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# Stephen Zunes

Expert Analyst: International Politics, Middle East & Nonviolent Action

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://stephenzunes.org/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Search Posts Chronologically](https://stephenzunes.org/posts/) - Afghanistan/Pakistan Africa (sub-Saharan) After Downing Street Alternet Arabian Peninsula Asia Bay Guardian Between the Lines Biden Foreign Policy Bush Speeches–annotated Caucasus Center for International Policy Americas Program China Radio International Christian Science Monitor Civil Liberties Common Dreams Courage to Resist Democracy Now! Democratic Party Foreign Policy Eastern Europe Egypt Electoral Politics Environmental Issues and International
- [Video: 10 Interviews Aug.-Oct. 2024](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/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
- [Quote: US Aims at Heavy Staff & Budgetary Cuts, Seeks to Launch Cost-Saving Artificial Intelligence at UN meetings](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/quote-us-aims-at-heavy-staff-budgetary-cuts-seeks-to-launch-cost-saving-artificial-intelligence-at-un-meetings/) - Inter Press Service News, United Nations, April 6, 2026: Stephen Zunes told IPS this is not about cost-cutting or fiscal responsibility. “Like cutbacks to important U.S. government agencies and domestic programs, the Trump administration appears determined to dismantle the system itself.” This should be understood in the context of pulling out of international organizations and
- [CNA Interview: US plans Hormuz blockade after Iran talks fail](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/cna-interview-us-plans-hormuz-blockade-after-iran-talks-fail/) - CNA938 Rewind, Singapore, April 13, 2026 (15-min. audio): Analysis: President Trump orders a sweeping naval operation targeting the Strait of Hormuz after peace talks in Pakistan fail. The measure targets vessels transiting all Iranian ports along the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman...
- [Trump's Disastrous War of Choice](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/14393/) - The Progressive April 10, 2026: Whether, or not the ceasefire ends up failing, the erratic President has put the region and world in grave danger... [Audio transcripts; podcast]
- [Operation Epstein Fury Part 8. Is It Finally Over?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/operation-epstein-fury-part-8-is-it-finally-over/) - Zunes quoted in Wyoming Star, April 10, 2026, by Joe Yans: “Despite US and Israeli claims to the contrary, Pakistani mediators and others have confirmed that the agreement for a two-week halt to the fighting and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz was contingent on a ceasefire in Lebanon. European leaders and other US
- [Interview, BBC: Iran, US differ as ceasefire expected](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-bbc-iran-us-differ-as-ceasefire-expected/) - BBC April 6, 2026, 4 minutes:
- [Interview: 'Give It Up or Go to Jail': Trump Warns Reporters Over Iran F-15 Jet Leak | Firstpost America](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-give-it-up-or-go-to-jail-trump-warns-reporters-over-iran-f-15-jet-leak-firstpost-america/) - Fairpost America, Indian television network, April 7, 2026 [10 mins., Zunes segment begins at 6:30]
- [Interview: Iran War Has No Clear Endgame](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-iran-war-has-no-clear-endgame/) - Fair Observer, April 7, 2026 [45 mins.]
- [Interview: Trump warns a 'whole civilization will die tonight' in Iran as deadline looms](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-trump-warns-a-whole-civilization-will-die-tonight-in-iran-as-deadline-looms/) - KTVU Bay Area Fox 2, April 7, 2026 [8 mins.]
- [Interview: Ceasefire agreement reached](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-ceasefire-agreement-reached/) - KTVU Bay Area Fox 2, April 8, 2026 [6 mins.]
- [Interview: Trump threatens living hell if strait does not reopen, purges military brass](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-trump-threatens-living-hell-if-strait-does-not-reopen/) - KTVU Bay Area Fox 2, April 6, 2026 [6 mins.]
- [Interview: Trump’s threats against Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-trumps-threats-against-iran/) - KTVU Bay Area Fox 2, April 5, 2026
- [Even Israel’s strongest allies can no longer justify what’s happening](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/14359/) - UK-based Arab Organization for Human Rights panel, April 4, 2026:How the Iran War is used as cover for record high Israeli violence in the occupied West Bank.
- [US Cannot ‘Win’ a War on Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/us-cannot-win-a-war-on-iran/) - The Progressive, April 3, 2026: U.S. and Israeli forces have targeted schools, hospitals, city parks, and cultural sites along with military and governmental facilities. This will likely lead to only greater resistance...
- [Interview: Iran War, US and popular resistance](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-iran-war-and-popular-resistance/) - Redneck Gone Green/David Cobb, March 16, 2026 [1 hour]: Iran, current US foreign policy, and criminalization of dissent.
- [Interview: Trump says US will 'finish the job' in Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-trump-says-us-will-finish-the-job-in-iran/) - KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco/West Coast Wrap, April 2, 2026 [2:00-6:40]
- [Syria: What You Need to Know](https://stephenzunes.org/peace-war/nuclear-chemical-weapons/syria-what-you-need-to-know/) - WORT-FM April 17, 2017 (57 mins.): Last week, Syria launched a chemical weapons attack, killing more than 80 people. President Trump responded with an ordered airstrike on a Syrian airbase. What led to this conflict? What participants are in play, and what do we need to know?
- [Iran War and US Constitution](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/iran-war-and-us-constitution/)
- [Interview: US-Israel War on Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-us-israel-war-on-iran/) - First guest on WBAI-FM, NYC "Equal Rights and Justice" March 26, 2026 [
- [Interview: Monroe Doctrine Rises Again](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-monroe-doctrine-rises-again/) - WORT FM, Madison, January 8, 2026 (48-min): The Monroe Doctrine Rises Again in Venezuela. Host Allen Ruff and Professor Stephen Zunes discuss his recent article in The Progressive, “The Real Reason Trump Invaded Venezuela: It’s not drugs, democracy, or even oil. It’s power.” Zunes puts the Trump administration's lies -- calling Maduro a narco-terrorist despite
- [Lectures and 11 Interviews Nov. 2024 on Trump's Election and the Middle East](https://stephenzunes.org/video/7-interviews-u-s-post-election-nov-2024/) - 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
- [Pompeo Embraced Israeli Settlements, But Democrats Also Paved the Way for It](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/pompeo-embraced-israeli-settlements-but-democrats-also-paved-the-way-for-it/) - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has faced widespread international condemnation for his recent assertions that illegal Israeli settlements constructed in the occupied West Bank are somehow legal and part of Israel, and that products from these colonies on confiscated Palestinian land should be labeled as “Made in Israel.” What fewer are discussing, however, is that while these proclamations are unprecedented in their scope, they are in fact the culmination of decades of bipartisan support for Israeli expansionism.
- [Interview: Could a US Strike Unite Iran Instead of Breaking It?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-could-a-us-strike-unite-iran-instead-of-breaking-it/) - Fair Observer/FO Talks, Mar. 12, 2026 (28 min.): A “limited strike” would likely escalate, strengthen Iranian nationalism and potentially accelerate Tehran’s pursuit of nuclear deterrence... regional reactions, oil disruption risks and the broader implications...
- [Interview: Something’s Happening Here! Minnesota and Iran with Janine Seija and Stephen Zunes](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-somethings-happening-here-minnesota-and-iran-with-janine-seija-and-stephen-zunes/) - KQSD FM, Mar 12, 2026, Moment of Truth with Ami Chen Mills (54 min.): UPDATES ON IRAN AND MINNESOTA: This show includes a conversation with an ordinary, working mom in Minnesota, Janine Sieja, about her experience with ICE chaos, abductions and even murders in her city...
- [Interview: Fighting in Iran escalates](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-fighting-in-iran-escalates/) - KTVU-Fox 2, Bay Area, 5 min.: Iran is determined to teach the US a lesson that whenever attacked, there are global ramifications.
- [Interview: Why Killing Iran’s Supreme](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-why-killing-irans-supreme/) - Fair Observer/FO Talks, Mar. 13, 2026 (28 min.): Washington may have misjudged Iran’s political structure and military resilience, making regime collapse unlikely... risks becoming a prolonged war of attrition with global consequences.
- [Will the Flotilla Attack Be Our "Kent State" Moment?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/will-the-flotilla-attack-be-our-kent-state-moment/) - The offensive by the Congressional Democratic leadership against the Gaza humanitarian aid flotilla has now moved beyond just rhetorical support for the Israeli attack on the unarmed convoy. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee’s subcommittee on terrorism, nonproliferation and trade, has called upon U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to prosecute U.S. citizens who were involved or on board the flotilla. Given the very real threat of terrorism from Al-Qaeda and other groups against the United States, it is very odd that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic Party leaders would choose -- out of 255 Democrats in the House of Representatives -- a paranoid right-winger like Sherman to chair the critically important terrorism subcommittee. Rather than focus on the real threats from Al-Qaeda and other dangerous organizations, it appears that Sherman is putting his energy into going after the motley group of Quaker pacifists, left-wing Jews, and other like-minded activists who boarded the ships attempted to bring medicines, school supplies, toys and other humanitarian aid to children of the Gaza Strip.
- [The United States, Israel, and the Possible Attack on Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/the-united-states-israel-and-the-possible-attack-on-iran/) - With even mainstream media outlets like the Washington Post and The New Yorker publishing credible stories that the United States is seriously planning a military attack on Iran, increasing numbers of Americans are expressing concerns about the consequences of the United States launching another war that would once again place the United States in direct contravention of international law.
- [Iran: America’s War of Choice is Israel’s War of Necessity](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/americas-war-of-choice-is-israels-war-of-necessity/)
- [Interview: The Latest on Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-the-latest-on-iran/) - WPFW, DC, Make it Plain with Mark Thompson, March 10, 2026 (55-min.)
- [Zunes's key articles on Iran 2011-2025](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/zuness-key-articles-on-iran-2011-2025/) - Two articles and an interview during the summer 2025 bombing of Iran:It’s Not About the BombMissed Opportunity on IranUpdates on the Iran-Israel War: Conversations with Leading Analysts Debunking Trump’s claim that Iranians were responsible for the deaths of thousands of U.S. soldiers in Iraq:No Evidence Iran is Responsible for the Deaths of Hundreds of Americans
- [US policy weakens Iran's pro-democracy movement](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iran/us-policy-weakens-irans-pro-democracy-movement/) - [Santa Cruz Sentinel & Transnational.org, Also National Catholic Reporter,May 31, 2013, updated Sept. 11, 2018While there are contending factions vying for the country's relatively weak presidency, the narrow ideological spectrum within which candidates are allowed to run offers little hope for change.
- [Interview: Unpopularity of Iran war 'almost unprecedented' this early](https://stephenzunes.org/uncategorized/interview-unpopularity-of-iran-war-almost-unprecedented-this-early-on-expert-says/) - Agence France Presse, March 3, 2026: Speaking with FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney, Zunes says, "even in the most controversial wars, like Iraq, when the war initiates, people tend to rally around the flag [...] it's remarkable at the very beginning of the war there's overwhelming opposition not only from liberals and the left, but much
- [Interviews since US-Israel began War on Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-us-israel-launch-strikes-on-iran/) - 5-10 minute interviews on San Francisco Bay -area television stations: March 2, 2026, on KRON; KGO; KTVU; and again on KTVU Feb. 28, 2026
- [Western Sahara: Self-Determination and International Law](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/western-sahara-self-determination-and-international-law/) - Middle East Institute, April 2, 2008 by Stephen Zunes [source]The failure of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front to agree on the modalities of the long-planned United Nations-sponsored referendum on the fate of Western Sahara, combined with a growing nonviolent resistance campaign within the territory against Morocco’s 31-year occupation, has led Morocco to
- [A Reply to Stephen Gowans' False Allegations against Stephen Zunes](https://stephenzunes.org/source/znetwork/a-reply-to-stephen-gowans-false-allegations-against-stephen-zunes-2/) - [Stephen Gowans has written an article, "Stephen Zunes and the Struggle for Overseas Profits." This is Zunes' reply.] Stephen Gowans' February 18 article, "Stephen Zunes and the Struggle for Overseas Profits," is filled with demonstrably inaccurate and misleading statements about both me and the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC), with whom I serve as chair of the board of academic advisors. Below is a 13-point refutation which only begins to challenge the lies and misinformation.
- [U.S. Support for Israel Mirrors 80s Support for El Salvador Junta](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/u-s-support-for-israel-mirrors-80s-support-for-el-salvador-junta/) - It’s like the 1980s all over again. During that decade, the Reagan administration – with the support of Congress – sent billions of dollars worth of unconditional military and other support to the right wing-junta in El Salvador, just as the Obama administration is today with the right-wing government in Israel.
- [Western Sahara: The Autonomy Proposal vs. International Legal Obligations](https://stephenzunes.org/video/western-sahara-the-autonomy-proposal-vs-international-legal-obligations/) - Global Monitoring Center, March 5, 2026: Zunes is first of three panelists at this forum critically examining Morocco's so-called "autonomy" proposal for the nation of Western Sahara, which it invaded, occupied, and illegally annexed in 1975. The US and several European governments are supporting this dubious proposal despite its contravention of international law.
- [Interview: Could a US Strike Unite Iran Instead of Breaking It? Fair Observer](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-could-a-us-strike-unite-iran-instead-of-breaking-it-fair-observer/) - Fair Observer, Feb. 28, 2026 (28 min): With nearly 600 US fighter jets, two carrier strike groups and 50 warships positioned around Iran, tensions in the Middle East are rising fast. In this episode of FO Talks, Professor Stephen Zunes examines whether a “limited strike” on Iran is even possible — or whether escalation is
- [Why is Trump going to war with Iran?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/why-is-trump-going-to-war-with-iran/) - 48 Hills, San Francisco, March 1, 2026:Trump had no logical reason to start this war: A mediator from Oman just the day before the bombing started said the two countries were making good progress on a nuclear deal. The message instead: “The US can’t be trusted.” To suggest that this will lead to regime change
- [What Are the Trump Administration’s True Objectives in Iran?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/what-are-the-trump-administrations-true-objectives-in-iran/) - Truthout, March 4, 2026, by Stephen Zunes [podcast]: Many of President Trump’s stated justifications for the US and Israeli war on Iran are demonstrably false... Much of it has to do with what was perceived as an opportunity. The Iranian regime has never been more isolated [and] U.S. hostility toward an independent-minded Iran has been
- [Interview: Why Killing Khamenei Did Not Collapse the Regime](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-why-killing-irans-supreme-leader-khamenei-did-not-collapse-the-regime/) - Fair Observer, March 5, 2026 (29 min.)
- [Interview: Growing threat of war with Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-growing-threat-of-war-with-iran/)
- [Interview: Syria battles Kurdish-led SDF](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-syria-battles-kurdish-led-sdf/) - Al Jazeera January 18, 2026, 5-min. (download) See more and recent Syria coverage here.
- [Interview: US threats could strengthen Iranian regime](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-us-threats-could-strengthen-iranian-regime/) - CNA, Channel News Asia/Mediacorp, Singapore, Feb. 5, 2026, 10-mins.
- [Interview: The Iranian Protests Explained](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-the-iranian-protests-explained/) - Podcast (8-min.) & transcript Feb 07, 2026; By Daniel Falcone in Foreign Policy in Focus, January 28, 2026 Outside intervention will only undercut efforts by Iranians to transform their system. Zunes and historian Lawrence Davidson help unpack the protests and explain their relevance within the context of U.S. and Israeli national interests.
- [Interview: Is the US Planning to Throw a Lifeline to a Sinking UN?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-is-the-us-planning-to-throw-a-lifeline-to-a-sinking-un/)
- [Did Washington Post amplify Moroccan propaganda?](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/did-washington-post-amplify-moroccan-propaganda/) - African Digital Democracy ObservatoryDisinfo.Africa quoted Zunes June 27, 2025:Washington Post echoes disputed claims that Saharan mercenaries were captured in Aleppo: On April 12, 2025, the
- [Spring 2024 articles quoting Dr. Stephen Zunes](https://stephenzunes.org/human-rights/spring-2024-articles-quoting-dr-stephen-zunes/) - Will Israel Defy Another Security Council Resolution?Inter Press News Service, April 9, 2024 [source]"Israel’s tradition is to defy UN Security Council resolutions even when the US allows them to pass, then prevents them being enforced."* Plus two recent articles in a major Swedish daily on U.S. policy toward Israel and Palestine: March 29 and March
- [Trump’s deal on Morocco’s Western Sahara annexation risks more global conflict](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/trumps-deal-on-moroccos-western-sahara-annexation-risks-more-global-conflict/) - Last week, President Trump formally recognized Morocco’s annexation of Western Sahara as part of a deal to get Morocco to normalize relations with Israel. But Morocco’s claim on Western Sahara is rejected by the United Nations, the World Court, the African Union and a broad consensus of international legal scholars that consider the region a non-self-governing territory that must be allowed an act of self-determination. This is why no country had formally recognized Morocco’s takeover — until now.
- [Is the U.S. Prepared to Resist a Coup?](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/is-the-u-s-prepared-to-resist-a-coup/) - President Donald Trump’s refusal to agree to a peaceful transfer of power has raised concerns that the Republicans may try to steal the 2020 Presidential Election. If Trump and his Republican allies attempt to invalidate the election results, would enough Americans be able to mobilize to stop it?
- [Interview: Zunes on Iran, Gaza, US Colonialism](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-zunes-on-iran-gaza-us-colonialism/)
- [Interview: Anger, Accountability, and the Law: Capitalism, Courts, and Gaza](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-anger-accountability-and-the-law-capitalism-courts-and-gaza/) - KPFW Jan. 30, 2026 (starts at 1:05:45): Anger, Accountability, and the Law: Capitalism, Courts, and Gaza
- [BBC Interview: Trump's Gaza "Board of Peace"](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/bbc-interview-trumps-gaza-board-of-peace/) - BBC, January 17, 2026 (5-min. video & transcript) BBC Interview on Trump's "Board of Peace" for Gaza by Stephen ZunesFrom January 17, 2026Read on Substack
- [Interview: Unrest in Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-unrest-in-iran/) - KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco, Jan. 20, 2026 (6 min.)
- [Interview: Trump’s ‘Board of Peace.’ What awaits Gaza?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-trumps-board-of-peace-what-awaits-gaza/) - Wyoming Star, Jan. 29, 2026, quotes Zunes: "The United Nations was willing to initially give support to the formation of the Board of Peace when it was seen as the best way to maintain the shaky ceasefire in Gaza, but the subsequently released charter doesn’t even mention Gaza. Indeed, it appears to be an effort
- [Gaza’s Humanitarian Breakdown: Death, Displacement, and International Failure](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/gazas-humanitarian-breakdown-death-displacement-and-international-failure/)
- [3 Interviews on the ICC indictments of 2 Israeli Leaders and US Response](https://stephenzunes.org/video/reaction-to-icc-indictment-reveals-bipartisan-contempt-for-international-law/) - 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
- [Interview, Venezuela: Maduro Captured](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-venezuelan-president-maduro-capture/) - KTVU Fox-TV Bay-Area affiliate: Sat, January 3, 2026 (5-min) International politics professor weighs in on Maduro's capture
- [Interview: US Imperialism Roars Back](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-3/) - WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast #349, Jan. 5, 2026US Imperialism Roars Back To Life, Prof. Stephen Zunes (24-min)
- [The Real Reason Trump Invaded Venezuela: It’s not drugs, democracy, or even oil. It’s power.](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/the-real-reason-trump-invaded-venezuela-its-not-drugs-democracy-or-even-oil-its-power/) - The Progressive, January 6, 2026 and republished by Common Dreams as, Until Democrats Confront the Lawlessness of Trump's Venezuela Assault, Expect More War. The U.S. attack resulted from having an incredibly corrupt and autocratic-minded President using his office to enrich himself and his supporters, deploying the country’s armed forces against his own citizens, abusing the
- [Interview: Maduro, wife plead not guilty](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-maduro-and-wife-plead-not-guilty/) - KTVU, Bay Area Fox affiliate, Jan. 5, 2026 (3-Min.). Indictment's not likely to hold.
- [Interview: U.S. Imperialism Roars Back](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-us-imperialism-roars-back-to-life/) - Between the Lines Radio News, on WPKN.org’s Mic Check, with Richard Hill (25-min.) plus transcript on Substack.
- [Trump’s quest to kick America's ‘Iraq War syndrome’](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/trumps-quest-to-kick-americas-iraq-war-syndrome/) - Responsible Statecraft, Jan 14, 2026 by Leah Schroeder (quotes Stephen Zunes) Experts say the 'easy' Venezuela operation is reminiscent of George H.W. Bush's 1989 invasion of Panama, which in part served to bury the ghosts of Vietnam “Panama mattered because it showed the U.S. would continue intervention even after the Cold War,” said Stephen Zunes,
- [Is US Moving Towards UN’s Exit Door?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/is-us-moving-towards-uns-exit-door/) - Inter Press Service by Thalif Deen, United Nations, Jan 13 2026 (quotes Zunes): “The Trump administration, however, appears to be rejecting the post-WWII international legal system as a whole. His statements, particularly since the attack on Venezuela, appear to be a throwback to the 19th-century imperial prerogatives and a rejection of modern international law.” “As
- [Interview: Threats of U.S. intervention in Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-threats-of-u-s-intervention-in-iran/) - KPFA-FM's News/Pacifica Radio Network, Jan. 11, 2026 (1-min. starts at 11:30)
- [Interviews: The New Protests in Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interviews-the-new-protests-in-iran/) - Zunes's main talking points for a series of interviews on the protests in Iran, December 28-31: the protests are significant in that the bazaar is, traditionally a backbone of support for the regime, have been in the leadership of the resistance there is significant poor and working class participation in the protests, unlike some previous
- [Interview, BBC: Iran's uprising over rising prices](https://stephenzunes.org/video/interview-bbc-irans-uprising-over-rising-prices/) - BBC News Channel, 12/31/25: Iran's uprising over rising prices, 5-mins.
- [Interview: Israel gas deal: Netanyahu says he's approved $35b gas deal with Egypt](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-israel-gas-deal-netanyahu-says-hes-approved-35b-gas-deal-with-egypt/) - Al Jazeera English, Dec. 17, 2025 (5-min): Netanyahu said he approved $35b gas deal with Egypt
- [Interview: Gaza and West Bank update and responsibilities of U.S. and international community.](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-gaza-and-west-bank-update-and-responsibilities-of-u-s-and-international-community/) - Al Jazeera, Dec. 1, 2025 (5 mins., English): On the situation in Gaza and the West Bank and the responsibilities of the United States and the international community.
- [Interview, KPFA: Latest developments in Israel/Palestine](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-kpfa-latest-developments-in-israel-palestine/) - KPFA-FM Evening News, Pacifica Radio Network, Dec. 14, 2025 Zunes's segment begins just after the 12:30 mark.
- [Lecture: The United States, the Peace Movement and the Middle East (Video)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/lecture-the-united-states-the-peace-movement-and-the-middle-east-video/) - pdxjustice Media Production Middle East scholar and author, Stephen Zunes, talks about US policy towards the Middle East, and about his book,
- [Interview: Activists for Palestine should keep on](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-activists-for-palestine-should-keep-on/) - WORT-FM, Madison, Wisconsin, October 26, 2025: Stephen Zunes Tells Activists for Palestine to Keep On, addresses Gaza ceasefire agreement and Israeli military and settler attacks in the West Bank...
- [Analyst Stephen Zunes Looks At The Middle East](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio/wpr-wisconsin-public-radio/analyst-stephen-zunes-looks-at-the-middle-east/) - WORT, Madison, Wisconsin, May 17, 2018 (Soundcloud, 29 mins.): This week, mass Palestinian protests at the fences around Gaza have been met with violence from the Israel military. A look beyond the headlines...
- [Lecture video: Occupation and the Attack on International Law](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/lecture-occupation-and-the-attack-on-international-law/) - University Heights Center (Seattle, WA)
- [Interview BBC: UN Security Council resolution supports Trump's post-war Gaza plan](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-bbc-un-security-council-resolution-supports-trumps-post-war-gaza-plan/) - BBC, November 20, 2025:
- [A Two-Year Road to Genocide. Israel-Palestine Conflict. Its Past, Present, and Future.](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/a-two-year-road-to-genocide-israel-palestine-conflict-its-past-present-and-future/) - Wyoming Star, August 13, 2025, ByJoe Yans, quoting Stephen Zunes Stephen Zunes: ... This is not a religious conflict, first and foremost, and that hasn’t stopped extremists, both Jewish and Muslim, from trying to turn it into one. Not to mention some Christian fundamentalists in the West. But in these two competing nationalisms, Israel ultimately
- [Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Tied to the Abraham Accords?!](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/armenia-azerbaijan-peace-tied-to-the-abraham-accords/) - The Wyoming Star, Aug. 8, 2025, piece by Joe Yans, quotes Zunes: But why should a bilateral peace process between two non-Middle Eastern states be co-opted into a framework that was originally designed (at least nominally) to normalize relations between Israel and select Arab states? According to Dr. Stephen Zunes, a professor of politics and
- [A Peace Prize for Trump the Militarist?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/a-peace-prize-for-trump-the-militarist/) - The Nation, November 25, 2025, Stephen ZunesWhile he has been more reluctant than some presidents to put US troops in harm’s way, Trump has dismissed checks on his use of military force, saying, “We’re just gonna kill people.”
- [Interview: Israel violates Gaza ceasefires](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-israel-violates-gaza-ceasefires/) - KPFA Pacifica Radio, Nov. 21, 2025 [begins at 1:05:50] Latest developments in the Israel Gaza war and West Bank.
- [Generational Shift: An Assessment of Evolving Student Attitudes on College Campuses Towards Israel](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/generational-shift-an-assessment-of-evolving-student-attitudes-on-college-campuses-towards-israel/) - Oberlin Club of Washington, D.C., October 20, 2025 (1:07)
- [Interview: How Catherine Connolly Can Redefine Irish Politics](https://stephenzunes.org/eastern-europe/interview-how-catherine-connolly-can-redefine-irish-politics/) - Counterpunch November 14, 2025, by Daniel Falcone An Interview With Yvonne Galligan that quotes Zunes on the significance of the election of the new democratic socialist president of Ireland. "Activist and author Medea Benjamin commented, 'Ireland just reminded the world what moral leadership looks like, electing a president who speaks for justice, stands with Palestine,
- [Nancy Pelosi’s Dismal Record on Israel and Palestine](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/nancy-pelosis-dismal-record-on-israel-and-palestine/) - The Progressive, November 20, 2025, by Stephen Zunes There is much to admire about U.S. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who recently announced her plan to retire in 2027 after thirty-nine years in office, including her progressive domestic agenda, superb legislative skills, and groundbreaking role as the first female Congressional leader. But we must also
- [Has Trump Finally Ended Western Sahara’s Dream of Freedom?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/has-trump-finally-ended-western-saharas-dream-of-freedom/) - The Nation, November 13, 2025: The international community must decide which principle will prevail: the right of self-determination or the right of conquest [ audio podcast 6 mins.]
- [U.S. supports Israel’s atrocities](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/u-s-supports-israels-atrocities/) - Arab Organisation for Human Rights UK, Webinar Nov 16, 2025 Israel’s atrocities — genocide, torture, and extrajudicial executions — are made possible by U.S. military, diplomatic, and financial support. Zunes stressed that targeted killings of U.S. citizens and mounting evidence of Israeli crimes are shifting American public opinion in unprecedented ways. He highlighted the crucial
- [Interview: Developments in US policy on Israel/Palestine](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-developments-in-us-policy-on-israel-palestine/) - KPFA, Pacifica, Evening News, November 9, 2025 [starts at 14:20]
- [The Only Remaining Colony in Africa Continues its Struggle for Independence](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/the-only-remaining-colony-in-africa-continues-its-struggle-for-independence/) - Inter Press Service, October 30, 2025, By Thalif Deen [quoting Stephen Zunes; source link] Described as a non-self-governing territory in northwestern Africa fighting for decolonization, Western Sahara is the last African colonial state yet to achieve independence... A former Spanish colony, it was annexed by Morocco in 1975... On October 30, the UN Security Council
- [Interview: Gaza ceasefire, enforcement, prospects](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-gaza-ceasefire-enforcement-prospects/) - KPFA Evening News (Sunday) – October 26, 2025 (begins at 11 mins.)
