Stephen Zunes

Liberal UCSC alumni may pay price for donations
30 September 2017

Alumni of the UC Santa Cruz who have been active politically in support of liberal causes should be cautious about making in-kind donations to their alma mater. It seems that UCSC now reserves the right to bring in ultra-conservative speakers as a condition of accepting such gifts from those with left-of-center views.

Stephen Zunes: Panetta’s first foreign policy vote sides with Trump
13 January 2017

In the first foreign policy vote of his congressional career, newly elected Democratic Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, shocked many of his constituents by siding with President-elect Donald Trump against President Barack Obama on the question of the role of the United Nations and international humanitarian law.

Reasons to oppose the proposed state anti-boycott bill
3 June 2016

The California State Assembly is considering a bill entitled the “Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions of Recognized Sovereign Nations or Peoples Act” (AB 2844) that could lead to penalizing California businesses that boycott any country or any products from a particular country — even if the product is being made in a colony or occupied territory or if it is made under illegal, inhumane or environmentally deleterious conditions. It would also deny state or local government contracts to sole propietorships who participate in such boycotts.

Chancellor’s opposition to student resolution problematic
4 December 2015

UC Santa Cruz Chancellor George Blumenthal, in an all-campus mailing sent out Nov. 19, expressed his opposition to a recently passed resolution by the Student Union Assembly in a manner which has raised serious concerns among supporters of corporate responsibility and academic freedom. It is virtually unprecedented for a chancellor or other high-level administration to criticize student representatives for participating in a democratic process of debate and decision making, even on contentious issues…

US support for Saudis belies claims of supporting democracy
20 February 2015

Stephen Zunes: Opposition to Israeli occupation consistent with other human rights struggles
6 February 2015

How the state Assembly tries to limit what I can teach
25 January 2014

In preparing my syllabus for my introductory course on the Middle East this semester, it gives me pause that the California Assembly is still on record declaring that discussing certain well-documented historic incidents in modern Middle Eastern history should “not be tolerated in the classroom.” This unprecedented attack on academic freedom came in the form of a resolution (HR 35), co-sponsored by 66 of the 88 Assembly members, which passed by a voice vote in 2012.

U.S. shares responsibility for plight of Arab Christians
28 December 2013

It was the second week in January of 1991. I was in the sanctuary of a large Catholic Church in Baghdad. Every votive candle in the place was lit, no doubt in support of prayers for loved ones in anticipation of the massive U.S. bombing campaign, which was to be known as Operation Desert Storm, which was soon to commence.