- Al-Jazeera English [Source is no longer accessible]
- KPFA-FM (segment begins at 1:05): Most comprehensive with a special emphasis
on Biden administration policy - KTVU, a Bay Area network affiliate: Three short interviews
* https://www.ktvu.com/video/1577477
* https://www.ktvu.com/video/1577202
* https://bit.ly/4jiAD9v
Category: Source
Joe Biden’s Tragic Failure to Learn from the Past
The Progressive January 18, 2025: On Biden’s foreign policy legacy, comparing his support for a far right Middle Eastern government engaging in massive war crimes with Reagan’s support for far right Central American governments engaged in massive war crimes… [source]
Interview: Jimmy Carter’s Legacy with Stephen Zunes
WORT-FM, January 9, 2025 (50 mins.): Stephen Zunes joins host Allen Ruff to critically assess the legacy of a former president, as most media tend to overlook the low points of Carter’s time in office. Carter inherited the presidency at the height of US imperialism with limited foreign-policy experience, propping up dictatorships, including his role in East Timor, Morocco, and Turkey. Ruff and Zunes also appraise his role for nuclear non-proliferation, the Carter Doctrine, the Camp David Accords of 1978, Carter’s opposition to Palestinian statehood, and after he left office, his positive contributions to what Zunes calls a “moral foreign policy” by speaking out against human rights violations. Read Stephen Zunes’s most recent article about Carter’s relationship to Israel in the Progressive.
As President, Jimmy Carter Was Not a “Peacemaker”
In These Times, January 10, 2025 by Stephen Zunes
The recent passing of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has led to some well-deserved praise of his legacy, particularly in regard to his exemplary service as a peacemaker and humanitarian since leaving the White House in 1981. During his post-presidency, he was also subjected to heavy criticism for his willingness to speak out against military intervention and the support for repressive governments offered by successive administrations of both parties. In particular, his willingness to challenge the ongoing Israeli occupation and colonization of occupied Palestinian territories was met with vehement condemnation, even from fellow Democrats. What many people forget, however, is that Carter’s administration failed to consistently uphold the principles for which Carter so admirably defended as an ex-president: peace, international law and human rights.
Jimmy Carter Warned Us About Israeli Apartheid
The Progressive January 2, 2025: The late President Jimmy Carter… was met with intense criticism for insisting that standards of peace, human rights, and international law should apply not just to countries hostile to U.S. interests, but to U.S. allies like Israel as well. Particularly controversial was Carter’s 2006 book, “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid”, a New York Times bestseller, in which he argued against Israel’s ongoing occupation of the West Bank, the Palestinian territory seized during the 1967 war the international community had hoped would form the basis for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Carter was a liberal Christian Zionist… [source]
Interview: Ousting the Brutal Assad Regime Brings Euphoria and More Questions
Counterpunch Interview of Stephen Zunes Dec. 11, 2024
by Daniel Falcone. “There are indications it was unarmed civil resistance led by resurgent popular committees and local councils, which initially came to the fore in the early nonviolent phase of the revolution 2011, that actually wrested control of much of the local governance from the regime.” [source]
TV 4 Interviews on Syria and Ouster of Assad, December 2024
- Fox-2/KTVU: Russia grants asylum to ousted Syrian leader
- And 3 more aired on Al Jazeera Media View,
December 2024 [source links are no longer available]:
*US has carried out air strikes on 75 ISIL targets throughout Syria
*Thousands celebrate in Damascus
*Assad’s leaving the capital Damascus
*Plus a one-minute excerpt gone viral.