- [Interview: U.S. Policy Towards Israel/Palestine: What it is and How We Can Change It](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-u-s-policy-towards-israel-palestine-what-it-is-and-how-we-can-change-it/) - Alice Liebowitz’s podcast “Conversations against Fascism,” October 27, 2025: A half-hour good overview of Zunes's analysis.
- [Interview: Israel occupation and prospects for a Palestinian State](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-israel-occupation-and-prospects-for-a-palestinian-state/) - WBAI, Pacifica Radio, NYC, Building Bridges, Oct 27, 2025: (30 mins. starting at 3:30)
- [Interview: Resistance and Strategic Nonviolent Action](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-resistance-on-strategic-nonviolent-action/) - VIDEO: Resistance with Metta Spencer July 2025, featuring Zunes, Jorgen Johansen, and Jill Carr-Harris, on the role of strategic nonviolent action in challenging the crises facing the world today. Also see his overview of recent developments: The Power and Value of Strategic Nonviolent Action.
- [Interview: Gaza Peace Proposal; Israel and Hamas Agree on First Phase of Deal](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-gaza-peace-proposal-israel-and-hamas-agree-on-first-phase-of-deal/) - Al Jazeera Television, October 9, 2025. Video is no longer available.
- [Interview: Gaza/Israel ceasefire](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-gaza-israel-ceasefire/) - Hudson Mohawk Magazine/Sanctuary Community Radio, upstate New York, Oct. 22, 2025 (10-mins.) with Mark Dunlea.After two weeks, the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is still holding, despite numerous continued killings by Israel's IDF and a delay by Hamas in turning over some bodies of dead hostages they claim are buried under the
- [Interview, KPFA: No Kings protests & Ceasefire](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-kpfw-no-kings-protests-ceasefire/) - KPFA-FM Sunday Show, October 19, 2025: Full first hour.Also, on Pacifica Radio affiliated stations about the shaky Gaza ceasefire, the October 18 No Kings protests, and related issues.
- [Interview: Gaza Ceasefire with Bennis & Batrice](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-gaza-ceasefire-with-bennis-batrice/) - Santita Jackson Show, October 13, 2025: Zunes discusses the Gaza ceasefire with Rania Batrice and Phyllis Bennis.
- [Interview, KPFA: Shaky ceasefire better than none](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-kpfa-shaky-ceasefire-better-than-none/) - KPFA-FM and Pacifica affiliates, October 17, 2025: With Kris Welch, 20-minutes. Segment runs 14-34 mins.
- [A Shaky Ceasefire Is Better Than An Ongoing Genocide](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/a-shaky-ceasefire-is-better-than-an-ongoing-genocide/) - By Stephen Zunes The Progressive, October 16, 2025; republished by CommonDreams.org, October 17, 2025, "It's Up to the Global Community to Transform the Gaza Ceasefire Into a Lasting Peace." But recent violations by Israel call the new deal into question. Whether Israel actually withdraws from the occupied Gaza Strip and upholds the ceasefire remains in
- [Interview, BBC: Return of Hostages](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-bbc-israel-awaits-return-of-hostages/)
- [Interview, BBC: Problems with ceasefire agreement](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-bbc-problems-with-ceasefire-agreement/) - BBC News television, Oct. 15, 2025:
- [International Community Pushes for Palestinian Statehood—But US Won't Have It](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/international-community-pushes-for-palestinian-statehood-but-us-wont-have-it/) - The Progressive, by Stephen Zunes, October 8, 2025: Neither U.S. political party actually supports a two-state solution, instead both essentially endorse Israeli control over all of historic Palestine.
- [Interview: Will Israel uphold ceasefire after Hamas releases hostages?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/13921/) - Channel News Asia/CNA, Singapore’s major news network, Oct. 9, 2025: Israel and Hamas October 8 agreed to a ceasefire after three days of indirect talks in Egypt. Both sides have signed off on the first phase of a United States-led Gaza peace deal. Zunes said concerns remain whether Israel will uphold the ceasefire deal once
- [Interview: Everything You Need to Know About the Middle East Crisis: Qatar, Israel, Gaza, Trump](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-middle-east-crisis-qatar-israel-gaza-trump-stephen-zunes/) - Thinkers Forum, Sept. 24, 2025: Amid Israel’s attack on Qatar, what’s next for the Middle East? We speak with Professor Stephen Zunes, who provides insights, analyzes the positions of key players, and explains everything you need to know about the evolving situation in the region.
- ["Know Their Names" Event Honors 18,000 Slain Palestinian Children](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/know-their-names-event-honors-18000-slain-palestinian-children/) - Santa Cruz, CA, Sept. 5, 2025: Video 1:11; Zunes begins at 15 minutes
- [Interview: Why U.S.-led “peace” efforts regarding Israel/Palestine always fail](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-why-u-s-led-peace-efforts-regarding-israel-palestine-always-fail/) - Thinkers Forum, October 1, 2025: In this two-minute clip Zunes explains why U.S.-led “peace” efforts regarding Israel/Palestine under both Republican and Democratic administrations have failed [see full interview: Everything You Need to Know About the Middle East
- [Interview: Recognition of Palestine. Symbolic Breakthrough or Empty Gesture?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-recognition-of-palestine-symbolic-breakthrough-or-empty-gesture/) - Wyoming Star, By Joe Yans, Published October 1, 2025:"... Given that both the Israeli government and the leading opposition have categorically ruled out Palestinian statehood and that the Democrats, like the Republicans, categorically rule out pressuring Israel to compromise, they essentially oppose Palestinian statehood as well. Trump has threatened various forms of retaliation against US
- [Interview: Annexation of West Bank and ending the Gaza war](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-annexation-of-west-bank-and-ending-the-gaza-war/) - KPFA Evening News (Sunday, Pacifica Radio Network), September 28, 2025; Zunes's segment begins at 5:20: Trump’s opposition to an Israeli annexation of the West Bank, tentative efforts to win the war on Gaza, and Netanyahu’s visit to Washington,
- [Interview: Gaza ceasefire proposals and related issues](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-gaza-ceasefire-proposals-and-related-issues/) - KPFA-FM, Pacifica Radio, October 3, 2025: Zunes's segment begins at 1:05:30
- [Interview: Trump's Push against the Left/ANTIFA Executive Order, Netanyahu and the UN](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-trumps-push-against-the-left-antifa-executive-order-netanyahu-and-the-un/) - Santita Jackson Show Sept. 28, 2025: Zunes's segment's at 34 mins.
- [Interview: Israel and Hamas prepare for ceasefire talks](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-israel-and-hamas-prepare-for-ceasefire-talks/) - BBC Television, October 3, 2025: Five-minute interview of Dr. Zunes
- [Interview: Israel's attack on Gaza City civilians](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-israels-attack-on-gaza-city-civilians/) - KPFA-FM/Pacifica, Sept. 5, 2025; segment begins at 40:00. Israel's attack on Gaza City increases civilian death toll.
- [Interview: How will Israeli attack in Qatar affect efforts to end Gaza war?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-how-will-israeli-attack-in-qatar-affect-efforts-to-end-gaza-war/) - AlJazeera television, Sept. 10, 2025. Stephen Zunes, was one of the three guests. Israel’s bombing of a residential building in the capital, Doha, that was housing Hamas leaders, has drawn global condemnation. Fighter jets fired missiles into a residential compound in central Doha, where leaders of Hamas were meeting to discuss a US proposal for
- [Interview:  Israel’s air strikes in Qatar](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-2/) - CNA (Channel News Asia), Singapore, Sept. 10, 2025
- [Interview: U.S./Israeli war on Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-u-s-israeli-war-on-iran/) - WMNF, a Tampa, FL NPR affiliate: True Talk, June 26, 2025Arab-Muslim discussion and interviews with hosts Samar Jarrah and Ahmed Bedier on the U.S./Israeli war on Iran.
- [Interview: Proof that Soleimani killed hundreds of Americans is “groundless”](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iran/interview-proof-that-soleimani-killed-hundreds-of-americans-is-groundless-says-middle-east-expert/) - According to our next guest– the claim that Soleimani and the Iranian government are somehow responsible for the deaths of “hundreds of Americans” in Iraq—which has been repeated by Republicans, some Democrats and the mainstream media—appears to be groundless. Our guest today is STEPHEN ZUNES, a professor of politics and coordinator of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of San Francisco. He’s written a new piece for The Progressive Magazine saying there is zero evidence that Soleimani killed hundreds of Americans….
- [Interview: U.S. Intelligence Report Challenges Bush Confrontational Iran Policy (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio/between-the-lines/interview-u-s-intelligence-report-challenges-bush-confrontational-iran-policy-audio/) - Between the Lines
- [Putin’s Illegal Conquests Wouldn’t Be the First the White House Has Endorsed](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/putins-illegal-conquests-wouldnt-be-the-first-the-white-house-has-endorsed/) - New Lines, September 8, 2025: Zunes provides an extensive analysis of how the U.S. position citing the illegality of Russia’s annexation of conquered Ukrainian territory has been compromised by U.S. recognition of illegal Israeli and Moroccan annexations of conquered territories, and thus Trump’s apparent willingness to acquiesce to Russian aggression would not constitute a major
- [Ongoing genocide in Israel/Palestine and U.S. culpability now](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/ongoing-genocide-in-israel-palestine-and-u-s-culpability-now/) - Project Save the World Forum, Substack, August 30. 2025 (1 hour). Zunes's conversation with longtime peace activist Jennifer Bing of the American Friends Service Committee and Canadian Peace Studies scholar, Metta Spencer... in a candid, unfiltered exchange [that] captures the tremor of a moment when the usual defenses crumble under the weight of new evidence, new
- [Interview: Israel ramps up Gaza genocide, dependent on U.S. support](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-israel-ramps-up-gaza-genocide-dependent-on-u-s-support/) - KPFA-FM Pacifica Radio, September 5, 2025, with Kris Welch. Zunes's segment begins at 40-minutes, just before he joins a news conference to help read names of 18,000 Palestinian children Israel has slaughtered, so far.
- [Interview, BBC: Thousands demand peace at Tel Aviv rally](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview/) - BBC Television, September 6, 2025, (4 mins.). Zunes's analysis of latest developments in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria.
- [Hamas' control of Gaza brought on by US policy](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/hamas-control-of-gaza-brought-on-by-us-policy/) - Zunes's letter to the editor in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Sept. 4, 2025 Hamas' control of Gaza brought on by US policy Many thanks to Tim McGirk (Guest Commentary, Aug. 21) for his open letter to Rep. Jimmy Panetta, who continues to support Trump's policy of facilitating Israel's war and famine on the civilian population
- [Interview: U.S. political situation and popular resistance now](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-u-s-political-situation-and-popular-resistance-now/) - Community or Chaos, New Zealand radio show/podcast, Sept. 1, 2025 One hour, while reporting live at Labor Day protests in Santa Cruz, CA.
- [Democratic Leadership Still Hasn’t Caught Up to the Party’s Base on Gaza](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/democratic-leadership-still-hasnt-caught-up-to-the-partys-base-on-gaza/) - In These Times, September 4, 2025, by Stephen Zunes Nearly two years in to the U.S.-backed genocide in Gaza, there are clear signals the Democratic Party's base is moving far away from supporting the Israeli government and its war machine. And while party leadership is beginning to show some hopeful signs it might be starting
- [Interview: As Israel Refuses to End Genocide in Gaza, Threat of War With Hezbollah Looms](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/interview-as-israel-refuses-to-end-genocide-in-gaza-threat-of-war-with-hezbollah-looms/) - Truthout July 2, 2024: By Daniel Falcone, with Stephen Zunes and Lawrence Davidson. Also summarized by HeadTopics.com. For the past eight months, Hezbollah has attacked the northern portion of Israel in an attempt to pull the Israeli army out from Gaza, reports Al Jazeera. Fears of a wider war have prompted international calls to deescalate
- [Interview: Jimmy Carter’s Legacy with Stephen Zunes](https://stephenzunes.org/human-rights/interview-jimmy-carters-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
- [Interview: Pacifica Radio, Analysis of Obama's Speech (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio/pacifica-radio/kpfa/pacifica-radio-network-kpfa-analysis-of-obamas-speech-audio/) - KPFA Dr. Stephen Zunes is joins Pacifica Radio Network in analyzing President Obama's speech over potential strikes in Syria
- [Interview: "Blowback's revenge" (video)](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/interview-blowbacks-revenge/) - RT News Stephen Zunes joins a panel on CrossTalking that includes Kelley Vlahos, Richard Barrett to discuss whether the War on Terror actually generates more terrorists and victims. What are the lessons to be learned from the attack in Kenya? And, where is the logic in Washington indirectly backing Al-Qaeda in Syria and fighting terrorists elsewhere?
- [Biden’s Pick for Secretary of State Has a Record of Militarism](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/bidens-pick-for-secretary-of-state-has-a-record-of-militarism/) - President-elect Joe Biden’s selection of Antony Blinken for secretary of state is a worrying sign. Despite Biden owing his election to the Democratic Party’s progressive base and left-leaning independents, he has nominated someone The Washington Post has described as having “a centrist view of the world” and who has “supported interventionist positions.”
- [Western Sahara: The Other Occupation](https://stephenzunes.org/source/tikkun/western-sahara-the-other-occupation/) - Imagine an Arab Muslim nation, most of whose people have lived in the squalor of refugee camps for decades in exile from their homeland. Most of the remaining population suffers under foreign military occupation, with a smaller number living as a minority within the legally-recognized territory of the occupier. The occupying power is in violation of a series of UN Security Council resolutions, has illegally brought in tens of thousands of settlers into the occupied territory, routinely violates international standards of human rights, has built a heavily-fortified separation barrier deep inside the occupied territory, and continues to defy a landmark decision of the International Court of Justice. Furthermore, and despite all this, the occupying power is considered to be a close ally of the United States and receives substantial American military, economic, and diplomatic support to maintain its occupation and colonization of the territory.
- [More harm than good](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/more-harm-than-good/) - The failure of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front to agree on the modalities of the long-planned United Nations-sponsored referendum on the fate of Western Sahara, combined with a growing nonviolent resistance campaign in the occupied territory against Morocco's 31-year occupation, has led Morocco to propose granting the former Spanish colony special autonomous status within the kingdom.
- [The Israel Lobby Revisited](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/the-israel-lobby-revisited/) - It has been 21 months since John Mearsheimer and Steve Walt published their article “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy” in The London Review of Books and four months since their publication of a book by the same name. Their main arguments are that unconditional U.S. support for the Israeli government has harmed U.S. interests in the Middle East and that American organizations allied with the Israeli government have been the primary influence regarding the orientation of U.S. Middle East policy. As a political scientist and international relations scholar specializing in the United States role in the Middle East, I certainly had no disagreements with their first contention. I took strong exception to their second, however.
- [The Dubai Ports World Controversy: Jingoism or Legitimate Concerns?](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/arabian-peninsula/the-dubai-ports-world-controversy-jingoism-or-legitimate-concerns/) - Congressional Democrats, who proved themselves to be so timid in challenging the Bush administration in its invasion and occupation of Iraq, the initial passage of the Patriot Act, the bombing of Afghanistan, the detention without due process and torture of thousands of detainees worldwide, and other horrendous policies finally found the courage to challenge the Bush administration on a post-9/11 security issue and won. Unfortunately, they chose an issue of little real importance and decided to appeal to popular racist and jingoistic sentiments by raising exaggerated fears over the implications of a routine transfer of ownership of a company which operates facilities at some terminals in six U.S. ports.
- [Interview: Status on the Ceasefire](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-status-on-the-ceasefire/) - Al Jazeera English, Feb. 27, 2025 [source link is unavailable.]
- [Interview: Gaza Ceasefire, Trump & Netanyahu](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-gaza-ceasefire-trump-netanyahu/) - Al-Jazeera English February 5, 2025 (5 mins.): Following Trump's press conference with Israeli prime minister Netanyahu [Source link is no longer available]
- [ICAHD UK Webinar ‘The Palestinian Struggle in the Age of Trump’](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/icahd-uk-webinar-the-palestinian-struggle-in-the-age-of-trump/) - Israeli Committee Against House Demolition UK Webinar ‘The Palestinian Struggle in the Age of Trump,’ 23 Jan 2025[Zunes's segment starts at 28 minutes; video source] Professors Stephen Zunes and Leila Farsakh were distinguished guests, moderated by Jeff Halper. Leila Farsakh works with several international organisations and is a senior research fellow at the Center for
- [TV 4 Interviews on Syria and Ouster of Assad, December 2024](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iran/tv-4-interviews-on-syria-ouster-of-assad-december-2024-2/) - 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](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/tv-4-interviews-on-syria-ouster-of-assad-december-2024/) - 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
- [Biden Has Had the Power to Stop Israel’s War Crimes in Gaza Since Day One](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/biden-has-had-the-power-to-stop-israels-war-crimes-in-gaza-since-day-one/) - Truthout, April 5, 2024, by Stephen Zunes: In reality, the Biden administration has the power to stop Israel's offensive in Gaza in its tracks. Though Congress authorizes military aid, the president has the authority under the Arms Export Control Act to withhold (or threaten to withhold) U.S. military aid when the recipient nation violates U.S.
- [Obama to Aid Uzbek Dictatorship](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/obama-to-aid-uzbek-dictatorship/) - The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, in a move initiated by the Obama administration, has voted to waive Bush-era human rights restrictions on military aid to the Islam Karimov dictatorship in Uzbekistan, one of the most brutal and repressive regimes on the planet. The lifting of the restrictions, now part of the Foreign Operations bill, is before the full Senate and appears to have bipartisan support. The Obama administration has indicated that it intends to provide taxpayer-funded military assistance to Uzbekistan once the legislation passes both houses of Congress.
- [US Actions in Yemen Helped Create Current Crisis](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/arabian-peninsula/yemen/us-actions-in-yemen-helped-create-current-crisis/) - The Progressive 02/06/2024: Plus Five Background Articles: Yemen: Adding Fuel to Fire, Sojourners, June 2017: US military strikes in Yemen are feeding the rise of al-Qaeda [and] exemplify the failed U.S. policy in the region. Powerful Nonviolent Resistance to Armed Conflict in Yemen: 2015 article on nonviolent resistance by Yemenis against Houthis’ takeover How the
- [Have ‘Human Shields’ Accusations Become an Excuse for War Crimes?](https://stephenzunes.org/human-rights/have-human-shields-accusations-become-an-excuse-for-war-crimes/) - photos of dead Palestinian children on the front page of The New York Times to gripping accounts of people digging through the wreckage of high-rise apartment complexes and office buildings, evidence of last month’s horrific death toll from Israel’s eleven-day bombing campaign was hard to deny.
- [INTERVIEWS: Trump 'Peace Plan,'Middle East Update with Stephen Zunes](https://stephenzunes.org/source/interview-audio-middle-east-update/) - A "peace plan" for Israel-Palestine? War on Iran? A way out of Afghanistan? East-West Conflict Over Syria? Numerous tinderbox situations in the region are all made more dangerous by Trump's impulsive, ill-informed actions.We take an authoritative look at the region's many hot spots. March 5, 2020 (58-min. video): Other Voices TV, Peninsula Peace and Justice
- [Gaza and the Bipartisan War on Human Rights](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/gaza-and-the-bipartisan-war-on-human-rights/) - During and after Israel's war on Gaza, bipartisan congressional majorities have worked to undermine war crimes investigations by the United Nations and human rights groups.
- [U.S. Culpability in the Failure of Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/u-s-culpability-in-the-failure-of-israeli-palestinian-peace-talks/) - The failure of John Kerry's Israeli-Palestinian peace talks showed just how extreme U.S. policy on the conflict has become.
- [The Truth About Nonviolent Movements](https://stephenzunes.org/nonviolent-action/mandelas-utilitarianism-and-the-struggle-for-liberation-2/) - “Mandela was a great leader because he recognized that the movement had become a civil insurrection, a largely nonviolent struggle. A great leader is one who recognizes where the movement is and leads them accordingly, not one who says, ‘Do it my way!’”
- [Obama Ignores Morocco's Illegal Occupation and Human Rights Abuses](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/obama-ignores-moroccos-illegal-occupation-and-human-rights-abuses/) - Late last month, President Barack Obama met with Morocco's King Mohammed VI in Washington for their first face-to-face meeting. The result was a bitter disappointment for supporters of human rights and international law.
- [Analysis of STRATFOR Leaks Misrepresents Nonviolent Movements](https://stephenzunes.org/nonviolent-action/analysis-of-stratfor-leaks-misrepresents-nonviolent-movements/) - Carl Gibson and Steve Horn have done an important service in writing their article outlining Srdja Popovic’s inexcusable collaboration with the global intelligence company STRATFOR and his disclosure of the activities of movements and activists with whom he has worked. Unfortunately, as will be spelled out below, the article falls into a rather simplistic and reductionist analysis of Popovic’s motivations and, more critically, misrepresents the nature of the popular uprisings in Serbia and other countries. The article also contains a number of factual errors and misleading statements.
- [Obama, Palestine, and the United Nations](https://stephenzunes.org/source/tikkun/obama-palestine-and-the-united-nations/) - For those of us who hoped that President Barack Obama would usher in a new era supporting international law, the United Nations, and Israeli-Palestinian peace, 2011 proved to be a profoundly disappointing year.
- [University of California Takes Aim at Human Rights Activists](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/university-of-california-takes-aim-at-human-rights-activists/) - From the Vietnam War to the Central American revolutions to apartheid South Africa to the East Timor occupation to the invasion of Iraq, university campuses have been an important venue for concerned scholars and activists to raise issues regarding human rights, international law and US foreign policy. However, in an effort to stifle this tradition, University of California President Mark Yudof has launched a campaign targeting human rights activists and others challenging the Israeli occupation and colonization of the West Bank and other policies of the right-wing US-backed Israeli government.
- [Ruthless regimes not impervious to civil resistance: A reply to Maged Mandour](https://stephenzunes.org/source/open-democracy/ruthless-regimes-not-impervious-to-civil-resistance-a-reply-to-maged-mandour/) - A response to Maged Mandour: There is little systematic evidence to suggest that “ruthlessness” is, in and of itself, a critical variable.
- [Interview: The Case Against Kerry (video)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-real-news/interview-the-case-against-kerry-video/) - The Real News
- [Interview: On Foreign Policy Debate; Yifat Susskind on Iraq War's Toxic Legacy (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iraq/on-foreign-policy-debate-yifat-susskind-on-iraq-wars-toxic-legacy-audio/) - Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting
- [The No State Solution (video)](https://stephenzunes.org/video/the-no-state-solution-video/) - Alternate Focus Dr. Stephen Zunes is interviewed numerous times throughout the video
- [Developments in Libya (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/developments-in-libya/) - China Radio International
- [U.S. policy on Gaza crisis rife with contradiction](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/us-policy-on-gaza-crisis-rife-with-contradiction/) - The Obama administration's reaction to last month's Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip is emblematic of the contradictions in its foreign policy seen throughout its first term.
- [Supporting Nonviolence in Syria](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/supporting-non-violence-in-syria/) - The worsening violence and repression in Syria has left many analysts and policymakers in the United States and other western countries scrambling to think of ways our governments could help end the bloodshed and support those seeking to dislodge the Assad regime. The desperate desire to "do something" has led a growing number of people to advocate for increased military aid to armed insurgents or even direct military intervention, as the French government has said it will consider doing unilaterally.
- [U.S. policy at U.N. hurts prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/u-s-policy-at-u-n-hurts-prospects-for-israeli-palestinian-peace/) - Up until the mid-20th century, Western attitudes regarding national freedom was that the independence of white Western nations was a given, but independence for nonwhite, non-Western nations could only be under conditions granted by the occupying powers.
- [Susan Rice Would Have Been a Bad Secretary of State Anyway](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/susan-rice-would-have-been-a-bad-secretary-of-state-anyway/) - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice’s announcement that she would withdraw her name from consideration to be the next secretary of state is a mixed blessing.
- [Abetting the Carnage in Gaza](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/abetting-the-carnage-in-gaza/) - The November 22 ceasefire between Israeli and Hamas forces is a huge relief for the civilian population on both sides—the primary victims of the conflict. But the Obama administration’s unconscionable decision the previous week to block a ceasefire effort by the UN Security Council not only resulted in additional civilian deaths but also serves as an indication that, despite the president owing his re-election to the hard work of his progressive base, his foreign policy will continue to lean to the right.
- [Can U.S. Citizens End Israel’s Legal Impunity?](https://stephenzunes.org/source/yes-online/can-u-s-citizens-end-israels-legal-impunity/) - The great wish of the early Zionist leader Theodor Herzl was that Israel would be treated like “any other state.” Were that the case, there might be more rational and productive discourse regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is particularly critical in light of Israel launching yet another devastating attack against civilian-populated areas of nearby Arab lands.
- [Obama, Romney, and the Foreign Policy Debate](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/obama-romney-and-the-foreign-policy-debate/) - Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the third and final presidential debate of the 2012 campaign was the similarity between the two candidates on many basic foreign policy issues. Part of the reason is that, as he did in the first two debates, GOP candidate Mitt Romney reversed himself on a number of extreme right-wing positions he had taken earlier in a desperate effort to depict himself as a moderate. At the same time, Obama’s hawkish stances served as yet another reminder of just how far to the right Obama has evolved since running as an anti-war candidate just four years ago.
- [Remembering George McGovern](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/remembering-george-mcgovern/) - Getting to know George McGovern - who died Sunday morning at age 90 - as a friend, collaborator, co-author and co-teacher has been among my proudest and most fulfilling experiences.
- [The ongoing attack on democracy in the Maldives](https://stephenzunes.org/asia/the-ongoing-attack-on-democracy-in-the-maldives/) - A political struggle now under way on a tiny island nation in the Indian Ocean has huge implications for the global struggle for democracy and human rights. Western powers which profess to support democratic and accountable governance need to act decisively to prevent this Muslim nation, whose protracted nonviolent freedom struggle was an important precursor for the Arab Spring, to continue its slide back into authoritarianism.
- [Embassy Protests and Middle East Unrest in Context](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/embassy-protests-and-middle-east-unrest-in-context/) - It seems bizarre that right-wing pundits would be so desperate to use the recent anti-American protests in the Middle East—in most cases numbering only a few hundred people and (except for a peaceful Hezbollah-organized rally in Lebanon) in no cases numbering more than two or three thousand—as somehow indicative of why the United States should oppose greater democracy in the Middle East. Even more strangely, some media pundits are criticizing Arabs as being “ungrateful” for U.S. support of pro-democracy movements when, in reality, the United States initially opposed the popular movements that deposed Western-backed despots in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen, and remains a preeminent backer of dictatorships in the region today.
- [Occupy fizzled, but made 99% a force](https://stephenzunes.org/nonviolent-action/protest-resistance/occupy-fizzled-but-made-99-a-force/) - t's been a year since the Occupy Wall Street movement sprang up. Since then, it has fizzled, but this does not mean that the underlying issues that gave rise to the protests have gone away. Until last year, mainstream political discourse did not include nearly as much emphasis on such populist concerns as rising income inequality, tax policies that favor the rich, growing influence by large corporate interests in elections and the reckless deregulation of financial institutions that resulted in the 2008 crisis. It is hard to miss them now.
- [The Case Against War: Ten Years Later](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/the-case-against-war-ten-years-later/) - Ten years ago, I wrote a series of articles for the Foreign Policy in Focus website in which I put forth a series of arguments against the Bush administration’s push for a U.S. invasion of Iraq prior to the fateful congressional vote authorizing the illegal, unnecessary, and ultimately disastrous war. At the request of the editors of The Nation – the oldest continually published weekly magazine in the United States – I wrote a version entitled “The Case Against War,” which appeared on their website September 12, 2002 and as the cover story of the September 30 issue. It became one of the most widely circulated articles in the magazine’s 147-year old history. Every congressional office received multiple copies.
