Stories by Ian Williams

Ian Williams writes on the United Nations for AlterNet. His work has appeared in Foreign Policy in Focus, the Nation and Salon. He is also the author of Rum: A Social and Sociable History of the Real Spirit of 1776.subscribe to Ian Williams's rss feed

Why Did Richard Goldstone Offer a Pseudo-Retraction of the Goldstone Report?

Posted on Apr 5, 2011, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

What prompted Richard Goldstone's rethink of his report?

Mythical Black Helicopters Return as Right-Wingers Attack UN

Posted on Feb 1, 2011, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

In addition to the Tea Party wanting to cut off UN funding, there's also the Cuban American lobby and the Likudnik Israel supporters, who think that the UN is now anti-Israel.

Does a the New "Goldstone Report" Stand to Reconfigure the U.S.'s Israel Policy?

Posted on Sep 28, 2009, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

Does Obama want to build on the good work he started in Turkey and Egypt and send a signal to Israel? Or is he prepared to let unprincipled lobbyists hijack his foreign policy?

Obama and Israel

Posted on Jan 15, 2009, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

If Obama wants to be a real friend to Israel, he has to let the Israeli government know its actions are not consequence-free.

Slaughtering Whales in the Name of Science?

Posted on Feb 16, 2008, Source: Comment Is Free

It's a whale of a tale: Japan's claim that the whaling industry serves a scientific purpose is hypocritical and ridiculous.

The Right's UN Witch-Hunters Claim Another Victim

Posted on Oct 22, 2007, Source: Comment Is Free

The UN scandal pimps and an overzealous investigative office are going after another target.

Hypocrisy Surrounding Ahmadinejad's Visit Was Stunning

Posted on Sep 25, 2007, Source: Comment Is Free

When you see one person and nation being demonised, you have to assume that it is for a purpose.

Obama Will Be Rewarded for His Open Talk About Bad U.S. Policy on Cuba

Posted on Sep 1, 2007, Source: Comment Is Free

Telling the truth about Washington's policy towards Cuba can be dangerous -- but it may pay off for Barack Obama next year.

U.S. Cynicism Delayed the Lebanon Ceasefire

Posted on Aug 14, 2006, Source: TheNation.com

Secretary of State Condoleezza's Rice's declaration, several hundred mangled children ago, that it was "premature" for a cease-fire in Lebanon will haunt the Bush administration for the rest of its term.

Tragedy After Tragedy in Lebanon

Posted on Aug 2, 2006, Source: AlterNet

Israel must either dig itself deeper into the hole it has made or look for a face-saving multinational force.

Did Israel Attack the U.N. 'Accidentally on Purpose'?

Posted on Jul 27, 2006, Source: AlterNet

Israel's recent bombing of a U.N. observation post in Lebanon is eerily similar to one 10 years ago.

Still No Mission Accomplished

Posted on Apr 27, 2006, Source: AlterNet

Was it oil? Empire? Human rights? The Israel Lobby? Three years later, there's no clear reason why we invaded Iraq, much less any idea how we'll get out.

Justice After Milosevic

Posted on Mar 18, 2006, Source: AlterNet

Although Slobodan Milosevic died before he could be sentenced for his crimes, he serves as an example that international law is a powerful force to be reckoned with.

Excerpt: Driven Mad by 'Demon Rum'

Posted on Dec 2, 2005, Source: AlterNet

Despite the fact that rum has been widely important to the history of the U.S., it has been demonized by ignorance and hypocrisy.

A Triumph for Decency at the U.N.

Posted on Sep 19, 2005, Source: AlterNet

A new U.N. declaration grants the world community the right to intervene and prevent governments from committing massive crimes against their own citizens.

Not-So-Musical Chairs

Posted on Jul 26, 2005, Source: AlterNet

The current debate over enlarging the U.N. Security Council distracts from more important reforms Kofi Annan has proposed.

Just Say 'Non' to Progressive Values

Posted on Jun 1, 2005, Source: AlterNet

In voting against the EU constitution, the French left allowed its hatred of Jacques Chirac to trump good sense.

Come on Back, Tony Blair

Posted on May 4, 2005, Source: AlterNet

Despite the British prime minister's troubled track record, the British electorate will almost certainly re-elect the Labour Party -- and they will be right to do so.

Resign? Hell No!

Posted on Apr 1, 2005, Source: AlterNet

Now that the Volcker inquiry has exonerated U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, it's time to root out the real culprits in the Oil-for-Food scandal.