Syria Background: Zunes’ Articles, Interviews and Videos Since 2011 Arab Spring
- From Gaza to Aleppo: A Handy Guide for Defending War Crimes: This article notes the remarkable parallel in the language used by those defending war crimes by the Assad regime and war crimes by Israel
- Here’s an analysis also from 2016 regarding the state of the conflict and U.S. policy: Syria After the Ceasefire
- This article from 2019 examines the Trump administration’s recognition of Israel’s illegal annexation of Syria’s Golan Heights (a decision upheld by the Biden administration) in defiance of the United Nations Security Council declaring it “null and void”: U.S. Recognition of Golan Annexation a Threat to World Order
- These two critically examine the ongoing U.S. military presence in Syria:
*Despite Everything US Troops Should Leave Syria (2019)
*If Biden Wants to Protect the Troops He Should Bring Them Home, Not Bomb, Syria (2021) - These four articles from 2017-2018 examine the U.S. response to Syrian chemical weapons attacks:
*History Shows Hypocrisy of U.S. Outrage over Chemical Weapons in Syria
*Why the United States Can’t Lead on Syria’s Chemical Weapons
*Trump’s Dangerous, Cynical Attack on Syria: Pacifica’s Sojourner Truth Radio
*Why These Missile Strikes Won’t Make Things Better for Syrian People - These links examine divisions over Syria within the
U.S. left and what a progressive policy would entail:
*How Syria Divides the Left (2017 written interview)
*The Anti-War Movement Must Listen to Voices Within Syria’s Civil War (2016 op-ed article)
*Why are Some Left Activists Falling for Fake News on Syria (television interview) - These articles from 2012-15 look at the debates regarding U.S. military intervention in Syria: *Obama’s Escalation in Syria (2015)
*Eight Arguments Against Going to War with Syria (2013)
*Despite Horrific Repression, the US Should Stay Out of Syria (2013)
*Military Intervention in Syria is a Bad Idea (2012) - And these two articles are my response to a series of articles attacking me for my opposition to U.S. military intervention in Syria:
*Opposition to Intervention in Syria is Utilitarian not Ideological (2013)
*On Syria Most Thoughtful People are Torn (2013) - On nonviolent alternatives in Syria during the early phases of the uprising:
*Supporting Nonviolence in Syria (2012)
*Unarmed Resistance Still Syria’s Best Hope (2012) - More on U.S. double-standards regarding Syria:
*U.S. Outrage over Syria Veto at UN Rife with Hypocrisy (2012)
*U.S. in No Position to Condemn Russian Transfer of Helicopter Gunships to Syrian Regime (2012) - On an earlier Israeli attack on Syria and the U.S. role in blocking Israeli-Syrian peace initiatives: Israel, Syria, and the United States (2013)
Interview for Singapore Radio on Assassination of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders
Singapore Radio CNA Daily Cuts October 21, 2024:
Despite Hamas leader Sinwar’s death, Mideast peace may still be elusive
UN Arms Embargo on Israel: Dead on Arrival
This Inter Press Service article quotes Dr. Stephen Zunes, Nov. 8 2024 by Thalif Deen. “This initiative reflects the view of the vast majority of the world’s governments and peoples and is consistent with imperatives of international humanitarian law, but given the major arms supplier of Israel is a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council it’s unlikely to have much impact.” [source]
Reaction to ICC Indictment Reveals US Bipartisan Contempt for International Law
The Progressive, December 5, 2024 by Stephen Zunes:
Examines Washington’s hysterical and dishonest reaction to the International Criminal Court’s indictments of two Israeli leaders for war crimes [Source]
3 Interviews on the ICC indictments of 2 Israeli Leaders and US Response
- An eight-minute interview for the main Singapore television news on the impact of the indictments
- Al-Jazeera English half hour conversation with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese and Israeli scholar Ori Goldberg on the ramifications of the ICC’s indictments (also a Daily Telegraph “Quotable” one-minute clip which has been making the rounds)
- On an Arab Organization for Human Rights panel addressing U.S. and Israeli efforts to undermine the authority of the International Criminal Court (Dr. Zunes’ segment starts at 31:30 plus additional remarks starting at 1:16:20 and 1:32:50.)
Lectures and 11 Interviews Nov. 2024 on Trump’s Election and the Middle East
First view Dr. Zunes’ 5-minute animated summary (scroll down to third video), of his research on coup resistance; then his Lecture at the University of San Francisco on how to prepare for the aftermath of the election in the event of an attempted coup or legitimate victory by Trump.
- Lecture before the Unitarian Universalists of San Francisco on what a Trump administration would mean to the Middle East (1 hour 20 mins.)
- Al-Jazeera English: [source link may be unavailable.]:
Interview on recent developments involving Israel, Lebanon, Gaza and the US (24 mins.) - Al-Jazeera English [source link may be unavailable.]:
4-minute interview on new developments in Syria - I’m one of three professors interviewed on AJE’s “Inside Story” about Biden’s responsibility in Harris’s defeat
- A half-hour interview for a Wisconsin radio station on Trump’s cabinet appointments and the effect a Trump regime may have on the Middle East
- A 25-minute interview with Kris Welch on KPFA-FM on the impact of the election on the Middle East (segment starts at the 32-minute mark)
- A 50-minute interview for a New Zealand radio show and podcast about the U.S. election and its broader implications
- A 45-minute interview for a San Francisco NPR affiliate on the U.S.-backed war on Gaza and the impact of the U.S. election
- I gave this brief analysis on the election and the Middle East for a San Francisco Bay Area network affiliates
- Interviewed briefly on KPFA-FM’s evening news about how U.S. policy in support of Israel’s wars on Gaza and Lebanon could be impacted by Trump’s election victory (segment begins at the 13:55 mark)
- On Pacifica Radio’s “Flashpoints” (KPFA) talking about the then-upcoming election and foreign policy
- KPFA radio news interview on Israel’s attacks on Iran, the ongoing war crimes in Gaza, and the impact on the then-upcoming US election (segment starts at the 16:15).