- [Democratic Leaders Undermine Israeli-Palestinian Peace and Their Own Procedures](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/democratic_leaders_undermine_israeli-palestinian_peace_and_their_own_procedures/) - Foreign Policy In Focus/Institute for Policy Studies, Sept. 6, 2012. By Stephen Zunes. Also by Antiwar.com, Reddit and Transnational.org. In a stunning violation of its own rules, the wishes of the majority of delegates at its national convention, and positions taken by the UN and virtually every other country, Democratic Party leadership pushed through a
- [California State Assembly Seeks to Stifle Debate on Israel](https://stephenzunes.org/civil-liberties/california-state-assembly-seeks-to-stifle-debate-on-israel/) - The California State Assembly has just passed a bipartisan resolution (HR 35) by voice vote which constitutes a serious attack on academic freedom and the rights of students and faculty to raise awareness about human rights abuses by U.S.-backed governments. While purporting to put the legislature on record in opposition of anti-Semitism on state university campuses, it defines anti-Semitism so widely as to include legitimate political activities in opposition to Israeli government policies.
- [U.S. Shares Responsibility for Rachel Corrie's Death](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/u-s-shares-responsibility-for-rachel-corries-death/) - On August 28, an Israeli court rejected a civil lawsuit against Israeli occupation forces for the 2003 murder of Rachel Corrie, a 23-year old American peace activist killed in the Gaza Strip, upholding a severely flawed internal Israeli military investigation. Amnesty International strongly condemned the decision, noting how “the verdict continues the pattern of impunity for Israeli military violations against civilians and human rights defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). The verdict shields Israeli military personnel from accountability and ignores deep flaws in the Israeli military’s internal investigation of Corrie’s death.”
- [The Reality of Western Sahara](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/the-reality-of-western-sahara/) - Earlier this year, Global Post ran an article by Jordan Paul, executive director of the Moroccan American Center for Policy, a registered foreign agent for the Moroccan government, which funds, supervises, and coordinates the group’s activities. The article contained a series of demonstrably false claims attempting to rationalize for Morocco’s illegal occupation of its southern neighbor, the country of Western Sahara.
- [Divesting from All Occupations](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/divesting-from-all-occupations/) - Foreign Policy In Focus/Institute for Policy Studies July 25, 2012. Republished by Transnational.org et al. In response to ongoing violations of international law and basic human rights by the rightist Israeli government of Benyamin Netanyahu in the occupied West Bank and elsewhere, there has been a growing call for divestment of stocks in corporations supporting
- [Sudan's protests become civil insurrection](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/sudan/sudans-protests-become-civil-insurrection/) - A growing anti-government movement consisting of nonviolent demonstrations as well as scattered rioting is beginning to threaten the Sudanese dictatorship of Omar al-Bashir, an indicted war criminal, who has ruled this large North African nation for twenty-three years. Beginning as protests against strict austerity measures imposed three weeks ago, the chants of the protesters have escalated to "the people want to overthrow the regime," the line heard in recent uprisings in other Arab countries, including Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Bahrain and Syria.
- [U.S. in No Position to Condemn Alleged Russian Transfer of Helicopter Gunships to Syrian Regime](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/us-in-no-position-to-condemn-alleged-russian-transfer-of-helicopter-gunships-to-syrian-regime/) - Foreign Policy In Focus/Institute for Policy Studies, June 13, 2012. Republished by National Catholic Reporter & ZNetwork U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has claimed that "there are attack helicopters on the way from Russia to Syria,” though the Russian government denies the accusation. If true, it would be highly disturbing, given the Syrian
- [Congress Pushes for War with Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/source/znetwork/congress-pushes-for-war-with-iran/) - Foreign Policy In Focus/Institute for Policy Studies June 13, 2012. Republished by National Catholic Reporter & ZNetwork In another resolution apparently designed to prepare for war against Iran, the U.S. House of Representatives, in an overwhelmingly bipartisan 401–11 vote, has passed a resolution (HR 568) urging the president to oppose any policy toward Iran “that
- [Bipartisan Assault on Middle East Peace](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/bipartisan-assault-on-middle-east-peace/) - 29 May 2012 Foreign Policy In Focus/Institute for Policy Studies Also: Huffington Post, Antiwar.com, Rise Up Times, Salem News (Oregon) and interviewed on The Scott Horton Show. Earlier this month, the House of Representatives passed 411-2 a dangerous piece of legislation (H.R. 4133) which would undermine the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, weaken Israeli moderates and peace
- [Mali's Struggle: Not Simply of Their Own Making](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/malis-struggle-not-simply-of-their-own-making/) - In examining the political crises which have gripped Mali in recent months, it is important not to fall into simplistic analyses of dysfunctional or "failed" African states. Indeed, the Malian people have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to mobilize civil society and build stable democratic governance despite a history of enormous poverty, ethnic divisions, and foreign intervention.
- [Remembering Israel's West Bank Offensive](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/remembering-israels-west-bank-offensive/) - Ten years ago this month, following a particularly deadly series of Palestinian terrorist attacks, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched an assault on several Palestinian cities and refugee camps in the West Bank. The Bush administration largely supported the Israeli offensive, even as hundreds of civilians were killed and thousands of young men were detained without charge amid widespread reports of torture.
- [Iraq: Remembering Those Responsible](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/iraq-remembering-those-responsible-2/) - The formal withdrawal of US troops from Iraq this month has led to a whole series of retrospectives on the invasion and the eight and a half years of occupation that followed as well as a host of unanswered questions, including - given the tens of thousands of Americans and others on the US government payroll, many of whom are armed, who are remaining in Iraq - just how total the withdrawal might actually be.
- [Why One of the World's Leading Peace Advocates Threatened to Punch Me in the Face](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/why-one-of-the-worlds-leading-peace-advocates-threatened-to-punch-me-in-the-face/) - I have rarely ever come face to face – only inches in fact – with such anger. Certainly not at an academic conference. And certainly not from such a prominent figure: chancellor of Australian National University, former attorney-general and foreign minister, former head of the International Crisis Group, and one of the world’s most prominent global thinkers.
- [Military Intervention in Syria Is a Bad Idea](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/military-intervention-in-syria-is-a-bad-idea/) - Although the impulse to try to end the ongoing repression by the Syrian regime against its own people through foreign military intervention is understandable, it would be a very bad idea. Empirical studies have repeatedly demonstrated that international military interventions in cases of severe repression actually exacerbate violence in the short term and can only reduce violence in the longer term if the intervention is impartial or neutral. Other studies demonstrate that foreign military interventions actually increase the duration of civil wars, making the conflicts longer and bloodier, and the regional consequences more serious, than if there were no intervention. In addition, military intervention would likely trigger a "gloves off" mentality that would dramatically escalate the violence on both sides.
- [Democracy Imperiled in the Maldives](https://stephenzunes.org/source/tikkun/democracy-imperiled-in-the-maldives/) - Well before the launch of the Arab Spring, the people of the Maldives, a Muslim nation located on a tropical archipelago in the Indian Ocean, were engaged in widespread nonviolent resistance against the 30-year reign of the corrupt and autocratic president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. The growing civil insurrection forced the dictator to finally allow for free elections in October 2008, which he lost.
- [Syrian Repression, the Chinese-Russian Veto, and U.S. Hypocrisy](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/syrian-repression-the-chinese-russian-veto-and-u-s-hypocrisy/) - As the Syrian regime continues to slaughter unarmed civilians, the major powers at the United Nations continue to put their narrow geopolitical agenda ahead of international humanitarian law. Just as France shields Morocco from accountability for its ongoing occupation and repression in Western Sahara and just as the United States shields Israel from having to live up to its obligations under international humanitarian law, Russia and China have used their permanent seats on the UN Security Council to protect the Syrian regime from accountability for its savage repression against its own citizens.
- [US Outrage Over Syria Veto at UN Rife With Hypocrisy](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/us-outrage-over-syria-veto-at-un-rife-with-hypocrisy/) - Official Washington has been rife with condemnation at the decision by the governments of Russia and China to veto an otherwise unanimous UN Security Council resolution condemning the ongoing repression in Syria and calling for a halt to violence on all sides; unfettered access for Arab League monitors; and "a Syrian-led political transition to a democratic, plural political system, in which citizens are equal regardless of their affiliations or ethnicities or beliefs."
- [Unarmed resistance still Syria's best hope](https://stephenzunes.org/source/national-catholic-reporter/unarmed-resistance-still-syrias-best-hope/) - The Syrian pro-democracy struggle has been both an enormous tragedy and a powerful inspiration. Indeed, as someone who has studied mass nonviolent civil insurrections in dozens of countries in recent decades, I know of no people who have demonstrated such courage and tenacity in the face of such savage repression as have the people of Syria these past 10 months.
- [U.S. Backs Tunisian Dictatorship in Face of Pro-Democracy Uprising](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/u-s-backs-tunisian-dictatorship-in-face-of-pro-democracy-uprising/) - The regime, U.S.-backed Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has been the target of a nationwide popular uprising in recent weeks, which neither shooting into crowds of unarmed demonstrators nor promised reforms has thus far quelled. Whether this unarmed revolt results in the regime's downfall remains to be seen. In recent decades, largely nonviolent insurrections such as this have toppled corrupt authoritarian rulers in the Philippines, Serbia, Bolivia, Ukraine, the Maldives, Georgia, Mali, Nepal and scores of other countries and have seriously challenged repressive regimes in Iran, Burma and elsewhere.
- [Interview: A Force More Powerful (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/interview-a-force-more-powerful/) - Of the more than 100 radio interviews I’ve done on the civilian insurrections in the Middle East over the past 6-8 weeks, this one – from Wisconsin Public Radio earlier this week – is probably the most salient. The entire 55- minute interview focuses on the power of nonviolent action (and includes audio clips from Gene Sharp, Mohandas Gandhi, and others.)
- [Interview: MSNBC Q&A on Egypt](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/egypt/msnbc-qa-on-egypt/) - Q: Which countries in the region share similar economic, political, demographic and social conditions to those that have ignited unrest in Tunisia and Egypt? A: Most Arab countries share these problems. However, some are more susceptible to these kinds of uprisings than others. For example, in Syria, civil society is weaker and the secret police are stronger. In Saudi Arabia and the smaller emirates of the Gulf, they can buy off much of the opposition. However, I would not be surprised to see an upsurge in pro-democracy protests in Yemen, Sudan, Jordan, Algeria and Morocco. Q: Separately, which of the countries in the region have the greatest economic and strategic importance to the U.S. – and why?
- [Despite the Lies about Iraq and the Resulting Disaster, Bush Still Maintains Strong Support](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/despite-the-lies-about-iraq-and-the-resulting-disaster-bush-still-maintains-strong-support/) - Even putting aside the many important legal and moral questions about the Bush Administration’s decision to invade Iraq, it has been a disaster even on practical terms. Mainstream to conservative strategic analysts and retired generals ‘ along with the majority of career professionals in the State Department, Defense Department, and CIA ‘ recognize that the invasion and occupation has made America less secure rather than more secure. Still, the Bush Administration continues to defend its actions and public opinion polls still show that a majority of Americans trust George W. Bush more than John Kerry to defend America. This is in large part because, throughout this fall’s campaign, President Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney have been making demonstrably false and misleading claims about what motivated administration decisions as well as the results of their actions.
- [A Critique of the Most Misleading Statements in the Foreign Policy Segments of President Bush’s 2005 State of the Union Address](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/bush-speeches-annotated/a-critique-of-the-most-misleading-statements-in-the-foreign-policy-segments-of-president-bushs-2005-state-of-the-union-address/) - The foreign policy segments of President George W. Bush's state of the Union address spoke to values and concerns that resonate with the majority of Americans from across the political spectrum. Unfortunately, much of what was said during his speech was quite misleading.
- [The Strategic Functions of U.S. Aid to Israel](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/the-strategic-functions-of-u-s-aid-to-israel/) - The United States aid relationship with Israel is unlike any other in the world, or indeed, like any in history. In sheer volume, the amount of aid is the most generous foreign aid program ever between any two countries, totaling $77.726 billion through fiscal year 1996.Foot note 2_1 No country has ever received as much Congressionally-mandated aid as has Israel, including South Vietnam. Indeed, Israel receives more U.S. aid per capita annually than the total annual GNP per capita of several Arab states, including Egypt, Mauritania, Sudan, Yemen and Morocco.Foot note 2_2 What is perhaps even more unusual is that Israel, like its benefactor, is an advanced, industrialized, technologically-sophisticated country, as well as a major arms exporter.
- [Obama Gathering a Flock of Hawks to Oversee U.S. Foreign Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/obama-gathering-a-flock-of-hawks-to-oversee-u-s-foreign-policy/) - In disc golf, there's a shot known as "an Obama" -- it's a drive that you expect to veer to the left but keeps hooking right. In no other area has this metaphor been truer than Barack Obama's foreign policy and national security appointments. For a man who was elected in part on the promise to not just end the war in Iraq but to "end the mindset that got us into war in the first place," it's profoundly disappointing that a majority of his key appointments -- Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates, Dennis Blair, Janet Napolitano, Richard Holbrooke and Jim Jones, among others -- have been among those who represent that very mindset.
- [Bush Administration Attacks on Amnesty International: Old Wine, New Bottles](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/bush-administration-attacks-on-amnesty-international-old-wine-new-bottles/) - In what appears to be a concerted effort to discredit independent human rights advocates, the Bush administration and its allies in the media have been engaging in a series of attacks against Amnesty International, the world’s largest human rights organization and winner of the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize.
- [While Criticizing Implementation, Kerry Endorses Bush's Unilateralist Agenda](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/while-criticizing-implementation-kerry-endorses-bushs-unilateralist-agenda/) - Democratic nominee John Kerry’s foreign policy speech at New York University has been widely hailed as a long-overdue effort to place some daylight between himself and President Bush regarding Iraq. In his September 20 address, the Massachusetts senator appropriately took the president to task for launching the war prematurely, mishandling the occupation, misleading the American public regarding the deteriorating situation on the ground, and pursuing policies that have weakened America’s security interests.
- [President Bush's UN Speech: Idealistic Rhetoric Disguises Sinister Policies](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/bush-speeches-annotated/president-bushs-un-speech-idealistic-rhetoric-disguises-sinister-policies/) - Commentators in the mainstream media seem genuinely perplexed over the polite but notably unenthusiastic reception given to President George W. Bush’s September 21 address before the United Nations General Assembly. Why wasn’t a speech that emphasized such high ideals as democracy, the rule of law, and the threat of terrorism better received?
- [Attacks Against World Court by Bush, Kerry and Congress Reveal Growing Bipartisan Hostility to International Law](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/attacks-against-world-court-by-bush-kerry-and-congress-reveal-growing-bipartisan-hostility-to-international-law/) - On July 9, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) determined that the Israeli government’s construction of a separation wall running through the occupied Palestinian West Bank was illegal. Among other things, the ICJ noted that the construction of the first 125 miles of the proposed 450-mile barrier “has involved the confiscation and destruction of Palestinian land and resources, the disruption of the lives of the thousands of protected civilians and the de facto annexation of large areas of territory.” The court called on Israel to cease construction of the wall, to dismantle what has already been built in areas beyond Israel’s internationally recognized border, and to compensate Palestinians who have suffered losses as a result of the wall’s construction.
- [Democratic Party Platform Shows Shift to the Right on Foreign Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/democratic-party-platform-shows-shift-to-the-right-on-foreign-policy/) - Against the backdrop of ongoing death and destruction in Iraq as a result of the U.S. invasion and subsequent occupation, the Democratic Party formally adopted its 2004 platform on July 28 at its convention in Boston. The platform focused more on foreign policy than it had in recent years. It represented an opportunity to challenge the Republican administration’s unprecedented and dangerous departure from the post-World War II international legal consensus forbidding aggressive wars as well as a means with which to offer a clear alternative to the Bush Doctrine.
- [The Disappointing Selection of John Edwards, a Foreign Policy Hawk](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/the-disappointing-selection-of-john-edwards-a-foreign-policy-hawk/) - John Kerry’s decision to select a vice presidential running mate who shares his militaristic foreign policy agenda has once again demonstrated the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s willingness to take the party’s activist core, which overwhelmingly supports human rights and international law, for granted.
- [Bush Endorsement of Sharon Proposal Undermines Peace and International Law](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/bush-endorsement-of-sharon-proposal-undermines-peace-and-international-law/) - President George W. Bush's unconditional endorsement of right-wing Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan constitutes a shocking reversal of longstanding U.S. Middle East policy and one of the most flagrant challenges to international law and the integrity of the United Nations system ever made by a U.S. president.
- [President Bush’s May 24 Speech on Iraq: A Critique](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/bush-speeches-annotated/president-bushs-may-24-speech-on-iraq-a-critique/) - The most striking element of President George W. Bush’s May 24th speech at the Army War College regarding the situation in Iraq was that it could come across as quite convincing as long as you agreed with the following assumptions: * Only the continued U.S. military presence in Iraq would lead to “the rise of a free and self-governing Iraq.” * Conversely, if the U.S. forces withdrew, either unilaterally or as part of a transfer to United Nations authority, the result would be a totalitarian government which would “embolden the terrorists, leading to more bombings, more beheadings and more murders of the innocent around the world.” Such assumptions, however, are extremely dubious.
- [Interview of Bush Reveals Dangerous Assumptions Behind U.S. Foreign Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/interview-of-bush-reveals-dangerous-assumptions-behind-u-s-foreign-policy/) - A number of critiques have been written about President George W. Bush's responses to Tim Russert's questions in the February 8 edition of NBC's “Meet the Press,” primarily regarding his shifting rationale for the invasion of Iraq. More problematic, however, was the fact that President Bush made a number of assertions that were patently false or--at the very least--misleading. The failure of Mr. Russert to challenge these statements and the ongoing repetition of such rationales by the administration and its supporters make it all the more imperative that such assertions not be allowed to go unquestioned. The implications of Bush's statements are quite disturbing, since they involve such fundamental issues as international terrorism, the United Nations, weapons of mass destruction, and the policy of preemption.
- [Iraq One Year Later](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-policy-report/iraq-one-year-later/) - A full year after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, while the tyrannical rule of Saddam Hussein is over, the killing continues and the quality of life for most Iraqis has actually deteriorated. Meanwhile, the United States is continuing to sacrifice lives and money in an enterprise for which the original rationales--eliminating Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and its support for the al Qaeda terrorist network--are now widely acknowledged to be false.
- [Annotate This! Misleading Rhetoric in 2004 State of the Union Address](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/bush-speeches-annotated/annotate-this-misleading-rhetoric-in-2004-state-of-the-union-address/) - As we gather tonight, hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and women are deployed across the world in the war on terror. By bringing hope to the oppressed and delivering justice to the violent, they are making America more secure. Though no one should question the commitment and bravery of American servicemen and women, their missions of invading and occupying foreign countries and engaging in high altitude bombing and urban counterinsurgency operations that kill civilians has brought more fear than hope, delivered more violence than justice, and has created an unprecedented level of anti-American sentiment in the Islamic world and beyond that has actually made America less secure.
- [Kerry’s Foreign Policy Record Suggests Few Differences with Bush](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/kerrys-foreign-policy-record-suggests-few-differences-with-bush/) - Those who had hoped that a possible defeat of President George W. Bush in November would mean real changes in U.S. foreign policy have little to be hopeful about now that Massachusetts Senator John Kerry has effectively captured the Democratic presidential nomination.
- [The US in Iraq: If Bush is Blind, Kerry is at Best Near-Sighted](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/the-us-in-iraq-if-bush-is-blind-kerry-is-at-best-near-sighted/) - Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry was one of a minority of Democratic members of Congress who voted to authorize President George W. Bush to invade Iraq. With the war becoming increasingly unpopular with the electorate, however, Senator Kerry has recently been sounding more critical. Still, his recent efforts to explain his evolving position raise some troubling questions
- [Is Kerry Really More Open than Bush to Alternative Foreign Policy Perspectives?](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/is-kerry-really-more-open-than-bush-to-alternative-foreign-policy-perspectives/) - Some progressive supporters of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry have argued that, despite his support for the invasion of Iraq and other neoconservative-driven foreign policies of the Bush Administration, at least a President Kerry - unlike the incumbent president - would be more willing to listen to the views of those with more moderate perspectives than himself.
- [The Iranian Uprising is Home-Grown, and Must Stay That Way](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/the-iranian-uprising-is-home-grown-and-must-stay-that-way/) - The growing nonviolent insurrection in Iran against the efforts by the ruling clerics to return the ultra-conservative and increasingly autocratic incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinjead to power is growing. Whatever the outcome, it represents an exciting and massive outpouring of Iranian civil society for a more open and pluralistic society.
- [A Response to Steve Weissman's "Nonviolence 101"](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/a-response-to-steve-weissmans-nonviolence-101/) - Steve Weissman's article "Iran: Nonviolence 101" was profoundly inaccurate and misleading, particularly in regard to the role of Peter Ackerman and the organization he co-founded, the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC), for which I chair the committee of academic advisers. All of Weissman's arguments against US government involvement in training and related support for nonviolent resistance movements in Iran, which he put forward in his article, would be quite valid - if they were true. They are not, however.
- [The Indigenous Roots of Nonviolent Struggle: A Reply to Steve Weissman](https://stephenzunes.org/source/after-downing-street/the-indigenous-roots-of-nonviolent-struggle-a-reply-to-steve-weissman-2/) - Steve Weissman’s article "How Washington Learned to Love Nonviolence" which recently appeared on this web site is filled with misrepresentations, omissions, and just plain falsehoods. Though Washington’s notorious willingness to intervene in the internal affairs of foreign nations is manifold and transcends the party in power, the examples put forward in this article are misleading and inaccurate.
- [The U.S., Bolivia, and Dependency](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/the-u-s-bolivia-and-dependency/) - Americas.org, October 30, 2007, by Stephen Zunes. Also by America Latina en Movimiento, and Scoop New Zealand [scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0711/S00220/ScoopNew.htm] Much to the chagrin of the Bush administration, Bolivian president Evo Morales has been going to great lengths to separate his country from its economic dependence on the United States. His efforts to strengthen the Andean Community
- [The View From San Quentin Village](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/the-view-from-san-quentin-village/) - It was kind of surreal: a couple of thousand people jammed onto a normally quiet residential street of pricey bungalows along San Francisco Bay. The crowd and the floodlights made it impossible to see the imposing walls of San Quentin Prison or even the entrance gates just a few yards away. The sound system on the makeshift stage was poor, but the diverse mix of Christians, leftists, community activists, urban youth and other death penalty opponents made a powerful witness late Monday night to the state-sanctioned murder of Stanley "Tookie" Williams....
- [The Other Occupation: Western Sahara and the Case of Aminatou Haidar](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/the-other-occupation-western-sahara-and-the-case-of-aminatou-haidar/) - Aminatou Haidar, a nonviolent activist from Western Sahara and a key leader in her nation's struggle against the 34-year-old U.S.-backed Moroccan occupation of her country, has been forced into exile by Moroccan authorities. She was returning from the United States, where she had won the Civil Courage Award from the Train Foundation. Forcing residents of territories under belligerent occupation into exile is a direct violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, to which both the United States and Morocco are signatories....
- [Behind Obama and Clinton](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/behind-obama-and-clinton/) - Voters on the progressive wing of the Democratic Party are rightly disappointed by the similarity of the foreign policy positions of the two remaining Democratic Party presidential candidates, Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama. However, there are still some real discernable differences to be taken into account. Indeed, given the power the United States has in the world, even minimal differences in policies can have a major difference in the lives of millions of people....
- [Kosovo and the Politics of Recognition](https://stephenzunes.org/eastern-europe/kosovo-and-the-politics-of-recognition/) - Even among longstanding supporters of national self-determination for Kosovo, the eagerness with which the Bush administration extended diplomatic recognition immediately upon that country’s declaration of independence on February 17 has raised serious concerns. Indeed, it serves as a reminder of the series of U.S. policy blunders over the years that have compounded the Balkan tragedy....
- [Interview: Obama's foreign policy appointments (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/obama/interview-obamas-foreign-policy-appointments-audio/) - Redeye: Vancouver Cooperative Radio Secretary of State nominee Hilary Clinton supported the Iraq War from Day One and has denounced Obama's intention to negotiate with Iran. Secretary of Defence Robert Gates is an advocate of continuing the war in Iraq. Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is known for his unswerving support of Israel. To discuss what these and other appointments will mean for U.S. foreign policy, we speak with Stephen Zunes, professor of politics at the University of San Francisco.
- [Interview: The Afghanistan Mess (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/afghanistan/interview-the-afghanistan-mess/) - Courage to Resist "Middle East scholar Dr. Stephen Zunes talks about how U.S. imperial hubris helped create, and continues to deepen and intensify the deadly chaos in Afghanistan. "The war not only was raised some moral and legal questions, but it has not resolved the situation, it has made matters worse. The problem is that there has been a gross oversight on the military side of the equation. The really important issues have been overlooked."
- [Weapons of Mass Democracy](https://stephenzunes.org/source/yes-online/weapons-of-mass-democracy/) - On the outskirts of a desert town in the Moroccan-occupied territory of Western Sahara, about a dozen young activists are gathered. They are involved in their country’s long struggle for freedom. A group of foreigners—veterans of protracted resistance movements—is conducting a training session in the optimal use of a “weapons system” that is increasingly deployed in struggles for freedom around the world. The workshop leaders pass out Arabic translations of writings on the theory and dynamics of revolutionary struggle and lead the participants in a series of exercises designed to enhance their strategic and tactical thinking. These trainers are not veterans of guerrilla warfare, however, but of unarmed insurrections against repressive regimes. The materials they hand out are not the words of Che Guevara, but of Gene Sharp, the former Harvard scholar who has pioneered the study of strategic nonviolent action....
- [The Power of Nonviolent Action in Honduras](https://stephenzunes.org/human-rights/129/) - The massive nonviolent movement that put pressure on the coup government may be only the first chapter of an important and prolonged struggle for justice in one of Latin America’s poorest and most inequitable countries
- [John Hall: Still the One? Why Democrat John Hall does not deserve MoveOn endorsement](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/why-democrat-john-hall-does-not-deserve-an-endorsement-from-moveon-org/) - John Hall is a former musician and supporter of progressive causes. But since he was elected to Congress, he has become one of the most shameless defenders of Israel's crimes.
- [The Role of Non-Violent Action in the Downfall of Apartheid](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/the-role-of-non-violent-action-in-the-downfall-of-apartheid/) - Against enormous odds, non-violent action proved to be a major factor in the downfall of apartheid in South Africa, and the establishment of a democratic black majority government, despite predictions that the transition could come only through a violent revolutionary cataclysm. This was largely the result of conditions working against a successful armed overthrow of the system, combined with the ability of the anti-apartheid opposition to take advantage of the system's economic dependence on a cooperative black labour force. This article traces the history of nonviolent resistance to apartheid, its initial failures, and the return in the 1980s to a largely non-violent strategy which, together with international sanctions, forced the government to negotiate a peaceful transfer to majority rule.
- [The United States and Bolivia: The Taming of a Revolution, 1952-1957](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/u-s-and-bolivia-taming-of-a-revolution/) - http://stephenzunes.org/articles/LatinAmericanPerspectivesUSandBolivia.pdf
- [Challenging Aid to Israel](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/challenging-aid-to-israel/) - 'Challenging Aid to Israel', Middle East Insight (April 2001): 57,59-60,78 http://stephenzunes.org/article/MEInsightAprMay01ChallengingAidtoIsrael.pdf
- [Economic Liberalization, Globalization and World Hunger:  New Opportunities and Challenges](https://stephenzunes.org/source/international-symposium-unemployment-and-poverty-causes-and-remedies/economic-liberalization-globalization-and-world-hunger-new-opportunities-and-challenges/) - International Symposium Unemployment and Poverty: Causes and Remedies 5-10 September 2000 Rome http://stephenzunes.org/articles/IntlSymposiumonunemploymentandPovertySep2000.pdf
- [Interview: Trump-Putin summit in Alaska](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-trump-putin-summit-in-alaska/) - KTVU Television, August 18, 2025, a Bay Area network affiliate, immediately following the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska a week and a half ago. Zunes's segment starts at the 1:30 mark.
