Wednesday, October 91-1:30 pm EDT (10-10:30 am PDT) Please join Spirit of America and Ambassador Ryan Crocker for a 30-minute briefing on Middle East security and stability. With Spirit of America CEO Jim Hake, Ambassador Crocker will share his outlook on how threats...
Posts: Middle East / Central Asia
Ironclad support for US troops, diplomats, and partners in the Middle East
A few days after I joined Spirit of America as Chief of International Operations, I traveled to the Iraqi Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, where Spirit of America has been making a difference for two decades. As a US Navy veteran with multiple deployments to the...
The Aral Sea: Where the Soviets made a desert, Americans and Central Asians are partnering to restore life
To experience the environmental legacy of the Soviet Union, you can travel to Central Asia and take a walk across the windswept desolation where the Aral Sea used to exist before Soviet planners turned it into a desert. Billions of shells cover what is now a dried...
Spirit of America in 2024
I’d like to update you on Spirit of America’s plans for 2024. America’s active leadership in the world is essential to preserving the promise of a free and better life. There are increasingly complex threats to freedom that require American engagement. Government...
Afghan Future Campaign — thousands of lives impacted so far
Zack Bazzi is the Regional Director of the Middle East and Central Asia for Spirit of America. Since joining the organization in 2014, Zack has worked on more than 200 initiatives from Egypt to Tajikistan, including efforts to promote good governance, prevent violent...
A future worth fighting for: Advancing the education of young Afghans
On August 15, 2021, Kabul — Afghanistan's fabled capital — fell to the Taliban, unceremoniously bringing America's 20-year tenure to a violent and chaotic end. The news, like a thunderbolt, reverberated across the globe with shocking images that stunned audiences. For...
Afghanistan to Albania to America: A new home for the Afghan evacuees
After the Taliban retook Afghanistan, Spirit of America acted quickly to help our loyal Afghan partners who were in danger because of their connections to the United States. Working closely with Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and the US Embassy Tirana, our team...
Little Kabul in Albania: Escaping the Taliban
In October I had the opportunity to travel to Albania and visit with the group of 121 Afghan evacuees that Spirit of America was supporting. As I entered the hotel compound in Shëngjin where the evacuees are staying – an area that had essentially become an impromptu...
Eid’s story
At the age of 18, Eid became the sole breadwinner for his family. His father had been a doctor during the war against the Soviets and was tortured during his six to eight months in captivity, leaving him mentally unstable and unable to work. Eid dropped out of high...