Stories by Phyllis Bennis

Phyllis Bennis is a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C. She is the author of "Challenging Empire: How People, Governments, and the UN Defy U.S. Power" (Interlink Publishing, October 2005).

The Dangers in the Military Takeover in Egypt

Posted on: Jul 4, 2013, Source: AlterNet

The situation in Egypt remains fraught. But there's hope.

Fuel on a Mideast Fire: U.S. Intervention in Syria Would Make Catastrophic Situation Even Worse

Posted on: May 17, 2013, Source: OpenDemocracy

Proponents of military involvement have it all wrong: The United States should de-escalate hostilities.

John Kerry's Middle East Diplomacy Will Fail If He Keeps Coddling Israeli Apartheid

Posted on: Apr 26, 2013, Source: Al Jazeera English

There is no hint that the U.S. is about to bring any pressure to bear on Israel to end its violations of human rights.

Can We Stop a Civil War in Syria?

Posted on: Jun 27, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Outside powers should stop military involvement in the Syrian crisis and support new diplomatic initiatives.

Say Goodbye to the Failed 'Peace Process' as Palestine Goes to the UN

Posted on: Sep 20, 2011, Source: AlterNet

It's outrageous that Washington is threatening the Palestinians and the UN itself with dire consequences if a move is made toward UN recognition of statehood.

While US Troop Deaths May Be Down, the Iraq War Is Not Over

Posted on: Sep 2, 2011, Source: AlterNet

We are still paying almost $50 billion just this year for the war in Iraq. And while we don't hear about it very often, many Iraqis are still being killed.

Qaddafi's Whereabouts Unknown -- But Is It Too Soon to Declare Victory in Libya?

Posted on: Aug 22, 2011, Source: AlterNet

Turkish Democracy Gives Rise to Turkish Power

Posted on: Jul 11, 2011, Source: AlterNet

International attention to Turkey’s recent election reflects Ankara’s rising role not only in the Arab Spring but as a newly powerful democracy with broad regional influence.

In Afghanistan Speech, Obama Offers Token Troop Withdrawals While Maintaining the "War on Terror" Mindset

Posted on: Jun 22, 2011, Source: AlterNet

President Obama passed up an opportunity to recognize our democracy and respect the views of the vast majority of the American people.

The Killing of Bin Laden: Justice or Vengeance?

Posted on: May 2, 2011, Source: AlterNet

Does the killing of al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden represent ultimate justice, or even an end to the “unfinished business” of 9/11?

Libya Slips Into Civil War, as Democratic Uprisings Rock the Middle East

Posted on: Feb 25, 2011, Source: AlterNet

The opposition is training with troops who defected, as estimates of the number killed by the government run to more than 1,000.

US Vetoes UN Resolution Condemning Illegal Israeli Settlements -- Will the Palestinians End Up Benefiting From the Move?

Posted on: Feb 18, 2011, Source: AlterNet

The United States' isolation on the issue of settlements may lead to more engagement from the international community.

What if Jared Loughner Were a Muslim Arab Immigrant?

Posted on: Jan 26, 2011, Source: AlterNet

When McVeigh bombed the Oklahoma City federal building, at the time the worst terrorist act on U.S. soil, the immediate assumption was that it was an Arab or Muslim terrorist.

Obama’s Afghanistan Review: A Whitewash of a Disastrous Occupation

Posted on: Dec 24, 2010, Source: AlterNet

According to the Obama administration, nothing can happen in the U.S. war in Afghanistan that doesn’t mean good news.

Israel's Settlement Freeze Is Over ... So What?

Posted on: Sep 28, 2010, Source: AlterNet

The Israeli-Palestinian peace talks will almost certainly continue with or without a settlement freeze – but does that really matter?

Is Mosque Hysteria Being Ginned Up to Bolster Support for the Disastrous Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq?

Posted on: Aug 25, 2010, Source: AlterNet

The right-wing mobilization at the core of the Islamic center controversy is about rebuilding political support for the 'global war on terror.'

Why the U.S. Won't Cut Ties with Israel, No Matter How Extreme Its Government Gets

Posted on: Aug 3, 2010, Source: AlterNet

A thick web of military-strategic ties is at the heart of the US-Israeli relationship.

Change We Can Believe In for U.S.-Israeli Relations?

Posted on: May 17, 2009, Source: AlterNet

As Obama prepares to meet Israel's new hard-line PM, much of the world awaits signs of a new course.

Obama Has It All Backward on Afghanistan

Posted on: Mar 9, 2009, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

Afghanistan is known as the "graveyard of empires" for a reason.

Obama Takes a First Step Reducing Troops in Iraq -- Many More Are Needed

Posted on: Feb 27, 2009, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

Now let's see Obama pull the foreign mercenaries and contractors, close all the U.S. military bases, and cease all U.S. efforts to control Iraqi oil.

Israeli Elections and the Rise of the Right

Posted on: Feb 11, 2009, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

The three top candidates to become Israel's new PM vied with each other to see who could be tougher -- more aggressively anti-Palestinian.

Israel Detaining the UN

Posted on: Dec 23, 2008, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

The decision to detain the UN's envoy fits a pattern of hiding the human consequences of the siege of Gaza from the world.

Getting to the Bottom of the Deceptive, Secretive and Artificial Iraq-U.S. Negotiations

Posted on: Oct 27, 2008, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

Whatever the U.S.-Iraqi "agreement" ends up looking like, it is unlikely to have much of an effect on the occupation.

Why the Anti-War Movement Doesn't Embrace the Iraqi Resistance: A Response to Cockburn

Posted on: Jul 31, 2007, Source: AlterNet

Veteran peace activist Phyllis Bennis responds to Alexander Cockburn's analysis of the anti-war movement in The Nation.

Is the Right <i>Really</i> Rising Up Against the Iraq Occupation?

Posted on: Jul 17, 2007, Source: AlterNet

Getting Republicans to jump ship is central to the anti-war movement's strategy to get out of Iraq. But activists need to be wary of their intentions and not let them co-opt the message that it's time for withdrawal.

How to Prevent a War with Iran

Posted on: Feb 7, 2007, Source: TomPaine.com

To stop the looming war with Iran, Congress needs to pre-empt the possibility of the White House launching an attack. The secret weapon is the Boland Amendment.

A Prize and a Plea

Posted on: Oct 12, 2005, Source: TomPaine.com

Mohammed el Baradei won the Nobel Peace Prize as much for his future work on Iran as for his past work on Iraq.

A Declaration of War

Posted on: Aug 31, 2005, Source: TomPaine.com

The US has issued an open threat to the other 190 U.N. member states, the social movements and peoples of the entire world, and the United Nations itself.

The Price of Imperial Folly

Posted on: Jul 14, 2004, Source: AlterNet

Lost in the Beltway debate over intelligence failure is the enormous price we – Americans, Iraqis, the world – are paying for the Bush administration's self-serving war.

Powell's Dubious Case for War

Posted on: Feb 4, 2003, Source: Foreign Policy in Focus

There are clear contradictions between Powell's Security Council speech and Hans Blix's recent report on the UN inspectors' findings.

United For Peace & Justice Talking Points

Posted on: Jan 15, 2003, Source: War Times

Useful information for talking with friends, family, co-workers, media and your elected officials about nonviolent alternatives to war.

All the Facts About Iraq

Posted on: Aug 14, 2002, Source: AlterNet

The author, an esteemed foreign policy expert, wasn’t allowed to testify as an expert witness for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee -- so she submitted this written testimony instead.

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