- [Jimmy Carter Warned Us About Israeli Apartheid](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/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
- [Mandela’s utilitarianism and the struggle for liberation](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/mandelas-utilitarianism-and-the-struggle-for-liberation/) - In the time since his death at age 95, Nelson Mandela’s thinking on the strategic direction of the liberation struggle in South Africa has been oversimplified by proponents of nonviolent and armed resistance alike. His leadership in the relatively peaceful end to the brutal apartheid system was indeed critical, as was his leadership three decades earlier in the shift from nonviolent to armed resistance by the African National Congress (ANC). Yet many analysts have largely ignored the critical events in South Africa which took place in between, during his nearly three decades in prison.
- [East Timor's Tragedy and Triumph](https://stephenzunes.org/asia/east-timors-tragedy-and-triumph-2/) - Peace Review 2000 East Timor's Tragedy and Triumph (PDF)
- [U.S. Aid to Israel: Interpreting the "Strategic Relationship" (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-palestine-center/u-s-aid-to-israel-interpreting-the-strategic-relationship-audio/) - Report from a CPAP briefing by Stephen Zunes Jan. 26, 2001Also at: The Internet Archive, ThirdWorldTraveler.com WindowintoPalestine.blogspot.com & Palestine Center."The U.S. aid relationship with Israel is unlike any other in the world," said Stephen Zunes during a January 26 Palestine Center presentation. "In sheer volume, the amount is the most generous foreign aid program ever
- [Interview: Gaza Ceasefire Status](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/interview-gaza-ceasefire-status/) - Al Jazeera English, January 25, 2025 (video 6-minutes) on the status of the Gaza Ceasefire agreement and U.S. policy.
- [Interview: Trump Gaza Plan: Ethnic Cleanse Gaza](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-trump-gaza-plan-ethnic-cleanse-gaza/) - KTVU Television [Fox affiliate], San Francisco Bay, February 10, 2025 (5 mins)
- [Trump’s Middle East Policy: The Ironies of Hawkishness](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/trumps-middle-east-policy-the-ironies-of-hawkishness/) - Al Jazeera Report March 8, 2024: Despite broken campaign promises, Trump has pursued reckless and militaristic policies, deepening U.S. military involvement, backing the Israeli colonization and annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories, deepening ties to Arab autocrats, and threatening war with Iran.
- [Civil Resistance Against Coups: A Comparative and Historical Perspective](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/civil-resistance-against-coups-a-comparative-and-historical-perspective/) - International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, December 2017: This monograph presents in-depth case studies and analysis intended to improve our understanding of the strategic utility of civil resistance against military takeovers; the nature of civil resistance mobilization against coups; and the role of civil resistance against coups.
- [Democrats’ skepticism of Feinstein well-founded](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/democrats-skepticism-of-feinstein-well-founded/) - The Californian, April 27, 2018, by Stephen Zunes The stunning rejection of Dianne Feinstein’s expected endorsement for another term as California’s senior U.S. Senator the Democratic State Convention in February was based not just upon concerns about her age and her centrist domestic agenda, but over her ability to challenge Trump’s dangerous foreign policy agenda...
- [Pompeo’s Iran Speech a Prelude to War?](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/pompeos-iran-speech-a-prelude-to-war/) - The Progressive, May 23, 2018: The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s speech targeting Iran may have created a new benchmark for hypocritical, arrogant, and entitled demands by the U.S. on foreign governments...
- [Under Trump U.S. Contempt for International Law Intensifies](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/under-trump-us-contempt-for-international-law-intensifies/) - Truthout, June 5, 2018, by Stephen Zunes: What is Gaza’s hope for the future after the fallout over the US embassy move and the Iran deal exit?
- [The Role of Civil Resistance in Bolivia’s 1977-1982 Pro-Democracy Struggle](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/the-role-of-civil-resistance-in-bolivias-1977-1982-pro-democracy-struggle/) - July 2018 Middle Atlantic Review of Latin American Studies, V.2(1), and International Center on Nonviolent Conflict and Research Gate: Despite being the poorest and least developed country in South America, Bolivia was the first to emerge from the period of military dictatorships that dominated the continent from the mid-1960s into the 1980s. This article examines
- [The Power of Nonviolent Action in Conflict Zones](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/the-power-of-nonviolent-action-in-conflict-zones/) - American Friends of Combatants for Peace, 15 October 2018 By Professor Stephen Zunes, for the conference "Beyond Dialogue—Nonviolence and Social Action" Neve Shalom/Wahat Al Salam, Israel [source]
- [My Meeting with Ahmadinejad](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/my-meeting-with-ahmadinejad/) - This past Wednesday, I was among a group of American religious leaders and scholars who met with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in New York. In what was billed as an inter-faith dialogue, we frankly shared our strong opposition to certain Iranian government policies and provocative statements made by the Iranian president. At the same time, we avoided the insulting language employed by Columbia University president Lee Bollinger before a public audience two days earlier....
- [Five Years Later, We Can’t Forgive or Forget](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/five-years-later-we-cant-forgive-or-forget/) - This week marks the fifth anniversary of the congressional vote granting President George W. Bush unprecedented war-making authority to invade Iraq at the time and circumstances of his own choosing. Had a majority of either the Republican-controlled House or the Democratic-controlled Senate voted against the resolution or had they passed an alternative resolution conditioning such authority on an authorization from the United Nations Security Council, all the tragic events that have unfolded as a consequence of the March 2003 invasion would have never occurred....
- [Support for Iraq Partition: Cynical and Dangerous](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/support-for-iraq-partition-cynical-and-dangerous/) - The Senate is marking the fifth anniversary of its lamentable vote authorizing the U.S. invasion of Iraq by advocating a path that would only increase that country’s enormous suffering. On September 26, the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate voted 75–23 in support of an amendment that calls for a “federal” solution to the internal conflicts in their country, which has been widely interpreted as a call for the de facto partition of the country. The resolution, sponsored by Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman and Democratic presidential candidate Joseph Biden of Delaware, was backed by every Democratic senator except for Russell Feingold (who voted against it) and Barack Obama (who wasn’t present for the vote.)
- [Bush's SOTU: Annotated](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/bush-speeches-annotated/bushs-sotu-annotated/) - President George Bush gave his 2007 State of the Union address on January 23. While the speech covered many domestic issues, Bush also laid out his foreign policy approach to Iraq, Iran, terrorism, and democracy promotion. Excerpts from the president's speech are in italics; my comments follow.
- [Annotate This: Escalation in Iraq](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/annotate-this-escalation-in-iraq/) - On January 10, George W. Bush finally delivered a speech on his new Iraq policy. Originally planned for before Christmas, the plan's chief element—an increase in U.S. soldiers on the ground—received much criticism and was therefore postponed. The speech has already drawn negative responses from senior House Democrats, who have vowed to block funding for the increase in troops, from the American public, 61% of whom oppose the build-up, and was skeptically received by some key Republicans. The Arab world, too, has voiced doubts about the plan.
- [Somalia as a Military Target: Updated](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/somalia-as-a-military-target-updated/) - The U.S.-backed Ethiopian invasion of Somalia and subsequent U.S. air strikes and naval blockade against that east African country mark another dangerous chapter in the Bush administration’s war against Islamic nations. And, despite no authorization from Congress for the United States to become engaged in that country’s civil war and despite the failure of President Bush to consult with Congress as required by the War Powers Act, the new Democratic leadership in Congress apparently has no objections to this dangerous and illegal escalation.
- [Saddam's Execution](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/saddams-execution/) - The execution of Saddam Hussein, though he was undeniably guilty of a notorious series of crimes against humanity, represents a major setback in the pursuit of justice in Iraq. The trial and the sentence were both problematic. The opportunity for future trials, and to present evidence of U.S. complicity in some of Saddam’s crimes, has been lost. And the overall message -- that leaders face justice only if they run afoul of U.S. authority – undermines international legal norms.
- [Iraq: The Failures of Democratization](https://stephenzunes.org/source/znetwork/iraq-the-failures-of-democratization-2/) - The failures of Iraqi democratization as advocated by the Bush administration should not be blamed primarily on the Iraqis. Nor should they be used to reinforce racist notions that Arabs or Muslims are somehow incapable of building democratic institutions and living in a democratic society. Rather, democracy from the outset has been more of a self-serving rationalization for American strategic and economic interests in the region than a genuine concern for the right of the Iraq people to democratic self-governance.
- [U.S. Blocks Israel-Syria Talks](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/u-s-blocks-israel-syria-talks/) - Even as American officials reluctantly agreed last month to include Syrian representatives in multiparty talks on Iraqi security issues, the Bush administration continues to block Israel from resuming negotiations with Syria over its security concerns. In 2003, President Bashar al-Assad offered to resume peace talks with Israel where they had left off three years earlier, but Israel, backed by the Bush administration, refused. Assad eventually agreed to reenter peace negotiations without preconditions, but even these overtures were rejected....
- [Washington Takes Aim at Syria](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/washington-takes-aim-at-syria/) - While Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice's willingness to meet with Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Muallim during last week's conference on Iraq is a welcome sign, most signals coming out of Washington in recent months are far more ominous. Indeed, the strident opposition by the Bush administration of the visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic members of Congress to Syria last month is not just another indication of the administration’s pathological opposition to engaging in dialogue with governments it doesn’t like. It may be a sign that the Bush administration is considering military action against Syria, either directly or through its proxy Israel.
- [Bring 'Em Home, Bring 'Em Home](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/bring-em-home-bring-em-home/) - I first heard it while driving home from work on a college FM station. It was a song I had forgotten about but had known, with slightly different opening lyrics, in my childhood:
- [The Democrats and the "Human Shields" Myth](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/the-democrats-and-the-human-shields-myth/) - Israelis from across the political spectrum, emboldened by the interim report from the government’s Winograd Commission, which investigated Israel’s ill-fated assault on Lebanon, are expressing regrets over last summer’s conflict with their northern neighbor. Uproar over the way a relatively minor border incident managed to escalate into a full-scale war is leading to demands for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s resignation and other top government officials are under pressure or stepping down.
- [Jerusalem: Endorsing the Right of Conquest](https://stephenzunes.org/source/znetwork/jerusalem-endorsing-the-right-of-conquest/) - In a flagrant attack on the longstanding international legal principle that it is illegitimate for any country to expand its territory by military means, the U.S. House of Representatives, by an overwhelming bipartisan majority, passed House Concurrent Resolution 152 congratulating Israel for its forcible "reunification of Jerusalem" and its victory in the June 1967 war.
- [U.S. Denial of the Armenian Genocide](https://stephenzunes.org/asia/caucasus-central-asia/u-s-denial-of-the-armenian-genocide/) - It continues to boggle the mind what the Democratic leadership in Congress will do whenever the Republicans raise the specter of labeling them “soft on terrorism.” They approve wiretapping without a court order. They allow for indefinite detention of suspects without charge. They authorize the invasion and occupation of a country on the far side of the world that was no threat to us and then provide unconditional funding for the bloody and unwinnable counter-insurgency war that inevitably followed. Now, it appears, the Democrats are also willing to deny history, even when it involves genocide.
- [Hillary Clinton on Iraq](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/hillary-clinton-on-iraq/) - Public opinion polls have consistently shown that the majority of Americans – and even a larger majority of Democrats – believe that Iraq is the most important issue of the day, that it was wrong for the United States to have invaded that country, and the United States should completely withdraw its forces in short order. Despite this, the clear front-runner for the Democratic Party nomination for president is Senator Hillary Clinton, a strident backer of the invasion who only recently and opportunistically began to criticize the war and call for a partial withdrawal of American forces.
- [Congress Approves Flawed Oman Trade Pact](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/arabian-peninsula/congress-approves-flawed-oman-trade-pact/) - One of the sub-plots in last year's critically acclaimed film Syriana tells the story of two young Pakistani ?guest workers? in an unnamed Persian Gulf nation who, after years of resentment over miserable living conditions, are taken in by a radical cleric and recruited to be suicide bombers. The film is an all too accurate portrayal of the exploitation of ?guest workers? in many Gulf countries, and how these conditions can cause instability.
- [International Law, The U.N., and MIddle Eastern Conflicts](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/international-law-the-u-n-and-middle-eastern-conflicts/) - Peace Review Sep 04 Int'l Law, UN and ME Conflicts (PDF)
- [Swing to the Right in U.S. Policy Toward Israel and Palestine](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/swing-to-the-right-in-u-s-policy-toward-israel-and-palestine/) - Middle East Policy: Stephen Zunes, December 17, 2002Also at OnlineLibrary.Wiley.com and ResearchGate.net
- [Western Sahara (Conflict Profile)](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/western-sahara-conflict-profile/) - The United States, along with France, has been the principal military backer of Morocco in its 25-year occupation of Western Sahara. U.S. counterinsurgency advisers and equipment played a key role in reversing the war in Morocco's favor in the 1980s. Morocco has long been considered a strategic ally of the West, initially during the cold war as an anticommunist force and more recently as an asset against Islamic militancy. So far, the U.S. has rejected the increasingly moderate and pro-Western tone of the Polisario, though a coalition of liberal and conservative members of Congress has begun to pressure the administration to support Sahrawi self-determination. Successive U.S. administrations have feared that should Morocco lose a fair referendum--a likely scenario--it could mean the downfall of Morocco's pro-Western monarchy, which has staked its political future on incorporating what it refers to as "the southern provinces." As a result, although Washington gives lip service to Baker's mission and related UN efforts and provides a few dozen military and civilian personnel to MINURSO, the U.S. is unlikely to encourage a peaceful resolution to the conflict, Africa's longest-running and final anticolonial struggle.
- [Political Paralysis in Iraq (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/political-paralysis-in-iraq/) - China Radio International
- [U.S. Israeli Assault on Iran: Danger of War Grows (video)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/u-s-israeli-assault-on-iran-danger-of-war-grows-video/) - http://revolutionbooks.org The danger of a U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is escalating rapidly. The U.S. and its allies are ramping up their all-around assault on Iran, including new crippling sanctions, and openly threatening to attack. Ground is being laid daily in the headlines and statements by politicians of every stripe in mainstream U.S. politics calling for aggression against Iran?all justified by unsubstantiated assertions that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. The nuclear issue, however, is not the underlying factor intensifying the U.S.-Iran clash. That conflict is part of something much larger: a sharpening battle for dominant influence across the entire region, a battle with profound global implications. Dr. Stephen Zunes begins at 24:30
- [Analysis: How will the US respond to Israel’s killing of Al Jazeera crew?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/analysis-how-will-the-us-respond-to-israels-killing-of-al-jazeera-crew/) - DAWN Newspaper, August 11, 2025: Stephen Zunes, the chair of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of San Francisco, says he believes Israel’s killing of Al Jazeera’s crew will increase public pressure on the US government. "The American people are waking up," Zunes told Al Jazeera from San Francisco. "I've dealt with issues around Palestine,
- [Interview: Repressive U.S.-backed Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-a-halt-to-us-arms-sales-could-end-the-genocide-within-days/) - WRFI Human Rights Show [1-hour]: Stephen Zunes discusses Western Sahara's struggles for sovereignty and self-determination, and the human rights violations taking place by Morocco's occupation forces.
- [Interview: Rabbis protest of ongoing genocide in Gaza and growing Jewish resistance](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/13235/) - KSQD Community Radio, August 18, 2025 [1-hour]: Zunes and Rabbi Chaim Schneider discuss the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the growing Jewish resistance to what is being done in their name. On Monday, August 11, roughly 18 San Francisco Bay Area rabbis and cantors sat down in the street, after speaking in front of the
- [Interview: Israel prepares takeover of Gaza City](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-israel-prepares-takeover-of-gaza-city/) - KTVU, Bay Area television network affiliate, news showAugust 23, 2025: Zunes's analysis of the worsening situation in Gaza. In the Middle East as negotiators try to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, Israel's military is preparing to invade and occupy Gaza City. The Israeli defense minister on Wednesday said there are plans to call up 60,000
- [Interview: Why to Oppose Military Intervention in Syria](https://stephenzunes.org/source/interview-why-to-oppose-military-intervention-in-syria/) - Radio Free Santa Cruz
- [Syrian Conflict Turns Into Full Blown Civil War (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/syrian-conflict-turns-into-full-blow-civil-war-audio/) - Uprising Radio
- [The Deteriorating Situation in Libya](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio/china-radio-international/the-deteriorating-situation-in-libya-audio/) - China Radio International The kidnapping and brief detention of the Libyan prime minister Ali Zeidan a couple of weeks back probably marked one of the lowest points for the civilian government in this vast country where, in the post-Gaddafi lawlessness, the situation seems to deteriorate by the week. It was also probably the point which showed the world just how prominent and daring these militias and various tribes are.
- [Sanders Is Not Another McGovern. I Know – I Worked on McGovern’s Campaign; and PODCAST: Why Comparisons Between Sanders and McGovern Are Wrong](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/sanders-is-not-another-mcgovern-i-know-i-worked-on-mcgoverns-campaign/) - With Bernie Sanders now the clear front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, we are hearing talk that — despite polls indicating otherwise — he would not be able to win against Donald Trump in November. Repeated comparisons are being made to the 1972 landslide defeat of George McGovern — the only time the Democrats nominated a genuine progressive — with the implication that a similar fate would befall a Sanders nomination.
- [Sudan’s Democratic Revolution: How They Did It](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/sudan/sudans-democratic-revolution-how-they-did-it/) - Conditions under Sudan's oppressive autocratic regime did not fit into what Western analysts see as the right ones for a successful pro-democracy civil resistance movement and yet they have emerged victorious—at least for now. Among other things, its success points to perhaps the single most important factor: nonviolent discipline.
- [INTERVIEW: Biden’s Sponsorship of the Invasion of Iraq](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/interview-bidens-sponsorship-of-the-invasion-of-iraq/) - Skip to Minute 29:30 for interview Stephen Zunes talks about Joe Biden’s shameful history helping to advocate for the invasion of Iraq in 2002 and 2003.
- [INTERVIEW: The Sudanese Ousted a Dictator Last Year—Why Is Washington Still Imposing Sanctions?](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/sudan/the-sudanese-ousted-a-dictator-last-year-why-is-washington-still-imposing-sanctions/) - INTERVIEW: Middle East scholar Stephen Zunes talks about Sudan’s hopeful but uncertain future in the wake of its peaceful democratic revolution.
- [Sudan’s Democratic Revolution is Being Undermined by the United States](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/sudan/sudans-democratic-revolution-is-being-undermined-by-the-united-states/) - Economic recovery from decades of autocratic misrule is critical for Sudan’s civilian-led transitional government to establish legitimacy and survive ongoing threats from reactionary forces. The United States, however, is maintaining its punitive sanctions, effectively punishing the country for the sins of the dictatorship the Sudanese people overthrew last year.
- [Will Biden Admin Reverse Trump’s “Dangerous” Recognition of Morocco’s Occupation of Western Sahara?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/will-biden-admin-reverse-trumps-dangerous-recognition-of-moroccos-occupation-of-western-sahara/) - DemocracyNow! Feb. 5, 2021, full transcript and video President Donald Trump broke with decades of U.S. foreign policy in the waning days of his administration and recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, a territory the country has occupied since 1975 in defiance of the United Nations and the international community. U.S. recognition came as Morocco
- [One of the Democrats’ Biggest Hawks Is Now Senate Foreign Relations Chair](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/one-of-the-democrats-biggest-hawks-is-now-senate-foreign-relations-chair/) - Now with a working majority, the Democrats have named Sen. Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey) to chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. This has rung alarm bells for advocates of peace, human rights and international law, given that Menendez has opposed the Iran nuclear agreement, repeatedly attacked the United Nations and the International Court of Justice, supported unconditional military aid to governments that have used the weapons in the commission of war crimes, and taken other positions far closer to those of Republicans than rank-and-file Democrats.
- [Interview: Gaza/Israel! CalMatters!](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/gaza-israel-calmatters/) - KPFA FM Radio, June 2, 2021: Zunes's analysis of the past, present and future of Gaza/Israel
- [Interview, Media Sanctuary: U.S. and Afghanistan](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/afghanistan/media-sanctuary-u-s-and-afghanistan/) - MediaSanctuary.org, August 18, 2021 Prof. Stephen Zunes Shares Analysis of Afghanistan War, Withdrawal and History.
- [CGTN Asia Today: Afghanistan](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/afghanistan/cgtn-asia-today-afghanistan/) - August 19, 2021 [Recording is no longer available] Find best Afghanistan related links
- [Tazeen Hasan: Afghanistan](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/afghanistan/tazeen-hasan-afghanistan/) - August 20, 2021 [Recording is no longer available] Find best Afghanistan links and TazeenHasan.net
- [Interview: KPFA Talkies and Sunday Show, US and Afghanistan](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/afghanistan/kpfa-talkies-us-and-afghanistan/) - KPFA and Pacifica Radio affiliates, August 31, 2021 A bomb kills Marines and Afghans trying to flee the Taliban—and the bomber was NOT Taliban. Lessons from the past, analysis of the present, and a peer into the future with Stephen Zunes. Hosted by Kris Welch (starting at 9:45). See also Tazeen Hasan: Afghanistan
- [Biden’s Dangerous Refusal to Reverse Trump’s Western Sahara Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/bidens-dangerous-refusal-to-reverse-trumps-western-sahara-policy/) - In his final weeks in office, President Donald Trump stunned the international community in formally recognizing Western Sahara as part of Morocco. Morocco has occupied much of its southern neighbor since 1975, when it invaded and annexed the former Spanish colony in defiance of the United Nations Security Council and a landmark ruling of the International Court of Justice.
- [WBAI Leonard Lopate at Large: Western Sahara and U.S. Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/wbai-leonard-lopate-at-large-western-sahara-and-u-s-policy/)
- [Amnesty International Report and U.S. Reaction](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/parallaxviews-amnesty-international-report-and-us-reaction/) - Parallaxviews podcast, Feb. 8, 2022. Zunes analysis of the recent Amnesty International report (begins at 1:29:00; also at Amnesty.org) arguing Israel is in engaging in the practice of apartheid against Palestinians, especially in the Occupied Territories. Dr. Zunes will also give his thoughts on the reaction of the U.S. media and Congress to the report.
- [Interview: Speaking of Palestine: The Occupations of Western Sahara and Palestine](https://stephenzunes.org/source/kbbf-speaking-of-palestine-occupations-western-sahara-palestine/) - KBBF Radio: Zunes on the occupation of Western Sahara and much more, plus Palestine Update and some poems by Naomi Shihab Nye. Find more at Western-Sahara.org.
- [Russian aggression, US hypocrisy and is UAE a safe haven for oligarchs?](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/no-excuse-for-russian-aggression-but-us-double-standards-on-illegal-war/) - The Progressive, March 1, 2022: There's No Justification for Russia's Aggression, But U.S. Double Standards on Illegal War Are Hard to Stomach: Nothing can excuse Putin's invasion, but the hypocrisy could hardly be more striking. Al Jazeera quotes Zunes March 7, 14 and 29 *The limits of Iran's influence on Yemen's Houthi rebels *Analysis: Can
- [Bipartisan Bill for Middle East Peace Will Enable Dictatorships and Occupation](https://stephenzunes.org/human-rights/bipartisan-bill-middle-east-peace-enable-dictatorships-occupation/) - Truthout, Feb. 27, 2022 and Tikkun March 10, 2022 [source] Part of the decades-long tradition of the U.S. propping up Arab dictatorships that suppress pro-democracy struggles while justifying support for Israel, calling it the region's "sole democracy."
- [Interview: Two-State Solution, Pacifica](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/two-state-solution-kpfa/) - KPFA and Pacifica affiliates, Nov. 17, 2023 [45 mins. Note Zunes's segment starts at 9:50, interrupted by a ten-minute Internet gap, after which Zunes returns.]
- [Middle East Crisis Webinar](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/middle-east-crisis-webinar/) - Middle East Crisis Webinar with Dr. Stephen Zunes,Steve Chase and Michael Beer Dec. 6, 2023 [or Audio] Sponsor: Movement for a New Society
- [U.S. policy resulted in current ongoing tragedy](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/u-s-policy-resulted-in-current-ongoing-tragedy/) - Video: Dec. 4 lecture at the University of San Francisco [source link is no longer available]
- [Hamas, Israel and U.S. Have Learned Nothing](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/hamas-israel-and-u-s-have-learned-nothing/) - The Progressive, October 11, 2023 [source]
- [How U.S. Policy Failures Helped Hamas](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/how-u-s-policy-failures-helped-hamas/) - Foreign Policy In Focus/Institute for Policy Studies, October 31, 2023 By Stephen Zunes [source]
- [Biden’s Gaza Failure Could Cost Democrats 2024 Election](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/bidens-gaza-failure-could-cost-democrats-2024-election/) - Biden’s Failure on Gaza Could Cost Democrats the 2024 Election The Progressive, October 26, 2024 [source] [T]he Biden Administration and Congressional leaders of both parties are actively supporting the ongoing carnage Israel is unleashing on the residents in Gaza, opposing international calls for a ceasefire, and pledging more military aid to Israel to better enable
- [Crackdown on Palestinian Solidarity Exceeds Reagan-era Activist Repression](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/crackdown-on-palestinian-solidarity-exceeds-reagan-era-activist-repression/) - Truthout, Feb. 14, 2024 [source] Historically, would-be authoritarians of various stripes have used the threat of other forms of authoritarianism to consolidate their own power. We saw this during the Cold War, when the alleged threat of communism led to everything from McCarthyism in the United States to right-wing military coups in Latin America. We
- [Lecture: US Policy and Israel's Gaza War at USF](https://stephenzunes.org/video/us-policy-and-israels-gaza-war/) - December 4, 2023 University of San Francisco Lecture on how US policy produced the current ongoing tragedy [1 hour, 26 min.; source is no longer available.]
- [Interviews: Western Sahara/Morocco](https://stephenzunes.org/video/western-sahara-morocco-two-interviews/) - Professor Stephen Zunes on Western Sahara, Russia, Ukraine, Biden, Israel and Morocco. February 2023 This is a very short segment of a story about Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara on a Swedish television network (in English, 2 min., 02/27/2024). Interview for a podcast on U.S. policy towards Israel/Palestine and Morocco/Western Sahara: Part I (37 min) & Part
- [U.S. Support for Israel Bolsters its Own Interests](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/us-support-for-israel-bolsters-its-own-interests/) - The Progressive February 27, 2024: The Biden Administration cast its third veto in four months to block a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, one of forty-eight vetoes in which U.S. was the only dissenting vote... Congress rarely questions the more than $3 billion in military aid sent annually to Israel...
- [Getting Ukraine’s History Right](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/getting-ukraines-history-right/) - Truthout Feb. 28, 2024, by Stephen Zunes [source]This month marks the 10th anniversary of the 2014 Maidan Revolution in Ukraine, which ousted President Viktor Yanukovych and in turn prompted the Russian seizure of Crimea and the Russian-backed secessionist movement in the Donbas. It also marks the second anniversary of the Russian invasion eight years later.
- [Russia and US Abuse UN Veto Power](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/russia-us-abuse-un-veto-power/) - Inter Press Service February 27, 2024: How both Russia and the United States abuse their veto power at the United Nations (Dr. Stephen Zunes is quoted midway). Russia vs Ukraine and Israel vs Hamas—have exposed once again the stark reality that the UN, created 79 years ago to maintain international peace and security, has failed
- [Why Young Voters Aren’t With Biden on Israel](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/why-young-voters-arent-with-biden-on-israel/) - The Progressive March 15, 2024: Young people are progressive, more aware of racism and a rightwing Israel, and increasingly turning away from Biden (72% of voters 18-29 disapprove of his handling of the war)... [source]
- [U.S. Has Redefined ‘Human Shields’ to Enable Israel’s Slaughter of Gaza Civilians](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/us-has-redefined-human-shields-to-enable-israels-slaughter-of-gaza-civilians/) - Truthout March 22, 2024: The civilian death rate from the U.S.-backed Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip is the highest of any conflict since the 1994 Rwanda genocide [yet] Biden has vetoed multiple UN Security Council resolutions, rejected calls by progressives to condition military aid, and used emergency powers to bypass public and congressional oversight
- [The Lingering Effects of Iraq War Lies](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iraq/the-lingering-effects-of-iraq-war-lies/) - The Progressive, March 27, 2023 [source]Twenty years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the country remains unstable, with one of the most corrupt and dysfunctional governments in the world...
