Fouad Ajami dies after working for Peace in the Middle East for Forty Years

Fouad was my house guest in two different apartments in DC back in the early '80s.

I lost touch with him in the last decade or so, but he was always generous with his wisdom & quiet intelligence.

I wanted to ask him especially about Egypt, a country he loved so much, but by then he was advising the Bush Administration on Iraq & later, Syria.

I can remember his calling me after Sadat's assassination to inquire whether I thought it was a good idea for him to accept an offer from NBC TV to go to Cairo.

I said I thought it was, but he ended up declining the offer, because he thought the Egyptians would look down on a mere Lebanese TV reporter.

George Tenet told me when he was CoS of the Senate Intelligence Committee that he thought Fouad was the most perceptive mind on the Arabs and the Middle East in general.

I agree.