Home

Recent content by Phyllis Bennis

Afghanistan: this war won't work

Obama's announced troops escalation will not bring security to Afghans, it won't turn Afghanistan into a democracy, and it won't make the US safer.

Haiti, Again?

The marginalisation of the UN and the militarisation of the US aid effort in Haiti reflect how humanitarian needs take a back seat to the Pentagon's priorities.

Yemen: Deja Vu All Over Again

Obama administration approved 70 million dollars of military assistance to Yemen, just the amount of development aid that the Bush senior withdrew for Yemen's refusal to approve the first Gulf war at the UN Security Council 20 years ago.

President Obama's Afghanistan Escalation Speech: An Assessment

President Obama's speech reflected accountability not to his base, the extraordinary mobilization of people who swept this anti-war and anti-racist candidate into office, but rather to the exigencies of Washington's traditional military, political, and corporate power-brokers who define "national security."

Reprise? Obama and Afghanistan

Obama's caving in to the pressures of Pentagon to escalate the war in Afghanistan will inevitably mean weakening his programmes at home and losing the support of the broad progressive coalition that brought him to power.

UN Note: The Missing U.S. Ambassador

The US crusade to bury the Goldstone report (holding Israel and Hamas
accountable for war crimes) was one of the fiercest of any waged in
recent years.

'A world without nuclear weapons' might still be possible

Obama should be leading global efforts towards real nuclear disarmament - and he could begin by talking to Iran about supporting a nuclear weapons-free zone.

The Goldstone Report - Boycotting Israel

As a prominent UN inquiry condemns Israel for committing war crimes during its attacks on Gaza, three prominent activists discuss the growing global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign.

Obama's Cairo speech (radio interview)
Barack Obama has either been currying favor with Muslims or extending an olive branch in the Middle East depending on which media you consume. Phyllis Bennis talks about Obama's major speech in Cairo, and the size of the gap between words and actions.

>Listen to the interview (mp3)

Netanyahu speaks: The Israel-Palestine ball remains in Obama's court

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu used the term 'Palestinian state' to pacify Obama, but his vision of the state amounts to a flag and an anthem, with no concessions from the Israeli side.

Changing the discourse: first step toward changing the policy?

Obama's Cairo speech shifted the discourse, away from justifying reckless imperial hubris, unilateralism and militarism and towards a more cooperative and potentially even internationalist approach. It is the task of people across the US to mobilise and turn that new language into new policies.

Guantanamo plans don’t match rhetoric

US President Barack Obama is failing to match his words to his actions and his promise to end the Guantanamo "mess" must not lead to detention without trial on American soil.

Netanyahu at the White House: not yet change we can believe in

The reality of power – that the U.S. is still the financial, military, diplomatic and political superpower patron on which Israel depends – was not reflected in the press conference that followed the meeting.

Change we can believe in for US-Israeli relations?

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

What is withdrawing 'responsibly' from Iraq? (video)
The Obama administration has a commitment to a major reduction in the size of the occupation, but there is no real commitment to a real withdrawal.
Non-combat combat troops (video)

Rebranding will not change fact that US troops in Iraq will be involved in combat

Contested terrain: Obama's Iraq withdrawal plan and the peace movement

President Obama's speech to Congress was a good first step, but we still have a lot of work to do to end the war in Iraq.

Obama to announce Iraq troop withdrawal
If Obama's announcement had meant the withdrawal of all US troops and mercenaries, it would be something to celebrate, says Phyllis Bennis, but the reality of 50,000 troops remaining in Iraq means that the occupation is far from over.

President Barack Obama said directly that he would be announcing "a way forward in Iraq that leaves Iraq to its people and responsibly ends this war." As far as it goes, that sounds good.

Israel: Rise of the Right
The timing of the December-January Israeli assault on Gaza had everything to do with the Israeli elections, and the results are showing rise of the right, the extreme right, and the fascist right, writes Phyllis Bennis.

The timing of the December-January Israeli assault on Gaza had everything to do with the Israeli elections. (Well, almost everything - there was that little item of finishing the military attack before Barack Obama's inauguration.)

But now the elections are over. And while final tallies are not officially finished, a few things are already clear.

Israel may still face war crimes charges
The extreme lawlessness of Israel's attack on Gaza, the shocking human devastation that it caused, and the direct attacks on UN facilities and personnel all elevate the possibility of holding its leaders accountable, in spite of Israel's history of impunity.

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 2 (IPS) - Despite widespread accusations of war crimes by Israel, there is growing scepticism of any Israeli leader being brought before an international tribunal for the killings of civilians and the targeting of schools and medical facilities during the 22-day conflict in Gaza last month.

"The number an

TNI projects