- [How Biden Immediately Undermined UN Ceasefire Vote](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/how-biden-immediately-undermined-un-ceasefire-vote/) - The Progressive April 8, 2024 The Biden Administration is trying to seem like they’re working to end to the fighting when they are not [source]
- [Antisemitism charges in Palestine solidarity movement](https://stephenzunes.org/video/antisemitism-charges-in-palestine-solidarity-movement/) - [In English, 53 min.] Torgny Segerstedt Foundation and the city of Malmö sponsored this recent important public lecture regarding charges of antisemitism in the Palestine solidarity movement and understanding what's real, what's not, and why it matters. [source unavailable]
- [US student protests and growing opposition to Biden’s support for Gaza war](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/us-student-protests-and-growing-opposition-to-bidens-support-for-gaza-war/) - Dagens Nyheter, major Swedish daily, April 24, 2024 quotes Dr. Zunes on growing protests and opposition.
- [Israel and Iran Exchange Blows](https://stephenzunes.org/video/israel-and-iran-exchange-blows/) - Santita Jackson Show, April 15, nationally-syndicated: Zunes was guest expert in this 50-minute interview with Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies and Professor David Gibbs of the University of Arizona [Facebook Source Link is no longer available]
- [Podcast: US-Israeli relations and Gaza war](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/us-israeli-relations-and-gaza-war-podcast/) - Fascinating People, Fascinating Places April 11, 2024, 30 min.: Zunes is the guest on this half-hour podcast, in which he looks at US-Israeli relations and the war in Gaza [Facebook Source Link]
- [TV: Pro-Palestinian protesters who blocked Bay Area highways, bridges, & Israel vs. Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/video/tv-pro-palestinian-protesters-who-blocked-bay-area-highways-bridges-israel-vs-iran/) - KTVU-TV Fox Oakland, April 15, 2024 Dr. Zunes begins about the one-minute mark [source]
- [Comparing US policy towards Palestinian & Western Saharan struggles for self-determination](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/comparing-us-policy-towards-palestinian-western-saharan-struggles-for-self-determination/) - U.S. Campaign to End the Moroccan Occupation newsletter April 11, 2024: A short essay comparing U.S. policy towards the Palestinian and Western Saharan struggles for self-determination: Western Sahara. [source]. More at Western-Sahara.org.
- [Biden Claims to Support a Two-State Solution but his Policies Say Otherwise](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/biden-claims-to-support-a-two-state-solution-but-his-policies-say-otherwise/) - Truthout April 17, 2024: Recent initiatives by the Palestinian government to revive their application for UN membership are testing the U.S. claim it supports a “two-state solution” [source]
- [Does Israel Want a Wider War?](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/does-israel-want-a-wider-war/) - The Progressive magazine April 17, 2024: Zunes' analysis of the recent Israeli-Iranian confrontation and the US role [source]
- [Gaza War Webinar: Escalating Famine and Genocide. Arab Organization for Human Rights-UK](https://stephenzunes.org/video/gaza-war-webinar-arab-organization-for-human-rights-uk/) - Dr. Zunes speaks for the first seven minutes on U.S. policy then briefly again at the 1:11:30 mark [source]
- [Gaza Ceasefire: Five Interviews Jan. 2025](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/gaza-ceasefire-five-interviews-jan-2025/) - Al-Jazeera English [Source is no longer accessible] KPFA-FM (segment begins at 1:05): Most comprehensive with a special emphasison 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
- [Interview: Trump Orders Strikes on Houthis in Yemen](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-trump-orders-strikes-on-houthis-in-yemen/) - Al-Jazeera Media View, March 2025: On the onset of the U.S. bombing of Yemen [source link is no longer accessible]
- [The Silence of the Dems](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/the-silence-of-the-dems/) - The Progressive April 11, 2025: How Congressional Democrats are siding with Trump against their own constituents on U.S. Middle East policy [source]
- [Interviews: The Israel-Iran War, June 2025](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interviews-the-israel-iran-war-june-2025/) - *Al Jazeera English, June 19, 2025 [source no longer available] *For a Bay Area TV network affiliate, KTVU, June 13, 2025*A 50-minute interview for a British podcast*A ten-minute interview for a radio show/podcast in upstate New York*For a national Indian news show, June 13 (along with a pro-war Wall Street Journal reporter):*A 50-minute interview with
- [Interviews: More Iran War articles: June 17-22](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/10949/) - No Iranian threat 'other than having US regional interests challenged'DazzlingDawn.com June 22, 2025: Stephen Zunes, head of Middle Eastern studies at the University of San Francisco, dismissed the notion that Iran poses any real threat to the United States as “completely absurd.” He told Al Jazeera, “Iran lacks the missile range or military capacity to
- [U.S. Travesty, Terrorist Atrocity, and UN Tragedy](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/u-s-travesty-terrorist-atrocity-and-un-tragedy/) - Iraq is not the first country the United States has intervened in and then tried to have the United Nations try to clean up after it. Never before, however, have the consequences of a U.S. military action been so tragic for the world body and its dedicated civilian workers.
- [The Syrian Accountability Act and the Triumph of Hegemony](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/the-syrian-accountability-act-and-the-triumph-of-hegemony/) - On October 15, the U.S. House of Representatives, with an overwhelming bipartisan majority, passed the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003, which imposes strict sanctions against the Syrian government. (A similar bill was introduced earlier this year in the Senate and is pending.)
- [Israelis and Palestinians Attempt to Jumpstart the Peace Process Despite Washington’s Support for Sharon](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/israelis-and-palestinians-attempt-to-jumpstart-the-peace-process-despite-washingtons-support-for-sharon-2/) - The peace plan signed in Geneva December 1 by leading Israeli and Palestinian political figures represents an important step forward. Former president Jimmy Carter who was present at the ceremony may be correct in noting that ‘It’s unlikely we shall ever see a more promising foundation for peace.’
- [How the Hawk KIlls the Dove](https://stephenzunes.org/source/new-internationalist/how-the-hawk-kills-the-dove-2/) - NI Aug 2005 How the Hawk Kills the Dove (PDF)
- [U.S. Policy Toward Political Islam](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/u-s-policy-toward-political-islam/) - The perceived growth of radical Islamic movements throughout the Middle East and beyond has not only caused major political upheaval in the countries directly affected but has placed political Islam at the forefront of concerns voiced by U.S. policymakers. One unfortunate aspect of this newfound attention has been the way it has strengthened ugly stereotypes of Muslims already prevalent in the West. This occurs despite the existence of moderate Islamic segments and secular movements that are at least as influential as radicals in the political life of Islamic countries.
- [Interview: Updates on the Iran-Israel War: Conversations with Leading Analysts](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-updates-on-the-iran-israel-war-conversations-with-leading-analysts/) - Counterpunch July 1, 2025: Zunes discusses the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran along with Professors Richard Falk and Lawrence Davidson.
- [Why We Must Prevent the Re-election of Senators Who Supported the Invasion of Iraq](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/why-we-must-prevent-the-re-election-of-senators-who-supported-the-invasion-of-iraq/) - It has been just over two years since Congress took its fateful vote to authorize President George W. Bush to invade Iraq. This came despite the fact that such an invasion was a clear violation of the United Nations Charter, which, as a formal treaty signed and ratified by the United States, is -- according to Article VI of the U.S. Constitution -- to be treated as supreme law.
- [The War In Iraq Is Not Over and Neither Are The Lies To Justify It](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/the-war-in-iraq-is-not-over-and-neither-are-the-lies-to-justify-it/) - President George W. Bush's nationally broadcast speech Sunday evening once again was designed to mislead Congress and the American public into supporting his administration's policies in Iraq. Despite record deficits and draconian cutbacks in government support for health care, housing, education, the environment, and public transportation, the president is asking the American taxpayer to spend an additional $87 billion to support his invasion and occupation of Iraq.
- [Bush and Congress Ignore Breakthrough in Peace Process](https://stephenzunes.org/source/bush-congress-ignore-breakthrough-in-peace-process/) - Foreign Policy In Focus/Institute for Policy Studies, October 31, 2003, by Stephen Zunes [source] In what may be the most hopeful development in years to establish a permanent Israeli-Palestinian peace, an unofficial group of Palestinian and Israeli political leaders announced on October 12 that they had agreed to a detailed framework that would end the
- [Noble Rhetoric Supports Democracy While Ignoble Policies Support Repression](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/noble-rhetoric-supports-democracy-while-ignoble-policies-support-repression/) - President George W. Bush’s November 6 speech before the National Endowment for Democracy emphasizing the need for greater democracy and freedom in the Arab world, while containing a number of positive aspects, was nevertheless very misleading and all-too characteristic of the longstanding contradictory messages that have plagued U.S. policy in the Middle East.
- [Saddam’s Arrest Raises Troubling Questions](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-policy-report/saddams-arrest-raises-troubling-questions/) - The capture of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein by U.S. occupation forces is likely to result in one of the world’s most brutal tyrants of recent decades finally facing judgment for his crimes against humanity. It has also boosted morale in an administration desperately trying to justify its invasion and occupation of Iraq--which they initially justified on false pretenses. While U.S. allegations that Iraq actively supported the al Qaeda terrorist network and possessed weapons of mass destruction in the months prior to the U.S. invasion appear to have been deliberate falsehoods, no one can challenge the fact that Saddam Hussein was a ruthless dictator.
- [Carter's Less-Known Legacy](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/carters-less-known-legacy/) - With all the liberal columnists singing the praises of Jimmy Carter in honor of his winning the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, I'd like to contribute a somewhat dissident note. Only somewhat, however. I am very pleased Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize and believe it is well deserved. I also enjoyed the subtle send-up by the Nobel committee and the not-so-subtle criticism by the committee's chairman in contrasting this former American president with the current American president.
- [Video: Zunes Debates US Policy Toward Iraq](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/video-zunes-debates-u-s-policy-toward-iraq/) - Georgetown University The exchange between Dr. Stephen Zunes and Mark Lance explores "policy toward Iraq and whether the U.S. should engage in military action to remove Saddam Hussein?" as well as "Iraqi weapons capability, stability in the Middle East, and building an international coalition to take action against Iraq."
- [Lecture: The U.S. in the Middle East: Iraq, Terrorism and the Quest for Security (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iraq/lecture-the-u-s-in-the-middle-east-iraq-terrorism-and-the-quest-for-security-audio/) - University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2003/01/21/15637151.php Direct Link http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2003/01/21/stephen_zunes_ar_jan_2003.mp3
- [Remembering the Real Martin Luther King](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/remembering-the-real-martin-luther-king/) - Twelve years ago, at a forum honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., some participants wanted to take the opportunity to make a statement opposing the Gulf War that had just broken out in the Middle East. The organizers objected, saying they did not want to detract from the message honoring King's memory. Few who ever knew King and his work, however, could miss the irony of the organizers' objections, for there is no question that had King still been alive he would have forcefully spoken out against the war, as he did all war.
- [Somalia as a Military Target](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/somalia-as-a-military-target/) - The east African nation of Somalia is being mentioned with increasing frequency as a possible next target in the U.S.-led war against international terrorism. Somalia is a failed state--with what passes for the central government controlling little more than a section of the national capital of Mogadishu, a separatist government in the north, and rival warlords and clan leaders controlling most the remainder of the country. U.S. officials believe that cells of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network may have taken advantage of the absence of governmental authority to set up operation. Before the U.S. attacks that impoverished country, however, it is important to recognize how Somalia became a possible haven for the followers of Osama bin Laden and what might result if America goes to war.
- [The Case Against War](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iraq/the-case-against-war/) - Despite growing opposition, both at home and abroad, the Bush Administration appears to have begun its concerted final push to convince Congress, the American people and the world of the need to invade Iraq. Such an invasion would constitute an important precedent, being the first test of the new doctrine articulated by President Bush of "pre-emption," which declares that the United States has the right to invade sovereign countries and overthrow their governments if they are seen as hostile to American interests. At stake is not just the prospect of a devastating war but the very legitimacy of an international system built over the past century that--despite its failings--has created at least some semblance of global order and stability.
- [The Failure of U.S. Policy Toward Iraq and Proposed Alternatives](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/the-failure-of-u-s-policy-toward-iraq-and-proposed-alternatives-2/) - Current U.S.-UN policy regarding Iraq has failed and has largely lost credibility. It is widely viewed internationally as reflecting U.S. (and, to a lesser degree, British) insistence on maintaining a punitive sanctions-based approach regardless of the humanitarian impact and it is increasingly regarded as having failed to bring about either democratic changes in Iraq or security for the Persian Gulf region. Numerous countries are challenging, if not directly violating, the sanctions regime, and international support has largely eroded.
- [Palestine: History, Actors, Prospects & the U.S.](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/palestine/) - The land long considered by many Jews of the diaspora as their homeland had also been inhabited for centuries by Palestinian Arabs. Zionism emerged in Europe during the late 19th century as a movement for the ingathering of Jews to their ancestral land, with immigration increasing during theBritish mandate period following the demise of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I. A 1947 UN plan that would have partitioned Palestine in half, granting both Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs their own states, resulted in a war that led to Israeli control of 78% of the country.
- [UN Betrayal of Western Sahara](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/un-betrayal-of-western-sahara/) - When a country violates fundamental principles of international law and when the UN Security Council demands that it cease its illegal behavior, one might expect that the world body would impose sanctions or other measures to foster compliance. This has been the case with Iraq, Libya, and other international outlaws in recent years.
- [U.S. Shouldn't Fight Violence With Violence](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/u-s-shouldnt-fight-violence-with-violence/) - Terrorism is not rational, but an emotive reaction by frustrated and angry people. Yet the common reaction to terrorism is often no less rational, no less a reaction by a frustrated and angry people. It would behoove this great nation not to respond to yesterday's terrorist attack on America in ways that would restrict civil liberties, particularly if the terrorists are from an immigrant community. Already, analogies are being drawn to Pearl Harbor, which resulted in the internment of tens of thousands of loyal U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry.
- [The U.S. and the Israeli-Syrian Peace Process](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/the-u-s-and-the-israeli-syrian-peace-process/) - For the past three decades, the United States has taken the primary facilitating role in the Arab-Israeli peace process, marginalizing the Russians, the European Union, and the United Nations. Washington has therefore had to balance its narrow strategic and economic interests in this important region with its efforts to appear as an honest broker. This often contradictory role has at times been problematic, as is evident in the U.S.-sponsored negotiations between Israel, an important pro-Western ally, and Syria, whose government has traditionally identified with a radical strain of Arab nationalism.
- [Interview: Africa's Last Colony, Western Sahara](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-africas-last-colony-western-sahara/) - Pacifica Radio/WPFW, Washington DC, August 15, 2025 (56 mins.) Zunes and Professor Jacob Mundy (Colgate University, NY), his co-author of "Western Sahara: War, Nationalism and Conflict Irresolution," critique the bogus attempted designation of Western Sahara as a "terrorist" entity.
- [How Kerry’s Foreign Policies Leave Him Vulnerable to Republican Attacks](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/how-kerrys-foreign-policies-leave-him-vulnerable-to-republican-attacks/) - The only people who could possibly be swayed by the unfair and misleading attacks on Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry put forward by speakers at the Republican National Convention (particularly Vice-President Dick Cheney and Georgia Senator Zell Miller) would be those with little understanding of contemporary strategic issues and modern diplomatic history.
- [The Peace Process Between Israel and Syria](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/the-peace-process-between-israel-and-syria/) - The U.S. has long considered Syria the most intractable of Israel’s front-line neighbors due to its autocratic government, links to terrorists, and virulent anti-Israel posture. However, a variety of factors—both international and domestic—have led this one-time rejectionist government to pursue a peace agreement with its long-time enemy. Syria’s less belligerent stance toward Israel is not as much a result of greater American influence in this former Soviet client-state as it is a reflection of the more pragmatic drift of Arab parties that has been evolving since the mid-1970s.
- [Globalising Nonviolence: Nonviolence against Apartheid - a case study of "globalisation from below"](https://stephenzunes.org/human-rights/globalising-nonviolence-nonviolence-against-apartheid-a-case-study-of-globalisation-from-below/) - While many Western governments argued that the benevolent influence of Western capital would gradually force an end to South Africa's apartheid system and many on the left argued that liberation would come only through armed revolution, in fact it was largely unarmed resistance by the black majority and its supporters, both within South Africa and abroad.
- [Why the Dems Have Failed Lebanon](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/why-the-dems-have-failed-lebanon/) - The Bush administration's unconditional support for Israel's attacks on Lebanon is emblematic of the profound tragedy of U.S. policy in the region over the past five years. The administration has relied largely on force rather than diplomacy. It has shown a willingness to violate international legal norms, a callousness regarding massive civilian casualties, a dismissive attitude toward our closest allies whose security interests we share, and blatant double standards on UN Security Council resolutions, non-proliferation issues, and human rights. A broad consensus of moderate Arabs, Middle East scholars, independent security analysts, European leaders, and others have recognized how?even putting important moral and legal issues aside?such policies have been a disaster for the national security interests of the United States and other Western nations. These policies have only further radicalized the region and increased support for Hezbollah and other extremists and supporters of terrorism.
- [How Washington Goaded Israel](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/how-washington-goaded-israel/) - There is increasing evidence that Israel instigated a disastrous war on Lebanon largely at the behest of the United States. The Bush administration was set on crippling Hezbollah, the radical Shiite political movement that maintains a sizable block of seats in the Lebanese parliament. Taking advantage of the country's democratic opening after the forced departure of Syrian troops last year, Hezbollah defied U.S. efforts to democratize the region on American terms. The populist party's unwillingness to disarm its militia as required by UN resolution?and the inability of the pro-Western Lebanese government to force them to do so?led the Bush administration to push Israel to take military action.
- [The United States, the UN, and the Lebanon Ceasefire](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/the-united-states-the-un-and-the-lebanon-ceasefire/) - The UN Security Council resolution for a ceasefire to the fighting in Lebanon is certainly good news in terms of ending the carnage. Passed on August 11, Resolution 1701 is also a marked improvement over the original U.S. draft and contains some positive language. Both sides, for instance, are called upon to honor ?a full cessation of hostilities.? And Israel must provide the UN with maps of landmines planted in southern Lebanon during Israel's 22-year occupation that ended in 2000.
- [Bush on 9/11: Annotated](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/bush-speeches-annotated/bush-on-911-annotated/) - Despite promises from the White House that the address to the nation on the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy would be non-political, President George W. Bush devoted much the speech to defending his unrelated policy on Iraq.
- [Bush at the UN: Annotated](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/bush-speeches-annotated/bush-at-the-un-annotated/) - President George W. Bush's address before the United Nations General Assembly on September 19 appeared to be designed for the domestic U.S. audience. Indeed, few of the foreign delegations or international journalists present could take seriously his rhetoric regarding the promotion of democracy in the Middle East, given the reality of U.S. policy in the region.
- [The Taliban is Back](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/afghanistan/the-taliban-is-back/) - On the fifth anniversary of the launch of the U.S.-led war against Afghanistan, the Taliban is on the offensive, much of the countryside is in the hands of warlords and opium magnates, U.S. casualties are mounting, and many, if not most, Afghans are actually worse off now than they were before the U.S. invasion.
- [Lecture: Western Sahara and International Law (video)](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/lecture-western-sahara-and-international-law-video/) - The University of Melbourne School of Law (November 2007) Launch of a new book including Stephen Zunes: 'International Law and the Question of Western Sahara' (editors: Karin Arts, Pedro Pinto Leite)
- [U.S. Role in Lebanon Debacle](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/u-s-role-in-lebanon-debacle/) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert continues to resist pressure that he resign following the publication late last month of the interim report by a special Israeli commission on Israel’s war on Lebanon last summer. Military chief Dan Halutz has already been forced to step down and Defense Minister Amir Peretz has announced he will also be resigning shortly.
- [Iraq: Five Years Later, We Can't Forgive or Forget](https://stephenzunes.org/source/iraq-five-years-later-we-cant-forgive-or-forget/) - Last week marked the fifth anniversary of the congressional vote granting President George W. Bush unprecedented war-making authority to invade Iraq at the time and circumstances of his own choosing. Had a majority of either the Republican-controlled House or the Democratic-controlled Senate voted against the resolution or had they passed an alternative resolution conditioning such authority on an authorization from the United Nations Security Council, all the tragic events that have unfolded as a consequence of the March 2003 invasion would have never occurred.
- [The United States and the Kurds: a brief history](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/turkey/the-united-states-and-the-kurds-a-brief-history/) - To add to the tragic violence unleashed throughout Iraq as a result of the U.S. invasion of that country, the armed forces of Turkey have launched attacks into the Kurdish-populated region in northern Iraq to fight guerrillas of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK). Taking advantage of the establishment of an autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, the PKK has been escalating their raids into Turkey, prompting the October 17 decision by the Turkish parliament to authorize military action within Iraq.
- [The VP Debate: Dishonest Foreign Policies](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/the-vp-debate-dishonest-foreign-policies/) - The October 3 debate between Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Delaware Senator Joe Biden was disturbing for those of us hoping for a more enlightened and honest foreign policy during the next four years. In its aftermath, pundits mainly focused on Palin’s failure to self-destruct and Biden’s relatively cogent arguments. Here’s an annotation of the foreign policy issues raised during the vice-presidential debate, which was packed with demonstrably false and misleading statements....
- [60 Second Expert: The U.S. in Yemen](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/arabian-peninsula/yemen/60-second-expert-the-u-s-in-yemen/) - Much attention has recently been focused on the poverty-stricken country of Yemen. The planning of the Christmas Day bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight by al-Qaeda members in Yemen and other incidents have revealed that al-Qaeda cells in Yemen represents a genuine threat. However, if the U.S. yet seeks a military solution to a complex political, social and economic situation, however, it could prove disastrous to both Yemen and U.S. security interest
- [60-Second Expert: Democracy in the Middle East](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/60-second-expert-democracy-in-the-middle-east/) - Foreign Policy In Focus/Institute for Policy Studies June 22, 2009, Noor Iqbal and Stephen Zunes In Cairo last week, President Barack Obama addressed the Muslim world, calling for a "new beginning" in the search for peace and prosperity in the Middle East. What he failed to address in this widely anticipated speech, however, were the
- [Interview: Zunes on Western Sahara](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/interview-zunes-on-western-sahara/) - Well, we’re looking at a situation that bears striking parallels to East Timor: on the verge of decolonization from a minor colonial power, the large neighbor came and gobbled up the country, with the United Nations Security Council, along with the International Court of Justice, ruled that this takeover was illegal, called for Morocco’s withdrawal, but Morocco, like Indonesia, had some powerful friends on the UN Security Council, including the United States, which has blocked the world bodies from enforcing their mandates. And so, in fact, the invasion took place just six weeks prior to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor, in November of 1975. So, for more than 35 years, the people of Western Sahara have been suffering under a foreign military occupation....
- [Congress vs. Obama on Iran: Washington's Warmongers Take Aim At Iran Diplomacy](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/congress-vs-obama-on-iran/) - Hardliners in Washington, including prominent congressional Democrats, are hard at work attempting to scuttle a nuclear deal between the United States and Iran.
- [U.S. shares responsibility for plight of Arab Christians](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/stephen-zunes-u-s-shares-responsibility-for-plight-of-arab-christians/) - 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.
- [The US role in Iraq's upsurge in violence](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iraq/the-us-role-in-iraqs-upsurge-in-violence/) - The tragic upsurge of violence in Iraq in recent months, including the temporary takeover of sections of two major Iraqi cities by al-Qaida affiliates, is a direct consequence of the repression of peaceful dissent by the U.S.-backed government in Baghdad and, ultimately, of the 2003 U.S. invasion and occupation.
- [Egypt’s military government increases repression amid growing paranoia](https://stephenzunes.org/source/national-catholic-reporter/egypts-military-government-increases-repression-amid-growing-paranoia/) - Since the military coup in Egypt against the unpopular but democratically elected government of Mohammed Morsi last July, more than 1,000 regime opponents have been killed, thousands more have been hauled before military courts on political charges, and a repressive anti-protest law has been enacted, severely limiting the right of peaceful assembly.
- [Why Nonviolent Resistance Wins](https://stephenzunes.org/source/zy/why-nonviolent-resistance-wins/) - Because nuns, folk singers and dockworkers have the better track record for helping countries achieve democracy. Nearly 70 countries have shown us how.
- [Understanding Elections, Democracy, and Prospects for Peace in the Arab World](https://stephenzunes.org/source/rising-up-with-sonali/understanding-elections-democracy-and-prospects-for-peace-in-the-arab-world/) - The source link for this item is no longer available [best related links]
- [Netanyahu's Ugly Game in Gaza](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/netanyahus-ugly-game-in-gaza/) - The Progressive and Transnational.org July 9, 2014The right-wing Israeli government took advantage of the murder of three Israeli teen members of an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Back to whip up ultra-nationalist sentiments, engage in a new wave of repression in the occupied West Bank.
- [The Latest Blow to Israeli-Palestinian Peace](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/the-latest-blow-to-israeli-palestinian-peace/) - The United States blocked the latest UN resolution to achieve peace between Israel and Palestine for the most disingenuous of reasons.
- [Uprising Radio: The threat from ISIS](https://stephenzunes.org/source/rising-up-with-sonali/uprising-radio-uprising-on-the-threat-from-isis/) - From the the nationally-syndicated public affairs program "Uprising" on the threat from ISIS. The segment with Professor Zunes begins at the 19-minute mark.
- [China Radio International -  Minsk Peace Talks on Ukraine Crisis Concludes (Audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio/china-radio-international/china-radio-international-minsk-peace-talks-on-ukraine-crisis-concludes-audio/) - A ten-minute interview on CRI about President Obama's request for Congress for authorization of force against the so-called "Islamic State." The segment with Professor Zunes begins at the 18:30 mark of the Global Talks section
- [Hardliners on All Sides Undermining Iran's Nuclear Talks](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/hardliners-on-all-sides-undermining-irans-nuclear-talks/) - Reaching an interim nuclear deal with Iran would have been difficult enough even without hardliners in both Iran and the United States seeking to undermine them.
- [Defending Israel’s Attacks on Civilians—A Harbinger for Clinton’s Presidency?](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/defending-israels-attacks-on-civilians-a-harbinger-for-clintons-presidency/) - A fight is brewing as Democrats prepare to debate U.S. policy on Israel at their national convention in July. Bernie Sanders’ appointees to the platform committee Cornel West and James Zogby plan to challenge the party establishment’s uncritical support for an increasingly aggressive, right wing Israeli government.
