Phyllis Bennis

Phyllis Bennis

Director of the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies

Phyllis Bennis is a fellow of both TNI and the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington DC where she directs IPS's New Internationalism Project. Phyllis specialises in U.S. foreign policy issues, particularly involving the Middle East and United Nations. She worked as a journalist at the UN for ten years and currently serves as a special adviser to several top-level UN officials on Middle East issues, as well as playing an active role in the U.S. and global peace and Palestinian rights movements. A frequent contributor to U.S. and global media, Phyllis is also the author of numerous articles and books, particularly on Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq, the UN, and U.S.

Work area:

Peace & Security

Areas of expertise:

Middle East politics and the Arab Spring; U.S.-Iran Relations; Palestine-Israel, Iraq & Afghanistan wars; U.S. Foreign Policy; United Nations Reform

Media experience:

Phyllis Bennis is appears frequently on U.S. and international radio and television, including al Jazeera, BBC, Democracy Now!, NPR and more, and regularly contributes to The Nation, AlterNet, Common Dreams, TomPaine.com and other progressive US magazines

Contact

Phone: +1 202-234-9382
Email: pbennis [at] ips-dc.org
Facebook: Phyllis Bennis

English

application/pdf iconphyllis long bio.pdf

Selected publications

Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
Understanding the US-Iran crisis
Ending the Iraq War: A Primer
Challenging Empire
Before & After
Calling the Shots: How Washington Dominates Today's UN

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Recent content by Phyllis Bennis

Obama Makes Nice Speeches...

April 2013
President Obama recognizes injustice and need for two states but does nothing to pressure Netanyahu to make concessions to Palestinians.

Way worse than a dumb war: Iraq ten years later

March 2013
The US war in Iraq may be over, but we owe an apology grounded in the recognition of our enormous debt to the people of Iraq, a debt for which compensation and reparations are only a start.

The Day the World Said No to War

February 2013
Our movement changed history. While we did not prevent the Iraq war, the protests proved its clear illegality, demonstrated the isolation of the Bush administration policies, helped prevent war in Iran, and inspired a generation of activists.

Will Chuck Hagel's Appointment Actually Help the Anti-War Left?

January 2013
Hagel’s nomination engendered bitter, angry opposition from the moment it was floated as a trial balloon. And the fact that Obama went ahead with the nomination is a good indication that on at least some critical foreign policy issues, Obama is not prepared to allow either the pro-Israeli lobbies or the hard-core neoconservatives, in and outside of Washington, to determine whom he could and could not choose as Secretary of Defense.

US backing crucial to Gaza attacks

November 2012
Regional conflicts: , Peace & Security:
Israel's attack on Gaza could not have happened without the strong support of US administration, but the political changes in the Middle East have left Israel and the US more isolated than ever.

Israel escalates Gaza attack with assassination

November 2012
Why has the Israeli government decided to escalate the conflict with Gaza by assassinating Hamas military leader Ahmad Jaabari?

Peace for Syria will not come from the outside

October 2012
Civil liberties: , Regional conflicts:
There is not a lot that can be done for the Syrian conflict from outside except keep the U.S. out of Syria militarily and provide moral support for the nonviolent, democratic opposition.

Syrian uprising morphs into regional and global wars

August 2012
A divided, balkanized Syria looms as a dangerous possibility as even UN Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon acknowledges the conflict has become a proxy war between world powers.

Romney backs Israel in the battle of the Iran red lines

August 2012
Beyond the insulting gaffes and racist comments, Romney's statement on Iran suggests a seriously 'extremist war-mongering' agenda that could have devastating consequences.

Which road for Damascus

July 2012
The pressure to ‘do something’ about the killings and repression in Syria is immense, but we must be cautious about simplistic answers.