Radio and Podcast: 4 Interviews
- Recent developments in Gaza, the West Bank, and U.S. policy with Kris Welch on KPFA-FM and affiliated stations [9/6/24 starts at 1:06:40]
- On the Iranian missile attacks and what led up to them, for a New York community radio station [10/2/24, 15 min.]
- On Israel’s war on Lebanon for KPFA-FM evening news [9/22/24 starts at the 2:30]
- On the war on Gaza, U.S. policy, and related issues for a northern California radio station [segment starts at 26:20]
Video: 10 Interviews Aug.-Oct. 2024
- ET News, Indian TV: Anniversary of the October 7 attack
- Al Jazeera English: Interviewed along with Nicholas Noe and Gideon Levy about the implications of the Israeli assassination of Nasrallah and the ongoing war on Lebanon.
- Three short for San Francisco Bay area network affiliates:
* The Iranian missile attack on Israel and what led things to this point
* Israel’s attacks on Lebanon
* And on Gaza and U.S. policy. - Two appearances on the Santita Jackson Show:
* On escalating violence in the Middle East
* On the vice-presidential debate, along with the latest news from the Middle East - A ten-minute segment of a panel sponsored by the Arab Organization for Human Rights-UK, about the Biden administration and the ceasefire talks, U.S. policy towards Israel/Palestine, and how Harris would likely bring in a slight improvement in U.S. Middle East policy
- A short segment on a Singapore television news show about Israeli protests against Netanyahu and the Gaza War
Israel’s Orwellian Strategy in Lebanon
The Progressive October 2, 2024
… the Biden Administration is largely backing Israel’s Orwellian strategy in Lebanon: “escalate to de-escalate.” The upsurge in violence followed the controlled explosions detonated by Israel of pagers and walkie-talkies… killed dozens of people—including children and health care workers — and wounded thousands… only a minority were fighters… [source].
Interviews: U.S. policy, Israel/Palestine, Lebanon and Kamala Harris for KPFA Pacifica Radio
Dr. Zunes is the guest for three recent KPFA radio interviews:
During the first hour of KPFA’s “Talkies” show with Kris Welch
August 16, 2024 (segment starts at the 9:30 mark); also on
August 25 on KPFA Evening News (starts at 11:45); and earlier
August 11 on recent developments (starts at 2:10).
Interview: Kamala Harris, Israel Palestine and the 2024 Democratic Convention
KSQD-FM August 19, 2024; 55 minutes (Dr. Zunes’s segment starts at 5:40)
Video Panel – Brave Resistance: Iran’s Women Prisoners Up Against Execution Surge and Threats Of Wider Regional War
August 25, 2024 panel, Unitarian Universalists of San Francisco panel: Dr. Zunes addressed U.S. policy and the prospects of change in Iran (segment starts at the 13:35 mark, and in the Q&A session starting at the 1:32:30 mark).
Donald Trump Shooting at RNC July 13
Al Jazeera quotes Stephen Zunes July 13+15, 2024 in:
* FBI probing Trump shooting as ‘domestic terrorism’ as RNC opens
Stephan Zunes, a professor of politics at the University of San Francisco, said the attempted assassination – and Trump’s response to it – is playing into both his “hero” and “victim narrative”. As a “professional showman”, Trump is sure to capitalise on the moment “in whatever way he can” and “play it to the hilt”, Zunes told Al Jazeera.
* Donald Trump rally shooting updates: FBI agents swarm killed suspect’s home: Assassination attempt to play into Trump’s ‘hero narrative’
The image of Trump bloodied and raising a fist after escaping an assassination attempt will become iconic for the American right, boosting his hero status to them, said Stephan Zunes, a professor of politics at the University of San Francisco. It will also play into the “victim narrative that has been very strong for [Trump] and his movement,” Zunes told Al Jazeera. Trump, as a “professional showman”, is sure to capitalise on the imagery “in whatever way he can”, and “play it to the hilt,” Zunes added….
* Attack on Trump to supercharge ‘conspiracy theories’ [no link]
Zunes cautioned people from assigning a motive to the attack on Trump too quickly, which he said is sure to “add to the craziness of the political scene. Unlike in other countries, much of our attempted assassinations [in the US] are by people who are mentally ill and do not have a political motivation… We should not assume this is necessarily part of so-called polarising situation.” Nevertheless, Zunes told Al Jazeera, the attack reflects a society in which “threats of political violence are growing” and are likely to further fuel “conspiracy theories from both the left and the right.”