- [From Gaza to Aleppo: A Handy Guide for Defending War Crimes](https://stephenzunes.org/source/znetwork/from-gaza-to-aleppo-a-handy-guide-for-defending-war-crimes/) - In These Times, Huffington Post and ZNetwork.org Oct. 7, 2016 Given the United States’ disastrous record in the Middle East—most critically the invasion and occupation of Iraq—and the manifold lies coming out of Washington to justify its policies, many Americans are understandably skeptical about U.S. interventions and the rationalizations used to defend them. This leads
- [Interview: Stephen Zunes Explains AAR panel cancellation and Trump's Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's Capital](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/syria/u-s-and-allies-bombing-of-syria/) - Global Journal of Peace Research and PraxisVolume 2, Number 1 (Spring 2018)Dr. Stephen Zunes discussed his views on the abrupt cancellation of a panel he was scheduled to participate in at the 2017 American Academy of Religion’s annual conference. President Trump’s recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has thrown the conflict between Israelis
- [The Day Dreamers Show Topic: USA Policy Towards Israel and Palestine](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/the-day-dreamers-show-topic-usa-policy-towards-israel-palestine/) - The Aijaz Qureshi Show (43 min.):
- [KZFR Peace and Justice: U.S. and Western Sahara](https://stephenzunes.org/source/kzfr-peace-justice-u-s-and-western-sahara/) - KZFR public radio, Chico, CA, 11 February 2022 [Audio's no longer available. Find more at Western-Sahara.org]
- [Interviews: Al Jazeera on Trump and Biden support for Israel’s war on Gaza](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/biden-supports-israels-war-on-gaza/) - Al-Jazeera Video: Biden’s policy supports Israel’s war on Gaza (Feb. 2024; Dr. Zunes begins at the four-minute mark.) Three more quoting Dr. Zunes November 2023: For 20 years, this AIDS relief plan enjoyed broad US support. What changed? Nov. 14, 2023 Israel-Hamas war updates: Al-Shifa Hospital under threat, Nov. 9, 2023 Why are US Republicans
- [U.S. Attacks on the ICJ Are a Declaration of Empire and Biden’s Backing of Israel War Crimes Carries on a Sordid U.S. Tradition](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/bidens-backing-of-israel-war-crimes-carries-on-a-sordid-u-s-tradition/) - U.S. Attacks on the ICJ Are a Declaration of Empire Common Dreams Feb. 1, 2024Biden’s Backing of Israel War Crimes Carries on a Sordid U.S. Tradition Truthout Oct. 30, 2023
- [Lecture and Interviews: Israel's Gaza War, January 2024](https://stephenzunes.org/video/israels-gaza-war-lecture-interviewsjanuary-2024/) - Jan. 11, 2024: Santa Cruz lecture, "one of my best and most comprehensive–which examines the U.S. role in Israel/Palestine, historical and present, and what we can learn from it." Sponsored by Resource Center for Nonviolence Also this discussion with Silvia Morales, director of the Resource Center for Nonviolence about Israel, Palestine, U.S. policy on Israel/Palestine
- [TV Interviews: Police Attack and Clear Student Anti-War, Pro-Divestment Camp at UCLA](https://stephenzunes.org/video/tv-police-attack-clear-student-anti-war-camp-at-ucla/) - Al Jazeera English Television, May 2, 2024 Anti-war, pro-divestment demonstrations on many campuses Police attacks on student protesters at UCLA
- [Interview: Israel/Palestine civilian deaths, US Policy and ICJ finds West Bank occupation illegal](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/interview-israel-palestine-civilian-deathsbr-icc-finds-west-bank-occupation-illegal/) - KPFA Pacifica Network July 19,2024 Recent developments in Israel/Palestine, including mounting civilian casualties, U.S. policy and the International Court of Justice decision finding the Israeli occupation of the West Bank illegal (25 mins. starting at 1:05:00)
- [Video Panel - Brave Resistance: Iran’s Women Prisoners Up Against Execution Surge and Threats Of Wider Regional War](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/irans-womens-prisoners-resistance-executions-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).
- [Interviews: U.S. policy, Israel/Palestine, Lebanon and Kamala Harris for KPFA Pacifica Radio](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/interviews-u-s-policy-israel-palestine-lebanon-kamala-harris-on-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 WelchAugust 16, 2024 (segment starts at the 9:30 mark); also on August 25 on KPFA Evening News (starts at 11:45); and earlierAugust 11 on recent developments (starts at 2:10).
- [Radio and Podcast: 4 Interviews](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iran/radio-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
- [UN: Charter Reform and Threat If Trump's Elected](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/un-charter-reform-threat-if-trumps-elected/) - Two articles quoting Dr. Zunes:* On the threat to the United Nations system if Trump is elected.Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics and Director of International Studies at the University of San Francisco, who has written extensively on the politics of the United Nations, told IPS: “Yes, this would indeed be disastrous and UN funding for
- [France to Break Away from UK and US While Recognizing Palestine as a Nation State](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/france-break-away-from-us-uk-recognizing-palestine/) - Inter Press Service, UN April 18, 2025, Quoted by Thalif Deen [source] "Dr. Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, who has written extensively on the politics of the UN, told IPS it is rather bizarre that State Department spokesperson Bruce would bring up Hamas, which
- [Interview: Iran and ongoing violence, the broader context](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-iran-ongoing-violence-the-broader-context/) - WORT-FM Madison, WS, June 24, 2025: Negin Owliaei and Zunes examine the U.S. war on Iran and its broader context. (55 mins.)
- [Interview: Iran and the U.S. Now](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-iran-the-u-s-now/) - July 3, 2025, Pacifica Radio/KPFA: Zunes discusses Iran and the United States following the latest bombing and war in a wide-ranging interview (starts at 5:40)
- [Interview: Gaza now, Trump to meet Putin, and Armenia-Azerbaijan treaty](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/12566/) - KTVU August 8, 2025, Bay Area Fox affiliate, about Gaza, a Trump-Putin summit, and the Armenia-Azerbaijan treaty [Zunes's segment runs 2:00-7:40]
- [Interview: Latest developments in Israel/Palestine and U.S. policy](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/12772/) - KPFA Evening News (Sunday) – July 27, 2025 [begins at 9:30]
- [The Power and Value of Strategic Nonviolent Action](https://stephenzunes.org/peace-war/diplomacy/the-power-and-value-of-strategic-nonviolent-action/) - Zunes's 2023 academic article, The Power and Value of Strategic Nonviolent Action, is now available free online. A good summary of his work on strategic nonviolent action and an important overview of recent developments in the field.
- [Arms Sales Ironies](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/arabian-peninsula/arms-sales-ironies/) - THE timid opposition in Congress to the Bush Administration's announced sale of 72 highly sophisticated F-15E jet fighters to Saudi Arabia shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone.
- [Roots of Radical Islam](https://stephenzunes.org/source/peace-review/roots-of-radical-islam/) - Peace Review 1995 Roots of Radical Islam (PDF)
- [The Dangers of Miscalculation in the Middle East](https://stephenzunes.org/source/christian-science-monitor/the-dangers-of-miscalculation-in-the-middle-east-2/) - The cease-fire agreement in Lebanon is widely depicted as a triumph of Israeli military force and American diplomacy. In reality, however, it represents the failure of both.
- [Reassessing America's Policy Toward Indonesia](https://stephenzunes.org/source/christian-science-monitor/reassessing-americas-policy-toward-indonesia/) - The muted reaction of Clinton administration officials on the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to two human rights activists from East Timor is not simply due to the seeming obscurity of that small Southeast Asian nation. No choice could have been more embarrassing for the United States government.
- [Morocco and Western Sahara](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/morocco-and-western-sahara/) - Key Points: Morocco has occupied Western Sahara since 1975 in violation of resolutions by the UN Security Council and a decision by the International Court of Justice. The United States has provided military, economic, and diplomatic support for Morocco’s war effort. A cease-fire and proposed referendum bring promise for peace in the territory, but U.S. leadership is needed to insure its implementation.
- [NATO's Rush to War in Yugoslavia](https://stephenzunes.org/eastern-europe/natos-rush-to-war-in-yugoslavia/) - The United States-led war against Yugoslavia continued for more than ten weeks despite the many ways it could have been avoided or ended sooner, and despite the opposition and uneasiness it generated even among its initial supporters. This essay outlines some of the reasons why the war was wrong from a moral, legal and utilitarian perspective.
- [Nonviolent Action and Human Rights](https://stephenzunes.org/human-rights/nonviolent-action-and-human-rights/) - Nonviolent action campaigns have been a part of political life for millennia. History records many instances of groups rising to challenge abuses by authorities, demand social reforms, and protest militarism and discrimination. In recent years, however, the number of such movements has increased, as has their success in advancing the cause of human rights and toppling or dramatically reforming repressive regimes. In the twentieth century, nonviolence became more of a deliberate tool for social change, moving from being largely an ad hoc strategy growing naturally out of religious or ethical principles to a reflective and, in many ways, institutionalized method of struggle.
- [Iran: Time for Detente](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/iran-time-for-detente/) - Despite recent reforms, the U.S. has been hesitant to forge closer relations with Iran due to lingering hostility to the Islamic government and a fear that supporting moderates would create a backlash against them. The ongoing struggle in Iran between Islamic reformers and Islamic hard-liners, along with struggles within the U.S. foreign policy establishment between hawks and those seeking accommodation, has left U.S.-Iranian relations in a state of flux.
- [Western Sahara](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/western-sahara/) - Western Sahara By Stephen Zunes June 1, 2001 [source is no longer available] History: Traditionally inhabited by nomadic Arab tribes with a long history of resistance to outside domination, the area known as Spanish Sahara was occupied by Spain during much of the twentieth century and held for more than a decade after most African
- [Israeli-Palestinian Conflict](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/israeli-palestinian-conflict/) - The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of competing nationalist movements battling for a homeland on the same territory. It is not a religious or ethnic conflict at its root. The conflict is not intractable: the majority of both Israelis and Palestinians are willing to accept territorial compromise and share historic Palestine in two states side by side in return for peace and security....
- [Fallacies of U.S. Plans to Invade Iraq](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-policy-report/fallacies-of-u-s-plans-to-invade-iraq-2/) - In the months following the September 11 terrorist attacks, there were leaks to the media about alleged evidence of a meeting in Prague between an Iraqi intelligence officer and one of the hijackers of the doomed airplanes that crashed into the World Trade Center. Subsequently, however, both the FBI and CIA have declared that no such meeting occurred. It is unlikely that the decidedly secular Baathist regime--which has savagely suppressed Islamists within Iraq--would be able to maintain close links with Bin Laden and his followers. Saudi Prince Turki bin Faisal, his country's former intelligence chief, noted how Bin Laden views Saddam Hussein "as an apostate, an infidel or someone who is not worthy of being a fellow Muslim." Much of the money trail for Al Qaeda comes from U.S. ally Saudi Arabia; none has been traced to Iraq. Fifteen of the nineteen hijackers were Saudi; none were Iraqi. Admitting that there was no evidence of direct links between Iraq and Al Qaeda, the best that CIA Director George Tenet could come up with in testimony before Congress was that the "mutual antipathy" the two have for the U.S. "suggests that tactical cooperation between the two is possible." Most observers consider this to be an extraordinarily weak justification for war.
- [Why Not to Wage War with Iraq](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-policy-report/why-not-to-wage-war-with-iraq/) - Despite growing opposition, the Bush administration is pushing for a U.S. invasion of Iraq. Before the public and Congress allow such a dangerous and unprecedented use of American military power, they should seriously consider the following:
- [United Nations Security Council Resolutions Currently Being Violated by Countries Other than Iraq](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/united-nations-security-council-resolutions-currently-being-violated-by-countries-other-than-iraq/) - Foreign Policy In Focus, October 1, 2002 by Stephen Zunes [source] (Editor's Note: In its effort to justify its planned invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration has emphasized the importance of enforcing UN Security Council resolutions. However, in addition to the dozen or so resolutions currently being violated by Iraq, a conservative estimate reveals that
- [After President’s Speech, Questions Remain Unanswered](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/after-presidents-speech-questions-remain-unanswered/) - At the House International Relations Committee markup of H.J. Res. 114, U.S. Representative Sherrod Brown (D-OH) put forward an amendment that contained a series of questions he argued the administration must answer in order for Congress to fulfill its constitutional responsibility regarding a prospective war, and to gain the confidence of the American people. The address by President George W. Bush on Monday evening failed to provide answers to these critical questions. Representative Brown's amendment, as did a previous letter to the president from House Armed Services ranking Democrat, Ike Skelton (dated September 4th) asked a number of important questions, and requested specific information on a number of points.
- [The Abuse of the No-Fly Zones as an Excuse for War](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/the-abuse-of-the-no-fly-zones-as-an-excuse-for-war/) - With the apparent willingness of the Iraqi government to cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors, the Bush administration and its congressional supporters of both parties seem determined to find an excuse--any excuse--to invade this oil-rich country and replace the current regime with one more to its own liking. This eagerness to wage war could not be more apparent than in recent claims out of Washington that Iraq firing upon British and American aircraft enforcing the no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq constitutes a "material breach" of UN Security Council resolutions that could justify a U.S. invasion.
- [A US Invasion of Iraq Can Be Stopped](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/a-us-invasion-of-iraq-can-be-stopped/) - Despite increased preparation for war, there is a growing perception that a U.S. invasion of Iraq can be stopped. There is little question that were it not for the anti-war movement, the United States would have gone to war against Iraq already. It was the strength of opposition to plans for a unilateral U.S. invasion that forced the Bush Administration to go to the UN in the first place. So far, Iraqi compliance with the United Nations weapons inspectors has made it extremely difficult for the administration to proceed with its war plans.
- [Pelosi and Sharon](https://stephenzunes.org/source/bay-guardian/pelosi-and-sharon/) - On Jan. 29, Israeli voters will face perhaps the most crucial vote in their nation's history, between the right-wing incumbent prime minister Ariel Sharon of the Likud Bloc and the more moderate Amram Mitzna from the Labor Alignment.
- [An Annotated Overview of the Foreign Policy Segments of President George W. Bush’s State of the Union Address](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/bush-speeches-annotated/an-annotated-overview-of-the-foreign-policy-segments-of-president-george-w-bushs-state-of-the-union-address/) - [President Bush's] attempt to put Baathist Iraq on par with Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia is ludicrous. Hitler's Germany was the most powerful industrialized nation in the world when it began its conquests in the late 1930s and Soviet Russia at its height had the world's largest armed forces and enough nuclear weapons to destroy humankind. Iraq, by contrast, is a poor Third World country that has been under the strictest military and economic embargo in world history for more than a dozen years after having much of its civilian and military infrastructure destroyed in the heaviest bombing in world history.
- [Addressing Iraqi Repression and the Need for a Change of Regime](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/addressing-iraqi-repression-and-the-need-for-a-change-of-regime/) - As the administration's rationales for invading Iraq--such as Baghdad's alleged ties to al Qaeda and claims of an imminent nuclear threat--have crumbled under closer scrutiny, the administration and its allies in Congress and the media are increasingly emphasizing a point that cannot be disputed: the repressive nature of the Iraqi regime....
- [President Bush's February 26 Speech on the Future of Iraq: A Critique](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/bush-speeches-annotated/president-bushs-february-26-speech-on-the-future-of-iraq-a-critique/) - Considerable attention has been given to President George W. Bush's February 26 speech before the right-wing American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC outlining his vision of the Middle East in the aftermath of a possible U.S. invasion of Iraq. The speech was broadcast live over national radio and television and given widespread coverage in the print media, yet few critical voices questioning the major points raised in this sanctimonious and highly misleading address were given the opportunity to offer commentary.
- [The Bush Administration and Congress Join the Coverup in the Murder of Rachel Corrie](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/the-bush-administration-and-congress-join-the-coverup-in-the-murder-of-rachel-corrie/) - There has been a real fear in recent months that the right-wing government of Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon might take advantage of the international focus on the U.S. invasion of Iraq to increase its repression in the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Few people realized, however, that one of the first casualties would be a young American....
- [Talking Points on Recent Concerns Raised by Bush Administration Officials Regarding Syria](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/talking-points-on-recent-concerns-raised-by-bush-administration-officials-regarding-syria/) - Recent statements by top Bush administration officials have accused the Syrian government of aiding senior Iraqi officials to escape, possessing chemical weapons, and committing "hostile acts" against the U.S. by allegedly supplying military equipment, such as night-vision goggles, to the Iraqis. On April 10th, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz told Congress, "The Syrians are behaving badly. They need to be reminded of that, and if they continue, then we need to think about what our policy is with respect to a country that harbors terrorists or harbors war criminals, or was in recent times shipping things to Iraq." People should keep in mind the following points in response to administration claims:
- [Time to Question the U.S. Role In Saudi Arabia](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/arabian-peninsula/time-to-question-the-u-s-role-in-saudi-arabia/) - The terrorist bombings that struck Saudi Arabia on May 12th have raised a number of serious questions regarding American security interests in the Middle East. First of all, the attacks underscore the concern expressed by many independent strategic analysts that the United States has been squandering its intelligence and military resources toward Iraq--which had nothing to do with al Qaeda and posed no direct danger to the United States--and not toward al Qaeda itself, which is the real threat....
- [The U.S. and Post-War Iraq: An Analysis](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/the-u-s-and-post-war-iraq-an-analysis/) - There has been a disturbing degree of triumphalism following the overthrow--perhaps "evaporation" is a better word--of Saddam Hussein's regime in the face of invading American forces. Even putting aside the appropriateness of this kind of gloating in the face of such death and destruction--including thousands of civilian casualties--it is striking that few people are asking whether the U.S. or the rest of the world is safer now as a result of this overwhelming American military victory.
- [Why We Should Transfer the Administration of Iraq to the United Nations: Four Theses](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/why-we-should-transfer-the-administration-of-iraq-to-the-united-nations-four-theses/) - The invasion and occupation of Iraq posed new challenges to peace and justice activists. The growing credibility crisis of the Bush administration with respect to Iraq, as well as the ongoing crisis on the ground in Iraq, provides us with new opportunities. Below I present four theses on one campaign that could use these opportunities in a creative way: a campaign to turn the administration of Iraq over to the United Nations.
- [Distortions of History](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/distortions-of-history/) - It is becoming increasingly apparent that the intelligence cited by President Bush regarding Iraqi military capabilities in the months leading up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq was in fact neither good, nor solid, nor sound and that the Iraqi regime--while, like a number of Middle East governments, was undeniably repressive--was not a threat to the United States or any other country.
- [Self Determination Struggle in the Western Sahara Continues to Challenge the UN](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/self-determination-struggle-in-the-western-sahara-continues-to-challenge-the-un/) - After much wrangling from the French, the UN Security Council unanimously passed resolution 1495 right on the July 31st deadline for the rollover of the MINURSO peacekeeping operation in Western Sahara. In the best diplomatic tradition, the resolution affirmed the commitment to provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, even while it seriously compromised on it by supporting a peace plan that would allow the Moroccan settlers in the territory to vote on independence in five years. As with Israeli settlers on the West Bank, these Moroccan colonists are there in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits countries from transfering their civilian population onto territories seized by military force.
- [U.S. Government Must Take a Consistent Stance Against Terrorism](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/u-s-government-must-take-a-consistent-stance-against-terrorism/) - Common Dreams September 2, 2003 by Stephen Zunes [source link's no longer available] Last Friday's terrorist bombing outside the Tomb of Ali in the Iraqi city of An-Najaf was the deadliest such attack against a civilian target in Middle East history. It recalls a similar blast in the southern outskirts of Beirut in March1985, which
- [An Annotated Refutation of President George W. Bush’s September 23 Address Before the United Nations](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/bush-speeches-annotated/1571/) - Events during the past two years have set before us the clearest of divides: Between those who seek order and those who spread chaos; between those who work for peaceful change and those who adopt the methods of gangsters; between those who honor the rights of man and those who deliberately take the lives of men and women and children, without mercy or shame.
- [Ronald Reagan and the Cold War: Don't Credit Reagan for Defeating Communism](https://stephenzunes.org/source/national-catholic-reporter/ronal-reagan-and-the-cold-war-dont-credit-reagan-for-defeating-communism/) - Loads PDF version.
- [Rightward Ho!](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/rightward-ho/) - Against the backdrop of ongoing death and destruction in Iraq as a result of the U.S. invasion and subsequent occupation, the Democratic Party formally adopted their 2004 platform on July 28 at their convention in Boston. The platform focused more on foreign policy than it had in recent years. It represented an opportunity to challenge the Republican administration’s unprecedented and dangerous departure from the post-World War II international legal consensus forbidding aggressive wars, as well as a means with which to offer a clear alternative to the Bush Doctrine.
- [Misleading Foreign Policy Statements Made by the Candidates in the Vice Presidential Debate](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/misleading-foreign-policy-statements-made-by-the-candidates-in-the-vice-presidential-debate/) - The list below contains what I consider to be the sixteen most misleading statements made by Vice President Dick Cheney and Senator John Edwards during the foreign policy segment of their debate of October 5, followed by my critiques. This is a resolutely non-partisan analysis: eleven of the misleading statements cited are from Cheney and five are from Edwards. The quotes are listed in the order in which they appear in the transcript.
- [The Most Misleading Foreign Policy Statements Made by the Candidates in the Vice-Presidential Debate](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/the-most-misleading-foreign-policy-statements-made-by-the-candidates-in-the-vice-presidential-debate/) - Listed below is what I consider to be the sixteen most misleading statements made by Vice-President Dick Cheney and Senator John Edwards during the foreign policy segment of their debate of October 5, followed by my critiques. This is a non-partisan analysis: eleven of the misleading statements cited are from Cheney and five are from Edwards. The quotes are listed in the order in which they appear in the transcript:
- [A Humphrey-Nixon Redux?](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/a-humphrey-nixon-redux/) - No wonder it feels so damn frustrating. It?s like 1968 all over again. The United States is bogged down in a bloody counter-insurgency war on the other side of the globe, a war that the majority of the American people believe we should have never entered. Polls consistently show it is the number one issue on the minds of American voters in the weeks leading up to a close presidential election. The majority of Democrats and independents and a growing minority of Republicans believe that the war is unwinnable and we should get out.
- [The U.S. Invasion of Iraq: The Military Side of Globalization?](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-policy-report/u-s-invasion-of-iraq-military-side-of-globalization/) - The major justifications for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq—Saddam Hussein’s supposed possession of weapons of mass destruction and Iraqi ties to the terrorist al-Qaida network—are now widely discredited, and Washington’s claims that its efforts are creating a democratic Iraq are also highly dubious. Although economic factors did play an important role in prompting a U.S. invasion, the simplistic notion that Iraq’s makeover was undertaken simply for the sake of oil company profits ignores the fact that even optimistic projections of the financial costs of the invasion and occupation far exceeded anticipated financial benefits. Furthermore, Saddam Hussein was already selling his oil at a level satisfactory to Western buyers, and his standing among fellow OPEC members was low, so he could not have persuaded the cartel to adopt policies detrimental to U.S. interests. So what actually motivated the United States to take on the problematic task of conquering and rebuilding Iraq?
- [Presidential Election Offers Little Choice for Israeli-Arab Peace](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/presidential-election-offers-little-choice-for-israeli-arab-peace/) - Earlier this month, in a widely quoted interview in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Dov Weisglass--Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s senior adviser--acknowledged what most independent observers have known all along: that the Israeli government is not actually interested in a peace agreement with the Syrian government or the Palestinian Authority. Israel has occupied the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip and the Syrian Golan Heights since these territories were seized by the Israeli armed forces in 1967, expelling thousands of Arabs and then colonizing these territories with Jewish settlers in contravention of international law.
- [Bush Administration Disasters Depicted as Triumphs](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/bush-speeches-annotated/bush-administration-disasters-depicted-as-triumphs/) - Even putting aside the many important legal and moral questions about the Bush administration’s decision to invade Iraq, it has been a disaster even on practical terms. Mainstream to conservative strategic analysts and retired generals--along with the majority of career professionals in the State Department, Defense Department, and CIA--recognize that the invasion and occupation has made America less secure rather than more secure.
- [Missing Explosives Cache Emblematic of Bush Administration Failures in Iraq](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iraq/missing-explosives-cache-emblematic-of-bush-administration-failures-in-iraq/) - Whether news about the 380 tons of powerful explosives found missing from a major weapons depot in Iraq will have any impact on the presidential election remains to be seen. Democrats hope that these disclosures have given a last-minute boost to John Kerry’s presidential campaign, which is depicting this debacle as illustrative of President Bush’s failure of leadership.
- [Arafat Was the Excuse, Not the Reason, for the Failure of the Peace Process](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/arafat-was-the-excuse-not-the-reason-for-the-failure-of-the-peace-process/) - While there are many negative things one can say about the late Yasser Arafat, he was not the primary reason for the breakdown in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. At most, he was the excuse.
- [Reading Harry Reid: New Democratic Leader in Senate Unlikely to Oppose Bush Administration’s Foreign Policy Agenda](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/reading-harry-reid-new-democratic-leader-in-senate-unlikely-to-oppose-bush-administrations-foreign-policy-agenda/) - The overwhelming selection of Nevada Senator Harry Reid as minority leader of Congress’ upper house shows that the Democrats are still willing to give their backing for the Bush administration’s reckless militarism and contravention of international legal norms.
- [Concern Grows over Democratic House Leader Pelosi’s Support for Iraq War](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/concern-grows-over-democratic-house-leader-pelosis-support-for-iraq-war/) - On January 4, Congressional Democrats re-elected California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi as minority leader in the House of Representatives. This comes despite that, since assuming her current leadership position two years ago, Pelosi has not only disappointed her liberal San Francisco constituency, but the majority of Democrats nationally as well, through her support for President George W. Bush’s policies toward Iraq. Back in December of 2002, as independent strategic analysts were arguing that the evidence strongly suggested that Iraq had rid itself of its chemical and biological weapons some years earlier, Pelosi categorically declared on NBC”s Meet the Press that “Saddam Hussein certainly has chemical and biological weapons. There”s no question about that.
- [Iran Nuclear Program Creates a Furor Likely to Be Futile](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/iran-nuclear-program-creates-a-furor-likely-to-be-futile/) - Having already successfully fooled most of Congress and the American public into believing that Saddam Hussein's Iraq had an active nuclear weapons program, the Bush administration is now claiming that Iran has an active nuclear weapons program.
- [President Bush's Foreign Policy Discussion in the 2005 State of the Union Address](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/bush-speeches-annotated/president-bushs-foreign-policy-discussion-in-the-2005-state-of-the-union-address/) - The foreign policy segments of President George W. Bush's state of the Union address spoke to values and concerns that resonate with the majority of Americans from across the political spectrum. Unfortunately, much of what was said during his speech was quite misleading.
- [Iraq: Two Years Later](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/iraq-two-years-later-3/) - In a series of articles written between June 2002 and February 2003, I predicted that if the United States invaded Iraq, it was highly unlikely that we would find any of the weapons of mass destruction or WMD programs that the Bush administration and the congressional leadership of both parties claimed Iraq possessed in their effort to justify an American takeover of that oil-rich country. I also predicted that no operational links between the Iraqi regime and al-Qaida would be found and that a U.S. invasion would encourage terrorism rather than discourage it. Finally, I predicted that we could find ourselves virtually isolated in the international community facing a bloody counter-insurgency war with no end in sight....
- [Webinar: Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as a Partner in the Crime of Genocide](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/webinar-gaza-humanitarian-foundation-as-a-partner-in-the-crime-of-genocide/) - Arab Organization for Human Rights, UK, August 8, 2025, sponsored this panel on the misnamed "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation," the ongoing massacres, and the political implications, featuring: Zunes, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, former GHF contractor Anthony Aguilar, and three physicians who have worked in Gaza. See Zunes's ten-minute segment here (or below, starting at 1:09:00)
- [Don't Blame Israel](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/dont-blame-israel/) - The official rationales for the U.S. invasion of Iraq are now widely acknowledged to have been fabricated: that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction threatening the national security of the United States and that the Iraqi government had operational ties to al Quaida. As the backup rationalization -- bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq -- loses credibility, increasing attention is being given as to why the U.S. government, with broad bipartisan support, made such a fateful decision.
- [Crediting Bush for Growing Lebanese Demands for Freedom Misplaced](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/crediting-bush-for-growing-lebanese-demands-for-freedom-misplaced/) - In a mirror image of those who blame everything wrong in the world on President George W. Bush, a surprising number of people are now giving him credit for the recent show of force by hundreds of thousands of Lebanese protestors demanding an end to Syria’s overbearing influence in their country.
- [Recognizing Power of Nonviolent Action](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/recognizing-the-power-of-nonviolent-action/) - You probably didn’t notice, but February 20 was Nonviolent Resistance Day. One might think this would be cause for celebration by an administration committed to expanding freedom and democracy. But there weren’t any special ceremonies at the White House or resolutions in Congress. For despite all the rhetoric lauding freedom and democracy, the U.S. government has rarely supported, and has often opposed, nonviolent movements working for democratic change.
- [The U.S. Role in the Breakdown of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/the-u-s-role-in-the-breakdown-of-the-israeli-palestinian-peace-process/) - In the time since the collapse of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks at Camp David in the summer of 2000 and the subsequent Palestinian uprising, details have emerged that challenge the Clinton administration’s insistence—reiterated by leaders of both the Democratic and Republican parties as well as by much of the mainstream media—that the Palestinians were responsible for the failure to reach a peace agreement and for much of the violence that has engulfed Israel and Palestine since then.
