tariff waivers, and even market access are contingent on alignment with U.S. geopolitical goals, particularly around Israel, Iran, and China. President Trump is expected to travel soon to Saudi Arabia, his first overseas destination, but the visit has already been complicated by the introduction of new tariff requirements that are frustrating long-standing Arabian Gulf partners. The stunning early impact of the tariff policy is also being felt at home: U.S. stock markets have entered a period of heightened volatility, and early economic indicators point to broader turbulence in sectors tied to global trade. To read the full report, please click here. In recent days, the National U.S. – Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC) – America’s #1 business gateway to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – hosted its fourteenth annual Iftar dinner in honor of the Arab diplomatic missions in the United States. Held in partnership with the League of Arab States and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington DC, this high-level event drew top business executives and senior government officials, including 14 current and former Ambassadors. (A short video highlighting the Iftar may be found here.)
The NUSACC Iftar has become a Washington tradition. The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates served as Lead Sponsor of this year’s event, supported by ten Gold sponsors. These included: Leading tech companies (Assured Communications Advisors, Dexian, and Encore); blue-chip companies (Boeing, Ford Motor Company, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, and Leo A. Daly); companies that certify quality Halal products (Halal Transactions of Omaha, Islamic Services of America, and IFANCA – the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America). To read the full report, please click here. 
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