The Day After

Posted on Nov 3, 2004, Source: AlterNet

A one-way ticket to Canada? Seceding from the Bible Belt? The outcome of the 2004 elections contain happier and more likely possibilities for the future.

Bush's War Against the Military

Posted on Oct 27, 2004, Source: In These Times

Bush has failed the military on almost every level – marking the difference between being militaristic and pro-military.

Kerry Fires Back

Posted on Sep 7, 2004, Source: AlterNet

John Kerry responded with strong words to the attacks from the RNC podium last week. But was anyone listening?

Slander is Cheap

Posted on Aug 25, 2004, Source: MediaChannel.org

The success of the Swift Boat Vet campaign against John Kerry reveals just how easy it is to rewrite history in current media climate.

Into the Media Memory Hole

Posted on Aug 10, 2004, Source: MediaChannel.org

If most Americans have forgotten about Osama bin Laden, the fault lies squarely with the U.S. mainstream media.

Hello, Big Brother

Posted on Aug 2, 2004, Source: AlterNet

According to Robert Kane Pappas's new documentary, 'Orwell Rolls in His Grave,' it's 1984 all over again.

The Morality of Intervention

Posted on Jul 29, 2004, Source: AlterNet

The people of Sudan are paying a high price for the Iraq War, which blurred the line between humanitarian intervention and moral crusade.

Soldier of Fortune

Posted on Jun 28, 2004, Source: AlterNet

A third of George Bush's public speeches have been in a military venue, often in uniform. There is nothing this draft-dodging, Ivy League jock loves as much as playing commander-in-chief.

Empire Falls

Posted on Jun 3, 2004, Source: AlterNet

An increasingly desperate Bush administration is losing its might and therefore its ability to decide what is right for Iraq. Proof: the new UN draft resolution.

Bush to UN: Help!

Posted on Apr 14, 2004, Source: AlterNet

After two years of heaping scorn on the United Nations, the Bush administration is now banking on the UN to help bail him out of the quagmire that is Iraq.

An Unholy Alliance of Spooks

Posted on Feb 22, 2004, Source: AlterNet

A scandal brewing over spying at the UN last year reveals how the U.S. government uses its 'special relationship' with Britain to violate both international and domestic laws.

Alan Greenspan and the D-Word

Posted on Feb 3, 2004, Source: AlterNet

The lifelong critic of budget deficits has been mysteriously silent on the Bush administration's fiscal policies. Guess whose term runs out this year.

Primary Numbers

Posted on Jan 27, 2004, Source: AlterNet

There's a good case to be made that primary elections are responsible for much of the evil in modern American politics, from apathy to the power of money.

The Real National Security Threat: The Bush Economy

Posted on Jan 13, 2004, Source: AlterNet

Thanks to the enormous trade and budget deficits run up by the Bush administration, the U.S. economy is dangerously dependent on foreign investors, especially China.

The Less-Than-Special Bush/Blair Relationship

Posted on Nov 21, 2003, Source: AlterNet

George Bush's visit did little to comfort either the suspicious British public or his good friend Tony Blair.

An Object Lesson in Investing

Posted on Nov 13, 2003, Source: AlterNet

Here's what happens to your hard-earned money when it enters the giant money-skimming machine we call the stock market.

No Money for the Halliburton Development Fund

Posted on Oct 29, 2003, Source: AlterNet

Nations at the Madrid donor conference agreed to contribute money for the reconstruction of Iraq, but not to the U.S.-controlled Iraqi fund.

A Pyrrhic Victory at the UN

Posted on Oct 17, 2003, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

The unanimous passage of the U.S.-sponsored Security Council resolution is a diplomatic triumph -- but in form rather than in substance.

So Long, Middle East Road Map

Posted on Oct 7, 2003, Source: AlterNet

The Bush administration's support of the Israeli attacks on Syria spells the end to any pretense of a balanced U.S. Middle East policy.

Annan Trounces Bush at UN

Posted on Sep 23, 2003, Source: AlterNet

While Bush's speech was filled with empty rhetoric and bluster, Kofi Annan delivered a powerful indictment of U.S. foreign policy.

Time for a Reality Check in Iraq

Posted on Sep 16, 2003, Source: AlterNet

While the UN summit in Geneva did not produce an agreement, both the Bush administration and its critics seem to have recognized the importance of compromise.

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