- [Arms transfers to Pakistan undermine U.S. foreign policy goals](https://stephenzunes.org/source/national-catholic-reporter/arms-transfers-to-pakistan-undermine-u-s-foreign-policy-goals/) - The Bush administration's decision to sell sophisticated F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan raises questions regarding the administration's stated commitment to promote democracy, support nonproliferation and fight terrorism and Islamic extremism.
- [U.S. Supports Repression in Uzbekistan](https://stephenzunes.org/asia/u-s-supports-repression-in-uzbekistan/) - U.S. Supports Repression in Uzbekistan (PDF)
- [Undermining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty—It Didn’t Start With the Bush Administration](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/undermining-the-nuclear-non-proliferation-treaty-it-didnt-start-with-the-bush-administration/) - Most of the international community and arms control advocates here in the United States have correctly blamed the Bush administration for the failure of the recently completed review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. In the course of the four-week meeting of representatives of the 188 countries which have signed and ratified the treaty, the United States refused to uphold its previous arms control pledges, blocked consideration of the establishment of a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East, refused to rule out U.S. nuclear attacks against non-nuclear states, and demanded that Iran and North Korea—but not U.S. allies like Israel, Pakistan, and India—be singled out for UN sanctions for their nuclear programs. Thomas Graham, who served as a U.S. envoy to disarmament talks in the Clinton administration noted that the Bush administration’s demands resulted in what appears to be “the most acute failure in the treaty’s history.”1
- [Bush Administration Support for Repression in Uzbekistan Belies Pro-Democracy Rhetoric](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/bush-administration-support-for-repression-in-uzbekistan-belies-pro-democracy-rhetoric/) - Recent revelations that the United States successfully blocked a call by NATO for an international investigation of the May 13 massacre of hundreds of civilians by the government of the former Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan serves as yet another reminder of the insincerity of the Bush administration’s claims for supporting freedom and democracy in the Islamic world and the former Soviet Union.
- [The United States and the Iranian Election](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/the-united-states-and-the-iranian-election/) - CommonDreams.org, June 28, 2005 By Stephen Zunes [source link's no longer available] The election of the hard-line Tehran mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over former president Hashemi Rafsanjani as the new president of Iran is undeniably a setback to those hoping to advance the cause of greater social and political freedom in that country. It should not
- [Bush Speech Reveals Administration's Ongoing Deceptions on Iraq](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iraq/bush-speech-reveals-administrations-ongoing-deceptions-on-iraq/) - As popular domestic opposition to the administration’s policies in Iraq reaches new highs, President George W. Bush’s efforts to justify the ongoing war seem to have reached new lows. Indeed, in the president’s nationally-televised June 28th speech from an Army base at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he was clearly straining to defend his disastrous decision to invade and occupy that oil-rich Middle Eastern country.
- [Israeli Human Rights Abuses and the U.S. Attack on the United Nations and the NGO Community](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/israeli-human-rights-abuses-and-the-u-s-attack-on-the-united-nations-and-the-ngo-community/) - The Bush administration, like its predecessors, has frequently taken advantage of the idealism and values of the U.S. citizenry to justify foreign policies that most Americans would otherwise find morally unacceptable. The recent emphasis on justifying Washington’s imperial goals in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East in the name of spreading liberty and democracy is a case in point. The fact that the United States is the world’s principal supporter of autocratic Middle Eastern regimes is conveniently overlooked, as the administration focuses solely on the human rights abuses of governments that challenge U.S. hegemony in the region, such as Iran and Syria. Similarly, repeated emphasis of the fact that Israel has established advanced democratic institutions (at least for its Jewish citizens) and an accountable government (relative to anything that currently exists in the Arab world) makes it possible for most Americans to ignore the pattern of gross and systematic Israeli human rights abuses in the occupied Palestinian territories.
- [Bush Administration Stokes Dangerous Arms Race on Indian Subcontinent](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/bush-administration-stokes-dangerous-arms-race-on-indian-subcontinent/) - For more than two decades, arms control experts have argued that the most likely scenario for the hostile use of nuclear weapons was not between the former Cold War superpower rivals, an act of terrorism by an underground terrorist group, or the periodically threatened unilateral U.S. attack against a “rogue state,” but between India and Pakistan. These two South Asian rivals have fought each other in three major wars—in 1947, 1965, and 1971—and have engaged in frequent border clashes in recent years in the disputed Kashmir region, coming close to another all-out war as recently as 2002.
- [The U.S. and Iran: Democracy, Terrorism, and Nuclear Weapons](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iran/the-u-s-and-iran-democracy-terrorism-and-nuclear-weapons/) - The election of the hard-line Teheran mayor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, over former President Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani as the new head of Iran is undeniably a setback for those hoping to advance greater social and political freedom in that country. It should not necessarily be seen as a turn to the right by the Iranian electorate, however. The 70-year old Rafsanjani—a cleric and penultimate wheeler-dealer from the political establishment—was portrayed as the more moderate conservative. The fact that he had become a millionaire while in government was apparently seen as less important than his modest reform agenda. By contrast, the young Teheran mayor focused on the plight of the poor and cleaning up corruption.
- [Iran: Threatening or Threatened?](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/iran-threatening-or-threatened/) - Given the prospects of possible U.S. military action towards Iran, it is important to take a critical look at the major concerns the Bush administration and Congressional leaders of both parties have put forward regarding the Islamic Republic.
- [United States and Regime Change in Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iran/the-united-states-and-regime-change-in-iran/) - Though the Bush administration has repeatedly emphasized its desire for democratization and regime change in Iran, there are serious questions regarding how it might try to bring this about. There is, however, little question about the goal of toppling the Islamist government, with the Bush administration threatening war, arming ethnic minorities, and funding opposition groups.
- [Bombings and Repression in Egypt Underscore Failures in U.S. Anti-Terrorism Strategy](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/egypt/bombings-and-repression-in-egypt-underscore-failures-in-u-s-anti-terrorism-strategy/) - The devastating bombings which struck the Egyptian city of Sharm al-Sheik on July 24 underscore both the extent of the threat from Islamist terrorists and the failure of the United States and its allies to effectively deal with it.
- [Hurricane Katrina and the War in Iraq](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/hurricane-katrina-and-the-war-in-iraq/) - As it begins to appear that the death toll in southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi from Hurricane Katrina may surpass that of 9/11, questions are once again being raised regarding the Bush administration’s distorted views as to what constitutes national security.
- [Why Progressives Must Embrace the Ukrainian Pro-Democracy Movement](https://stephenzunes.org/eastern-europe/why-progressives-must-embrace-the-ukrainian-pro-democracy-movement-2/) - Foreign Policy In Focus/IPS, September 8, 2005 By Stephen Zunes [source] Some elements of the American left have committed a grievous error, both morally and strategically, in their failure to enthusiastically support the momentous pro-democracy movement in the Ukraine. After more than three centuries of subjugation under Russian rule--first under the czars and then under
- [Rhetoric and Reality Clash in Inaugural Address](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/rhetoric-and-reality-clash-in-inaugural-address/) - President Bush’s second inaugural address has received widespread praise for its recognition of the imperative of advancing human freedom worldwide, not just for its own sake, but for America’s own national interest....
- [House Republicans and Democrats Unite Linking Iraq with 9/11](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/house-republicans-and-democrats-unite-linking-iraq-with-911/) - On the eve of the third anniversary of 9/11, the U.S. House of Representatives--by an overwhelming, bipartisan majority of 406-16--passed a resolution linking Iraq to the al-Qaida attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. This comes despite conclusions reached by the bipartisan 9/11 Commission, a recent CIA report, and the consensus of independent strategic analysis familiar with the region that no such links ever existed.
- [Congress Overwhelmingly Endorses Ariel Sharon’s Annexation Plans](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-policy-report/congress-overwhelmingly-endorses-ariel-sharons-annexation-plans/) - On Wednesday, June 23, 2004, the U.S. House of Representatives, in an overwhelming bipartisan vote, endorsed right-wing Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon's efforts to colonize and annex large sections of the Palestinian West Bank, seized by Israel in the June 1967 war. This was not just another "pro-Israel" (or, more accurately, "pro-Israeli right") resolution, but an effective renunciation of the post-World War II international system based upon the premise of the illegitimacy of the expansion of a country's territory by military force.
- [Don't Credit Reagan for Ending the Cold War](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/dont-credit-reagan-for-ending-the-cold-war/) - Perhaps the most dangerous myth regarding the legacy of the late President Ronald Reagan is that he was somehow responsible for the end of the Cold War.
- [Iraq: Two Years Later](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/iraq-two-years-later-2/) - In a series of articles written between June 2002 and February 2003, I predicted that if the United States invaded Iraq, it was highly unlikely that we would find any of the weapons of mass destruction or WMD programs that the Bush administration and the congressional leadership of both parties claimed Iraq possessed in their effort to justify an American takeover of that oil-rich country. I also predicted that no operational links between the Iraqi regime and al-Qaida would be found and that a U.S. invasion would encourage terrorism rather than discourage it. Finally, I predicted that we could find ourselves virtually isolated in the international community facing a bloody counter-insurgency war with no end in sight....
- [The Release of Mordechai Vanunu and U.S. Complicity in the Development of Israel's Nuclear Arsenal](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/the-release-of-mordechai-vanunu-and-u-s-complicity-in-the-development-of-israels-nuclear-arsenal/) - Foreign Policy In Focus, Oct. 2, 2005 By John Gershman & Stephen Zunes [source] The recent release on April 22 of Mordechai Vanunu from an Israeli prison provides an opportunity to challenge the U.S. policy of supporting Israel ’s development of nuclear weapons while threatening war against other Middle Eastern states for simply having the
- [The Dangerous Implications of the Hariri Assassination and the U.S. Response](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/the-dangerous-implications-of-the-hariri-assassination-and-the-u-s-respons/) - The broader implications of the February 14 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was seen by many as the embodiment of the Lebanese people's efforts to rebuild their country in the aftermath of its 15-year civil war, are yet to unfold. A Sunni Muslim, Hariri reached out to all of Lebanon's ethnic and religious communities in an effort to unite the country after decades of violence waged by heavily armed militias and foreign invaders.
- [How Much Power Will the New Iraqi Government Really Have?](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iraq/how-much-power-will-the-new-iraqi-government-really-have/) - President Ghazi al-Yawar was initially viewed suspiciously by many Iraqis because of his Saudi ties, his many years in exile, and his membership in the IGC, though he has since gained some credibility for his criticism of U.S. counter-insurgency tactics. He wields very little power, however, even compared with the prime minister.
- [Defense of Israeli Assassination Policy by the Bush Administration and Democratic Leaders](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/defense-of-israeli-assassination-policy-by-the-bush-administration-and-democratic-leaders/) - The U.S. veto of a proposed UN Security Council resolution criticizing Israel’s March 22 assassination of Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin has once again placed the United States both on the fringe of international public opinion and in opposition to international legal norms. Despite the proposed resolution condemning “all attacks against civilians,” the United States once again was the lone dissenting vote, marking the 28 th time since 1970 that the U.S. has blocked a Security Council resolution criticizing the actions of its most important Middle Eastern ally....
- [Libya: More Balance Needed](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-policy-report/libya-more-balance-needed/) - U.S. hostility toward Libya appears to have been largely reactive and not based on any well-conceived strategy. Demonizing the eccentric Qaddafi, with his penchant for harsh and provocative rhetoric, has been useful in bolstering the domestic standing of successive U.S. presidents and feeding the sense of self-righteousness Americans feel for the U.S. role in the world. But it has netted little tangible benefit for U.S. policy interests.
- [Bush Again Resorts to Fear-Mongering to Justify Iraq Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/bush-again-resorts-to-fear-mongering-to-justify-iraq-policy/) - President George W. Bush's October 6 address at the National Endowment for Democracy illustrated his administration's increasingly desperate effort to justify the increasingly unpopular U.S. war in Iraq. The speech focused upon the Bush administration's claim that the Iraqi insurgency against U.S. occupation forces somehow constituted a grave threat to the security of the United States and the entire civilized world.
- [Bush Administration Refuses Cuban Offer of Medical Assistance Following Katrina](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/bush-administration-refuses-cuban-offer-of-medical-assistance-following-katrina/) - One of the most tragically irresponsible decisions of the Bush administration in the critical hours following Hurricane Katrina was its refusal to accept offers by the government of Cuba to immediately dispatch more than 1500 medical doctors with 37 tons of medical supplies to the devastated areas along the Gulf coast....
- [Karen Hughes' Indonesia Visit Underscores Bush Administration's PR Problems](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/karen-hughes-indonesia-visit-underscores-bush-administrations-pr-problems/) - It is doubtful that the Bush administration will be very successful advancing America’s image in the Islamic world as long as its representatives have such trouble telling the truth. A case in point took place on October 21, when U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes was talking before a group of university students in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country. As she has found elsewhere in her visits in the Islamic world, there is enormous popular opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the ongoing U.S. counter-insurgency war....
- [Libby Indictment May Open Door to Broader Iraq War Deceptions](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/libby-indictment-may-open-door-to-broader-iraq-war-deceptions/) - The details revealed thus far from the investigation that led to the five-count indictment against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby seem to indicate that the efforts to expose the identity of undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson went far beyond the chief assistant to the assistant chief. Though no other White House officials were formally indicted, the investigation appears to implicate Vice President Richard Cheney and Karl Rove, President George W. Bush's top political adviser, in the conspiracy. More importantly, the probe underscores the extent of administration efforts to silence those who questioned its argument that Iraq constituted a serious threat to the national security of the United States. Even if no other White House officials ever have to face justice as a result of this investigation, it opens one of the best opportunities the American public may have to press the issue of how the Bush administration led us into war
- [The Democrats and Iraqi WMDs: Bush is Right, Sort of…](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/the-democrats-and-iraqi-wmds-bush-is-right-sort-of/) - URUKnet.info, November 27, 2005 By Stephen Zunes [Source] Now that some Democrats are finally speaking out against the administration's phony claims about Iraq's "weapons of mass destruction," conservative talk show hosts, columnists and bloggers have been dredging up scores of pre-invasion quotes by Democratic leaders citing non-existent Iraqi WMDs. These defenders of the administration keep
- [El-Baradei and the IAEA's Nobel Peace Prize a Mixed Blessing](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/el-baradei-and-the-iaeas-nobel-peace-prize-a-mixed-blessing/) - My reaction to the awarding this past weekend of the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize to the International Atomic Energy Agency and its director Mohammed El-Baradei was similar to my reaction to the awarding of the 2002 prize to former President Jimmy Carter: while they have pursued a number of policies contrary to the spirit of the Nobel Peace Prize, they have also done much to make the world a safer place.
- [Democracy and Double Standards: The Palestinian "Exception"](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/democracy-and-double-standards-the-palestinian-exception/) - Foreign Policy In Focus, December 22, 2005 By John Gershman, Stephen Zunes [source] At a time of year when Jews and Christians are celebrating the spirit of justice and peace inspired by events in the Holy Land many centuries ago, Congress has been working to ensure that the Holy Land of today experiences neither. Just prior
- [The U.S. Invasion of Iraq: Not the Fault of Israel and Its Supporters](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/the-u-s-invasion-of-iraq-not-the-fault-of-israel-and-its-supporters/) - As the official rationales for the U.S. invasion of Iraq—that Iraq possessed “weapons of mass destruction” which threatened the national security of the United States and that the Iraqi government had operational ties to al-Qaida—are now widely acknowledged to have been fabricated, and the back-up rationalization—of bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq—is also losing credibility, increasing attention is being given as to why the U.S. government, with broad bipartisan support, made such a fateful decision.
- [A Mis-statement of the Union Address](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/bush-speeches-annotated/a-mis-statement-of-the-union-address/) - This essay evaluates some of the key claims made by President George W. Bush in his State of the Union address of January 31, 2006.
- [The Hamas Victory: Another Side to the Story](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/the-hamas-victory-another-side-to-the-story/) - Lost amidst the predictably negative reaction to the victory by Hamas in the Palestinian parliamentary elections is the crucial role that the U.S. government had in bringing the radical Islamist group to power.
- [An Open Letter to my Danish Friends](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/an-open-letter-to-my-danish-friends/) - This is a letter of apology from an American who has witnessed in horror the extreme anti-Danish reaction in parts of the Islamic world. While the spark may have originated in your country, the tinderbox which caused that spark to explode in such a violent conflagration is largely a result of the policies of the United States.
- [Iraq Three Years after "Liberation"](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-policy-report/iraq-three-years-after-liberation/) - Three years after U.S. forces captured Baghdad, Iraqis are suffering from unprecedented violence and misery. Although Saddam Hussein was indeed one of the world's most brutal tyrants, the no-fly zones and arms embargo in place for more than a dozen years prior to his ouster had severely weakened his capacity to do violence against his own people. Today, the level of violent deaths is not only far higher than during his final years in power, but the sheer randomness of the violence has left millions of Iraqis in a state of perpetual terror. At least 30,000 Iraqi civilians have died, most of them at the hands of U.S. forces but increasingly from terrorist groups and Iraqi government death squads. Thousands more soldiers and police have also been killed. Violent crime, including kidnapping, rape, and armed robbery, is at record levels. There is a proliferation of small arms, and private militias are growing rapidly. A Lebanon-type multifaceted civil war, only on a much wider and deadlier scale, grows more likely with time.
- [The United States and Lebanon: A Meddlesome History](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/the-united-states-and-lebanon-a-meddlesome-history/) - While the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon one year ago was certainly a positive development, claims by the Bush administration and its supporters that the United States deserves credit are badly misplaced. On the first anniversary of the ousting of Syrian forces by a popular nonviolent movement, it is important to recognize that American calls in recent years for greater Lebanese freedom and sovereignty from Syrian domination have been viewed by most Lebanese as crass opportunism. Indeed, few Americans are aware that for decades the United States pursued policies which seriously undermined Lebanon's freedom and sovereignty.
- [The U.S. Role in Iraq's Sectarian Violence](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/the-u-s-role-in-iraqs-sectarian-violence/) - The sectarian violence which has swept across Iraq following last month's terrorist bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samara is yet another example of the tragic consequences of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq. Until the 2003 U.S. invasion and occupation, Iraq had maintained a longstanding history of secularism and a strong national identity among its Arab population despite its sectarian differences.
- [The Israel Lobby: How Powerful is it Really?](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-policy-report/the-israel-lobby-how-powerful-is-it-really/) - Since its publication in the London Review of Books in March, John Mearsheimer and Steve Walt's article “The Israel Lobby”—and the longer version published as a working paper for Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government—has received widespread attention from across the political spectrum. These noted professors put forward two major arguments: the first is the very legitimate and widely acknowledged (outside of official Washington) concern that U.S. Middle East policy, particularly U.S. support for the more controversial policies of the Israeli government, is contrary to the long-term strategic interests of the United States. Their second, and far more questionable, argument is that most of the blame for this misguided policy rests with the “ Israel lobby” rather than with the more powerful interests that actually drive U.S. foreign policy.
- [Congressional Legislation Aimed at Isolating Hamas is Likely to Backfire](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/congressional-legislation-aimed-at-isolating-hamas-is-likely-to-backfire/) - Since the Palestinian Legislative Council elections earlier this year, in which the Islamist group Hamas captured a majority of seats, the Bush administration has suspended U.S. economic assistance to the Palestine Authority (PA) and has led an international effort to impose sanctions against the Palestinians. This has meant enormous hardship for ordinary Palestinians, with reports that hospitals in Gaza have difficulty providing immunizations for children or dialysis machines for kidney patients. The World Health Organization warns of a “rapid decline of the public health system … toward a possible collapse.”
- [Democrats Versus the Peace Movement?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/democrats-versus-the-peace-movement/) - The U.S. Congress failed in recent weeks to take even symbolic steps to encourage a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, even though the majority of Americans support an end to the war. Many anti-war advocates are hoping that the mid-term U.S. elections in November will push Congress into Democratic hands and thereby increase the chances of ending the war. Don't hold your breath.
- [Congress and the Israeli Attack on Lebanon: A Critical Reading](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/congress-and-the-israeli-attack-on-lebanon-a-critical-reading/) - On July 20, the U.S. House of Representatives, by an overwhelming 410-8 margin, voted to unconditionally endorse Israel's ongoing attacks on Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. The Senate passed a similar resolution defending the Israeli attack earlier in the week by a voice vote, but included a clause that ?urges all sides to protect innocent civilian life and infrastructure.? By contrast, the House version omits this section and even praises Israel for ?minimizing civilian loss,? despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The resolution also praises President George W. Bush for ?fully supporting Israel,? even though Bush has blocked diplomatic efforts for a cease-fire and has isolated the United States in the international community by supporting the Israeli attacks.
- [Israel Will Create More Terrorists Than It Kills](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/israel-will-create-more-terrorists-than-it-kills/) - The Bush administration's contempt for the United Nations Charter, the Fourth Geneva Convention and the other fundamental principles of international law has once again been laid bare by its defense of the ongoing Israeli assault against Lebanon.
- [Jihad Against Hezbollah](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/jihad-against-hezbollah/) - The Bush administration and an overwhelming bipartisan majority of Congress have gone on record defending Israel's assault on Lebanon's civilian infrastructure as a means of attacking Hezbollah terrorists. However, unlike the major Palestinian Islamist groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah forces haven't killed any Israeli civilians for more than a decade. Indeed, a 2002 Congressional Research Service report noted, in its analysis of Hezbollah, that no major terrorist attacks have been attributed to it since 1994. The most recent State Department report on international terrorism also fails to note any acts of terrorism by Hezbollah since that time except for unsubstantiated claims that a Hezbollah member was a participant in a June 1996 attack on the U.S. Air Force dormitory at Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia.
- [Afghanistan: Five Years Later](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/afghanistan/afghanistan-five-years-later/) - On the fifth anniversary of the launch of the U.S.-led war against Afghanistan, the Taliban is on the offensive, much of the countryside is in the hands of warlords and opium magnates, U.S. casualties are mounting, and many, if not most, Afghans are actually worse off now than they were before the U.S. invasion....
- [The Democrats' War](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/the-democrats-war-2/) - With power comes responsibility. Once they take over both houses of Congress on January 3, the Democrats will have the responsibility to get American troops out of Iraq as soon as practicable.
- [The United States and Lebanon's Civil Strife](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/the-united-states-and-lebanons-civil-strife/) - The ongoing popular challenge to the pro-Western Lebanese government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora marks yet another setback in the Bush administration's attempt to impose a new order on the Middle East more compatible with perceived U.S. strategic interests.
- [Iran in Iraq?](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/iran-in-iraq/) - Faced with growing public opposition to the U.S. war in Iraq, the Bush administration has been desperately trying to divert attention to Iran. Washington has gone so far as to make a series of dubious and unfounded charges that blame the Iranian government for the difficulties facing American forces fighting the Iraqi insurgency.
- [CrossTalk on Arab Awakening: Burying Bahrain (video)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/crosstalk-on-arab-awakening-burying-bahrain-video/) - RT News
- [Pakistan's Dictatorships and the United States](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/pakistans-dictatorships-and-the-united-states/) - Foreign Policy In Focus/IPS, December 12, 2007 [source] In his 2005 inaugural address, President George W. Bush declared that the United States would support democratic movements around the world and work to end tyranny. Furthermore, he pledged to those struggling for freedom that the United States would "not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors."
- [Broken Peace Process](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/broken-peace-process/) - There’s little reason to hope for a breakthrough at the Middle East peace summit in Annapolis, unless there is a fundamental shift in U.S. policy in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And there’s little evidence to suggest such a change is forthcoming....
- [The Failure of Annapolis](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/the-failure-of-annapolis/) - Despite the best efforts by the Bush administration of putting a positive spin on the recently-completed summit in Annapolis to restart the “Performance-Based Road Map to Peace,” there is little reason to expect that it will actually move the Israeli-Palestinian peace process forward as long as the United States insists on simultaneously playing the role of chief mediator and chief supporter of the more powerful of the two parties.
- [Hillary Clinton on International Law](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/hillary-clinton-on-international-law/) - Perhaps the most terrible legacy of the administration of President George W. Bush has been its utter disregard for such basic international legal norms as the ban against aggressive war, respect for the UN Charter, and acceptance of international judicial review. Furthermore, under Bush’s leadership, the United States has cultivated a disrespect for basic human rights, a disdain for reputable international human rights monitoring groups, and a lack of concern for international humanitarian law....
- [Hillary Clinton Can't be Trusted on Iraq](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/hillary-clinton-cant-be-trusted-on-iraq/) - Public opinion polls have consistently shown that the majority of Americans -- and even a larger majority of Democrats -- believe that Iraq is the most important issue of the day, that it was wrong for the United States to have invaded that country, and the United States should completely withdraw its forces in short order. Despite this, the clear front-runner for the Democratic Party nomination for president is Senator Hillary Clinton, a strident backer of the invasion who only recently and opportunistically began to criticize the war and call for a partial withdrawal of American forces.
- [Hillary Clinton's Militarism Exposed](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/hillary-clintons-militarism-exposed/) - While much attention has been given to Senator Hillary Clinton's support for the U.S. invasion of Iraq, her foreign policy record regarding other international conflicts and her apparent eagerness to accept the use of force appears to indicate that her fateful vote authorizing the invasion and her subsequent support for the occupation and counter-insurgency war was no aberration. Indeed, there's every indication that, as president, her foreign policy agenda would closely parallel that of the Bush administration. Despite efforts by some conservative Republicans to portray her as being on the left wing of the Democratic Party, in reality her foreign policy positions bear a far closer resemblance to those of Ronald Reagan than they do of George McGovern.
- [John Edwards' Foreign Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/john-edwards-foreign-policy/) - A sizable number of progressive activists, celebrities and unions who, for various reasons, are unwilling to support the underfunded long-shot bid of Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich are backing the presidential campaign of former North Carolina Senator John Edwards as their favorite among the top-tier candidates for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Indeed, the charismatic populist has staked out positions on important domestic policy issues, particularly addressing economic justice, that are more progressive than any serious contender for the nomination of either party in many years....
- [Obama and the Middle East: Will He Bring About "Change?"](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/obama-and-the-middle-east-will-he-bring-about-change/) - The strong showings by Senator Barack Obama of Illinois in the early contests for the Democratic presidential nomination don't just mark a repudiation of the Bush administration's Iraq policy and "war on terrorism." They also indicate a rejection of the Democratic Party establishment, much of which supported the invasion of Iraq and other tragic elements of the administration's foreign policy.
- [Barack Obama on Diplomacy](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/barack-obama-on-diplomacy/) - The rise in popular support for Senator Barack Obama’s candidacy reflects the growing skepticism among Democratic and independent voters regarding both the Bush administration’s and the Democratic Party establishment’s foreign policies. Indeed, on issues ranging from Iraq to nuclear weapons to global warming to foreign aid, as well as his general preference for diplomacy over militarism, Obama has also staked out positions considerably more progressive than the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry....
- [Nonviolent Action and Pro-Democracy Struggles](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/nonviolent-action-and-pro-democracy-struggles/) - The United States has done for the cause of democracy what the Soviet Union did for the cause of socialism. Not only has the Bush administration given democracy a bad name in much of the world, but its high-profile and highly suspect “democracy promotion” agenda has provided repressive regimes and their apologists an excuse to label any popular pro-democracy movement that challenges them as foreign agents, even when led by independent grassroots nonviolent activists....
- [Arming the Middle East](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-policy-report/arming-the-middle-east/) - President George W Bush announced during his recent Middle East trip that he is formally serving notice to Congress of his administration’s decision to approve the sale of bomb-guidance kits to Saudi Arabia. This announcement follows notification on five other arms deals to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait that are part of a $20 billion package of additional armaments over the next decade to the family dictatorships of Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf emirates announced by President George W. Bush last summer....
- [Bush's Last State of the Union](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/bushs-last-state-of-the-union/) - On January 28, President George W. Bush gave the last State of the Union address of his two-term tenure. Many of his remarks centered on foreign policy. Stephen Zunes annotates the president’s claims and statements....
- [Clinton's GWU Iraq Speech](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/clintons-gwu-iraq-speech/) - On March 17, New York Senator and Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton gave a speech at George Washington University outlining her plans to de-escalate U.S. military involvement in Iraq. Though she called for the gradual withdrawal of U.S. combat brigades over the next several years, she continued to refuse to apologize for her 2002 vote authorizing the invasion, to acknowledge the illegality of the war, or to fully explain her false claims made at that time regarding Iraq’s military capabilities and alleged ties to al-Qaeda. Nor was she able to offer an explanation as to what led to her dramatic shift from a supporter of the ongoing war and occupation as recently as a year and a half ago to her current more critical perspective.
- [Video interview: Biden and the anti-war constituency](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-real-news/video-interview-biden-and-the-anti-war-constituency/) - The Real News Stephen Zunes: Obama's anti-Iraq war stance wiped out by choosing hawk Biden
- [Assessing the Republican Party Platform](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/assessing-the-republican-party-platform/) - Among the more frightening aspects of the platform is its unconstitutional assertion that the president has sole prerogative to make decisions on matters of war, rejecting any role for Congressional "interference" in foreign policy matters. This appears to be a pre-emptive assertion by the Republican Party that, in the event of a John McCain win in November, they would reject any attempt by the likely Democratic-controlled Congress to impose any checks and balances to prevent a possible war on Iran or other dangerous executive initiatives.
- [Interview: The Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio/voices-of-the-middle-east/interview-the-humanitarian-crisis-in-gaza-audio/) - Voices of the Middle East
- [Daring to Hope on the Washington Mall](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/daring-to-hope-on-the-washington-mall/) - I was among the two million people who assembled on the Washington Mall to witness the moment. I was willing to come all the way from California, pay the air fare -- and leave the carbon footprint -- in order to join my daughter Kalila, a student at Earlham College in Indiana, in watching history being made....
- [Echoes of Solidarity 20 Years after Tiananmen](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/echoes-of-solidarity-20-years-after-tiananmen/) - Twenty years ago today, I was at Camp Thoreau in New York's Catskill Mountains. Though I had already become a full-time academic, I was still involved in the topical folk music circles in which I had hung out for much of the previous decade and had come down from Ithaca to join this annual gathering of politically-conscious folk musicians for a weekend of workshops, jam sessions and performances.
- [As Obama Tries to Shift the Debate, Will Democrats Continue to Endorse Israel’s Colonization of the West Bank](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/as-obama-tries-to-shift-the-debate-will-democrats-continue-to-endorse-israels-colonization-of-the-west-bank/) - Obama has inherited a difficult challenge in pushing Israel to end the expansion of its illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
- [How Clinton and the Democrats Made Possible Israel's Settlements Expansion](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/hillary-clinton/how-clinton-and-the-democrats-made-possible-israels-settlements-expansion/) - President Barack Obama has inherited a difficult challenge in pushing Israel to end the expansion of its illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. With the right-wing Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu categorically rejecting the idea of a freeze and with Democratic-controlled Congress ruling out using the billions of dollars of U.S. military aid to Israel as leverage, the situation remains deadlocked.
- [Iran's Stolen Election Has Sparked an Uprising -- What Should the U.S. Do?](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/irans-stolen-election-has-sparked-an-uprising-what-should-the-u-s-do/) - As the fraudulent outcomes in the presidential races of 2000 in the United States and 2006 in Mexico demonstrate, elections can be stolen without the public rising up to successfully challenge the results. There have been cases, however, where such attempted thefts have been overturned through massive nonviolent resistance, as in the Philippines in 1985, Serbia in 2000, Georgia in 2003, and Ukraine in 2005. It is unclear as of this writing how the people of Iran will react to what increasingly appears to be the theft of their presidential election. So far, protests have been scattered, lacking in discipline and therefore easily suppressed. A general strike is planned, however, and a more cohesive and strategic resistance movement may emerge....
- [Why American Neo-Cons Wanted Ahmadinejad to Win](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/why-american-neo-cons-wanted-ahmadinejad-to-win/) - The only people happier than the Iranian elites over Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's apparently stolen election win Friday, were the neoconservatives and other hawks eager to block any efforts by the Obama administration to moderate U.S. policy toward the Islamic republic....
- [Iran's History of Civil Insurrections](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/irans-history-of-civil-insurrections/) - The growing nonviolent insurrection in Iran against the efforts by the ruling clerics to return the ultra-conservative and increasingly autocratic incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinjead to power is growing. Whatever the outcome, it represents an exciting and massive outpouring of Iranian civil society for a more open and pluralistic society....
- [Bipartisan Attack on International Humanitarian Law](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/bipartisan-attack-on-international-humanitarian-law-2/) - In a stunning blow against international law and human rights, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a resolution on Tuesday attacking the report of the United Nations Human Rights Council's fact-finding mission on the Gaza conflict. The report was authored by the well-respected South African jurist Richard Goldstone and three other noted authorities on international humanitarian law, who had been widely praised for taking leadership in previous investigations of war crimes in Rwanda, Darfur, the former Yugoslavia, and elsewhere. Since this report documented apparent war crimes by a key U.S. ally, however, Congress has taken the unprecedented action of passing a resolution condemning it. Perhaps most ominously, the resolution also endorses Israel's right to attack Syria and Iran on the grounds that they are "state sponsors of terrorism."
- [Iran's Do-It-Yourself Revolution](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/irans-do-it-yourself-revolution-2/) - Facing an unprecedented popular uprising against his autocratic rule and his apparently fraudulent re-election, Iran's right-wing president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has attempted to blame the United States. A surprising number of bloggers on the left have rushed to the defense of the right-wing fundamentalist leader. Citing presidential directives under the Bush administration, they argue that the uprising isn't as much about a stolen election, the oppression of women, censorship, severe restrictions on political liberties, growing economic inequality, and other grievances, as it is about the result of U.S. interference....
- [The Goldstone Report: Killing the Messenger](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/the-goldstone-report-killing-the-messenger/) - On October 1, the Obama administration successfully pressured the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva to drop its proposal to recommend that the UN Security Council endorse the findings of the Goldstone Commission report. The report, authored by renowned South African jurist Richard Goldstone, detailed the results of the UNHRC's fact-finding mission on the Gaza conflict. These findings included the recommendation that both Hamas and the Israeli government bring to justice those responsible for war crimes during the three weeks of fighting in late December and early January. If they don't, the report urges that the case be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for possible prosecution.
- [Human Rights: C+](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/human-rights-c/) - The Obama administration’s record on human rights has been a major disappointment. In part because the Bush administration abused the promotion of democracy and human rights to rationalize its militaristic policies in the Middle East and elsewhere, the Obama administration has at times been reluctant to be a forceful advocate for those struggling against oppression. For example, Obama was cautious in supporting the ongoing freedom struggle in Iran, in part because he believes that more overt advocacy could set back what he sees as the more critical issue of curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions....
- [Interview: Gaza Freedom Flotilla Attack (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio/talk-nation-radio/interview-gaza-freedom-flotilla-attack/) - Internet Archive
- [Hikers in Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/hikers-in-iran/) - It has now been more than a year since Iranian authorities seized three Americans — Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd, and Josh Fattal — in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan and falsely accused them of espionage on behalf of the U.S. government. No formal charges have been filed, and they have been denied their right to see an attorney. All three have suffered from maltreatment, and Sarah is experiencing severe health problems.
- [Interview: All eyes on Egypt’s military: How will it respond?](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-lookout-yahoo-news-blog/interview-all-eyes-on-egypts-military-how-will-it-respond/) - LOOKOUT: What role has the military played in Egyptian society during Mubarak's regime? How is it viewed by ordinary Egyptians? SZ: Egypt has essentially been under military rule since the revolution that overthrew the monarchy in 1952. Mubarak, for example, was the commander of the Egyptian air force prior to Sadat (also a career military officer) naming him as vice-president in 1975. In recent years, the military hierarchy appeared to oppose Mubarak's intention of naming his son Gamal as his successor. With the naming of military intelligence chief Suleiman as vice president, the military hierarchy is reasserting its political leadership. LOOKOUT: Now that the army has been called out into the streets in certain areas to confront protesters, are Egyptian soldiers expected to remain loyal to Mubarak? Would that still likely be the case if they were ordered to fire on Egyptian citizens?
- [Interview: Departure of Mubarak and the Future of Egypt (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/egypt/interview-departure-of-mubarak-and-the-future-of-egypt-audio/) - China Radio International
- [Interview: Egypt and Middle East: Revolutions 2.0 (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/egypt-and-middle-east-revolutions-2-0-audio/) - Commonwealth Club of California
- [Video: USF Ask the Faculty: Stephen Zunes](https://stephenzunes.org/source/ask-the-faculty-stephen-zunes/) - University of San Francisco series
- [Strategic Nonviolence in the Middle East (video)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/strategic-non-violence-in-the-middle-east-video/) - University of Arizona
- [On Obama's Middle East Speech (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio/china-radio-international/obamas-middle-east-speech/) - China Radio International
- [Shallow Commitment (video)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/shallow-commitment/) - RT News Dr. Stephen Zunes appears in the second video
- [Washington Okays Attack on Unarmed U.S. Ship](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/washington-okays-attack-on-unarmed-u-s-ship/) - The Obama administration appears to have given a green light to an Israeli attack on an unarmed flotilla carrying peace and human rights activists — including a vessel with 50 Americans on board — bound for the besieged Gaza Strip. At a press conference on June 24, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized the flotilla organized by the Free Gaza Campaign by saying it would "provoke actions by entering into Israeli waters and creating a situation in which the Israelis have the right to defend themselves."
- [U.S. policy undermines moderate Palestinians](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/u-s-policy-undermines-moderate-palestinians/) - The Palestinians declared an independent state back in 1988, which has been recognized by more than 130 of the world’s nations. The Obama administration, however, insists that it is still too early for Palestine to be admitted into the United Nations.
- [Taking Stock of Peace - Inspiration from Peace Movements Worldwide](https://stephenzunes.org/source/taking-stock-of-peace-inspiration-from-peace-movements-worldwide/) - AHIMSA/METTA Conference Berkeley, CA
- [Iran Threat Reduction Act Actually Enhances Threat of War](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/iran-threat-reduction-act-actually-enhances-threat-of-war-2/) - Congress is taking up dangerous legislation which appears to be designed to pave the way for war by taking the unprecedented step of effectively preventing any kind of U.S. diplomatic contact with Iran.
- [Arab League Suspension of Syria (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/arab-league-suspension-of-syria/) - China Radio International
- [U.S. Withdrawal From Iraq (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/u-s-withdrawal-from-iraq/) - China Radio International
- [Protesters persist despite crackdown](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/arabian-peninsula/protesters-persist-despite-crackdown/) - Of the popular pro-democracy civil insurrections that have swept the Middle East over the past year, none were as large -- relative to the size of the country -- as the one that took place in the island kingdom of Bahrain. And while scattered resistance continues, none were so thoroughly suppressed. The crackdown against the overwhelmingly nonviolent pro-democracy struggle launched in mid-February was brutal. More 40 people have been killed, including a number in custody, and more than 1,600 have been arrested. Those targeted were not just human rights activists, but journalists who covered the protests and medical personnel who treated victims. In October, a military court sentenced 20 doctors and nurses to up to 15 years in jail for assisting the wounded.
- [Interview: Syria on the Brink (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/interview-syria-on-the-brink/) - China Radio International
- [Interview: Syria (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/interview-syria-audio/) - Political Jones Dr. Stephen Zunes appears around the 18th minute
- [CrossTalk on Yemen: Rise of Al-Qaeda?](https://stephenzunes.org/video/crosstalk-on-yemen-rise-of-al-qaeda-video/) - RT News
- [Interview: Rise of the Islamists (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/interview-rise-of-the-islamists-audio/) - China Radio International
- [Interview: Dr. Stephen Zunes at USF (video)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/interview-dr-stephen-zunes-at-usf-video/) - Right Now Interview with Dr Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics and International Studies, University of San Francisco. Filmed in conjunction with the Castan Centre for Human Rights 2012 Lecture: Nonviolent resistance in the Middle East
- [Ideas for Organizing Around Palestinian Rights (video)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/ideas-for-organizing-around-palestinian-rights-video/) - Part 1 Part 2
- [Interview: Egypt Presidential Elections (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/interview-egypt-presidential-elections/) - China Radio International
- [Interview: Aiming for a Political Union (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/interview-aiming-for-a-political-union-audio/) - China International Radio
- [Interview: U.S. Mid-East Policy in Relation to the Ongoing Uprising in Bahrain (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/interview-u-s-mid-east-policy-in-relation-to-the-ongoing-uprising-in-bahrain/) - Radio Free Santa Cruz
- [Interview: Libyan National Assembly Election (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/libya/interview-libyan-national-assembly-election-audio/) - China Radio International
- [Interview: Hillary Clinton Visits Egypt (video)](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/interview-hillary-clinton-visits-egypt-video/) - RT News
- [Interview: US intervention in Syria could lead to 'Messy Situation' (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/syria/interview-us-intervention-in-syria-could-lead-to-messy-situation-audio/) - Australia Radio
- [Interview: KPFA Saturday Morning Talkies (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio/pacifica-radio/kpfa/interview-saturday-morning-talkies-audio/) - KPFA
- [Interview: KPFA Flashpoints (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/interview-kpfa-flashpoints-audio/) - KPFA
- [Interview: The Palestine / Israel Conflict: The Root Causes of the Occupation and the US Involvement (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/israel-palestine-root-causes-of-occupation-and-u-s-involvement/) - KPFK On Letters & Politics, Philip Maldari of KPFA speaks with Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies and Stephen Zunes professor at Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco about the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Lybia. Also Mitch Jeserich interviews Laurence Shoup author of Rulers & Rebels, A People's History of Early California, 1769-1901.
- [The Rift Between the U.S. and Israeli Governments Regarding Iran (video)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-rift-between-the-u-s-and-israeli-governments-regarding-iran/) - RT News
- [New Unified Syrian Opposition Group and the Ongoing Struggle (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/syria/new-unified-syrian-opposition-group-and-the-ongoing-struggle-audio/) - Wisconsin Public Radio Dr. Stephen Zunes appears around the 30 minute mark
- [Egyptian President Morsi Backs Down But Declares Martial Law, As Protests Continue (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/syria/egyptian-president-morsi-backs-down-but-declares-martial-law-as-protests-continue-audio/) - Uprising Radio
- [Syrian Government and Rebels Up the Ante, While US Raises Implications of Chemical Weapons (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/peace-war/nuclear-chemical-weapons/syrian-government-and-rebels-up-the-ante-while-us-raises-implications-of-chemical-weapons-audio/) - Uprising Radio
- [Anti-Iraq War Speech on C-SPAN (video)](https://stephenzunes.org/video/anti-iraq-war-speech-on-c-span-video/) - C-SPAN
- [Interview: Reaction to Boston Tragedy](https://stephenzunes.org/terrorism/interview-reaction-to-boston-tragedy-video/) - TNSA
- [Interview: Talking about Boston Marathon Bombings & Background on Chechnya](https://stephenzunes.org/terrorism/interview-talking-about-boston-marathon-bombings-background-on-chechnya-audio/) - Political Jones
- [Interview: Israel and Palestine Talks](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio/china-radio-international/interview-israel-and-palestine-talks-audio/) - China Radio International
- [Interview: On Possible U.S. Intervention in Syria](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio/wpr-wisconsin-public-radio/interview-on-possible-intervention-in-syria/) - Wisconsin Public Radio
- [Syria and Chemical Weapons (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio/pacifica-radio/kqed/syria-and-chemical-weapons-audio/) - KQED
- [Interview: Egypt: Election and IMF Loan (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio/china-radio-international/interview-egypt-election-and-imf-loan-audio/) - China Radio International
- [Crisis in Syria: What’s Happening Now and What Next? (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/obama/crisis-in-syria-whats-happening-now-and-what-next/) - United For Peace and Justice
- [Barker’s Bizarre Attacks against Progressive Scholars and Proponents of Nonviolent Resistance](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-real-news/barkers-bizarre-attacks-against-progressive-scholars-and-proponents-of-nonviolent-resistance/) - Michael Barker, in an article posted on this site a few days ago, takes offense at my labeling him as someone “notorious” for “conspiracy-mongering.” However, a careful reading of his article and its links actually reinforces that argument.
- [Hinckley Forum: The Kerry Initiative](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio/pacifica-radio/kuer/hinckley-forum-the-kerry-initiative/) - KUER: NPR Utah, March 21, 2014, featuring Stephen Zunes:The Kerry Initiative: Hope for Resolution of the Israel - Palestine Conflict?Co-sponsored by Peace Advocacy Coalition (PAC) and the Barbara L. and Norman C. Tanner Center for Nonviolent Human Rights Advocacy.
- [Netanyahu Still Swaying U.S. Congress](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/netanyahu-still-swaying-u-s-congress/) - The Progressive, March 4, 2015: Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s speech before a joint session of Congress on March 3 was rare and unprecedented in many ways. • It constituted a major breach of protocol • It took place just two weeks prior to national elections in the foreign leader’s home country • Most strikingly,
- [Interview: 'Most Progressive Dem Platform in History' Hawkish on Foreign Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/most-progressive-dem-platform-in-history-hawkish-on-foreign-policy/) - The Democratic Party platform may indeed be, as some have proclaimed, the “most progressive” in the history of the party—at least on various important domestic issues. But some of its foreign policy planks reflect a disturbingly hawkish worldview consistent with those of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
- [Interview: BBC on Trump Impeachment](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/bbc-interview-trump-impeachment/) - BBC October 14, 2019 (4 minutes).
- [House of Representatives Finally Recognizes Armenian Genocide](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/house-of-representatives-finally-recognizes-armenian-genocide/) - It is shocking that it has taken this long for even one house of the U.S. Congress to recognize this historic tragedy. Somehow it is always a “bad time” to upset the government of Turkey.
- [Trump’s Recognition of Israeli Settlements Is Rooted in Bipartisan Support](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/trumps-recognition-of-israeli-settlements-is-rooted-in-bipartisan-support/) - Three previous U.S. administrations all ignored the gross power asymmetry between the Palestinians under occupation and the Israeli occupiers—an imbalance compounded by the fact that as the chief mediator in negotiations, the U.S. is also the primary military, economic, and diplomatic supporter of the occupying power.
- [Abortion Foes Should Vote Democratic](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/abortion-foes-should-vote-democratic/) - The nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court, which could result in the eventual reversal of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, has brought this contentious issue to the forefront of the 2020 election campaign.
- [INTERVIEW: What Explains Donald Trump’s Foreign Policy?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-what-explains-donald-trumps-foreign-policy/) - In this edition of The Interview, Fair Observer talks to Stephen Zunes, a professor of politics and international studies at the University of San Francisco. By Kourosh Ziabari & Stephen Zunes
- [Resisting Stolen Elections: Lessons from the Philippines, Serbia, Ukraine, and Gambia](https://stephenzunes.org/eastern-europe/resisting-stolen-elections-lessons-from-the-philippines-serbia-ukraine-and-gambia/) - Discussion has grown for months about how the upcoming U.S. election results could be contested and possibly subverted. No one knows for certain what will happen, but there are precedents we can learn from about how attempts to overturn election results have been stopped.
- [Most Dem Voters Are to the Left of Biden on Foreign Policy. Can He Be Moved?](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/most-dem-voters-are-to-the-left-of-biden-on-foreign-policy-can-he-be-moved/) - While a likely Republican-controlled Senate could limit many of the progressive domestic policies President-elect Joe Biden has promised to enact, presidents have far more leeway to advance their agenda in the realm of foreign policy. As a result, Biden — who has perhaps the most extensive background in foreign affairs of any new president in U.S. history — has the ability to make a positive difference. While he will certainly be an improvement over Donald Trump, Biden’s record is well to the right of most Democratic voters.
- [A Dangerous Move to Crack Down on Protests Against Israel](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/a-dangerous-move-to-crack-down-on-protests-against-israel/) - Late last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the U.S. government finds the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign to be inherently “anti-Semitic.” He pledged to “immediately take steps to identify organizations that engage in hateful BDS conduct and withdraw U.S. government support for such groups” and urged all nations to “recognize the BDS movement for the cancer that it is.”
- [Trump Recognized Morocco’s Illegal Occupation to Boost the Israeli Occupation](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/trump-recognized-moroccos-illegal-occupation-to-boost-the-israeli-occupation/) - On December 10, the United States became the only country to formally recognize Morocco’s illegal annexation of Western Sahara, the former Spanish colony forcibly seized by Moroccan forces in 1975. Trump’s proclamation is directly counter to a series of UN Security Council resolutions and a landmark World Court ruling calling for self-determination.
- [The East Timor Model Offers a Way out for Western Sahara and Morocco](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/theeasttimormodel-offers-a-way-out-for-western-sahara-and-morocco/) - it’s not often that Western Sahara makes international headlines, but in mid November it did: Nov. 14 marked the tragic—if unsurprising—breakup of a tenuous, 29-year cease-fire in Western Sahara between the occupying Moroccan government and pro-independence fighters. The outbreak of violence is concerning not only because it flew in the face of nearly three decades of relative stasis, but also because Western governments’ reflexive response to the resurgent conflict may be to upend—and thereby hamper and delegitimize for perpetuity—more than 75 years of established international legal principles. It is imperative that the global community realize that, in both Western Sahara and Morocco, the path forward lies in adhering to international law, not overriding it.
- [Nonviolent Activists Laid the Groundwork to Oppose a Coup. They May Have Saved the Republic](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/nonviolent-activists-laid-the-groundwork-to-oppose-a-coup-they-may-have-saved-the-republic-2/) - Activists prepared for months, expecting Trump to steal the election. They were right, and he failed. Since President-elect Joe Biden’s decisive win in November, there has been understandable consternation at the efforts by President Trump and his supporters to steal the election. It is also important to understand why, so far, and despite the recent violence in Washington, his attempts have been unsuccessful.
- [Western Sahara: The Struggle for Self-Determination](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/western-sahara-the-struggle-for-self-determination/) - This article is no longer available. See WSahara.stephenzunes.org for reviews, related articles, audio and video, and to order the book.
- [Stephen Zunes, co-author (with Jacob Mundy) of book 'Western Sahara'](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/stephen-zunes-co-author-with-jacob-mundy-of-western-sahara/) - See WSahara.stephenzunes.org for reviews, related articles, audio and video, and to order the book.
- [If Biden Wants to Protect Troops, He Should Bring Them Home — Not Bomb Syria](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/if-biden-wants-to-protect-troops-he-should-bring-them-home-not-bomb-syria/) - Truthout, March 2, 2021, by Stephen Zunes [source] The US has bombed Syria more than 20,000 times over the past eight years, so last week’s attack on a border post in northeastern Syria, which killed 22 militiamen and apparently no civilians, may not seem surprising to some... it is nevertheless disappointing that President Biden appears
- [125 Democrats Say Military Aid to Israel Shouldn’t Depend on Human Rights Record](https://stephenzunes.org/source/125-democrats-say-military-aid-to-israel-shouldnt-depend-on-human-rights-record/) - Truthout, May 3, 2021, by Stephen Zunes [ source] In an apparent response to growing calls for making US aid to the Netanyahu government conditional on Israeli adherence to human rights law, 330 members of the US House of Representatives signed a letter late last month insisting that the $3.8 billion in annual military aid
- [Biden and Other Democrats Helped Colin Powell Spread George W. Bush’s Iraq Lies](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/biden-and-other-democrats-helped-colin-powell-spread-george-w-bushs-iraq-lies/) - Truthout, Oct. 19, 2021, by Stephen Zunes [source] While the death of former Secretary of State and retired Gen. Colin Powell has elicited praise-filled eulogies in the mainstream media and officials in Washington, many Americans still carry bitter feelings over Powell’s support for the illegal, unnecessary and predictably disastrous war in Iraq. In particular, critics
- [The Pentagon Doesn’t Care About Civilian Casualties](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/the-pentagon-doesnt-care-about-civilian-casualties/) - In August 2019, thousands of refugees, prisoners, and families of ISIS fighters crowded into an encampment in the border town of Baghuz in eastern Syria, one of the last territories controlled by the so-called Islamic State. The United States, supported on the ground by an allied Kurdish and Arab militia, launched a massive air assault on the enclave.
- [Interview: Anniversary of Capitol Attack](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/ksqd-anniversary-of-capitol-attack/) - KSQD January 6, 2022: Talk of the Bay host Rachel Goodman interviews Dr. Stephen Zunes about the anniversary of the January 6th insurrection and steps to protect our democracy from further attacks.
- [Western Sahara: Oberlin Club of Washington, DC](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/oberlin-club-of-washington-dc-western-sahara/) - January 24, 2022 Zoom: The UN and the World Court have called for the Sahrawi population to be allowed the right of self-determination. The U.S. meanwhile, remains the only country in the world that formally recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. The presentation is timed with the release of the second revised expanded edition of
- [Democrats Attack Amnesty Report on Israel to Justify US Complicity in Human Rights Abuses](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/democrats-attack-amnesty-report-on-israel/) - Truthout, February 10, 2022: This is indicative of the Democratic Party’s shift to the right on foreign policy in recent decades...
- [Harry Reid’s Hawkish Foreign Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/harry-reids-hawkish-foreign-policy-record/) - The death of former Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid of Nevada has brought forth praise for his parliamentary skills, which helped make possible some critically important legislation, as well as preventing the passage of a number of seriously problematic bills. However, on the foreign policy front, it should be noted that Reid not only failed to challenge dangerous Republican initiatives that violated fundamental principles of international law and human rights, he was often among their most prominent supporters.
- [US Western Sahara stance emboldens Putin](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/us-western-sahara-stance-emboldens-putin/) - The threat of further Russian aggression against Ukraine is very real. Unfortunately, the Biden administration is in a weak position to lead an international response.
- [Scholars Weigh in on Gaza-Israel Conflict](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/scholars-weigh-in-on-gaza-israel-conflict/) - Counterpunch interview of Professors Zunes and international legal scholar Professor Richard Falk [Princeton] on Israel, Gaza, and U.S. policy [source]
- [Interviews February 2024: Israel's Gaza War](https://stephenzunes.org/video/israels-gaza-war-five-interviews/) - Watch the video: Four-minute segment on Al Jazeera English regarding hints Biden may finally be pressuring Netanyahu to suspend the bombing in Gaza. Ten-minute interview for Singaporean news station on the situation in Gaza Listen or download: Zunes' 18-minute interview begins at the 41-minute mark, on US policy on Israel/Palestine. WBAI-FM in New York (Pacifica network).
- [Israel's War on Gaza: 11 Zunes' articles published Oct. 7-Dec. 31, 2023](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/israels-war-on-gaza-ten-zunes-articles-published-oct-7-dec-31-2023/) - Applying International Law to Israel's War and Hamas' Attack; Yesmagazine.org/Trithout Oct. 18, 2023 [Video & Transcript]Political Costs of Biden’s Support for Israel’s War Mount [Source]U.S. Attacks on the ICJ are a Declaration of Empire [Source]Biden’s Gaza Failure Could Cost Democrats 2024 Election [Source]Scholars Weigh in on Gaza-Israel Conflict Counterpunch interview of Professors Zunes and international
- [Interview: Weaponization of Antisemitism](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/interview-palestine-update-professor-stephen-zunes-on-weaponization-of-antisemitism/) - Palestine Update, California Radio, April 8, 54 min.Sources: UN, electronicintafada.net, Common Dreams, Palestine Chronicle, Reuters, popularresistance.org, the Arab Center, The Real News Network, The Guardian, NPR, The Intercept, bdsmovement.net, investigate.afsc.org, whoprofits.org...
- [Don’t Buy the Right-wing Disinformation Campaign on “From the River to the Sea”](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/dont-buy-the-right-wing-disinformation-campaign-on-from-the-river-to-the-sea/) - Truthout May 5, 2024: This phrase was never about killing Jews. It emerged in the 1960s as a call for equal rights within a democratic state. The wave of pro-Palestinian protests sweeping American campuses was triggered by Columbia University President Minouche Shafik’s order to forcibly clear a peaceful encampment [after] her grilling the previous day
- [A Move to Out-Maneuver the US Veto to admit the State of Palestine as a UN member](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/a-move-to-out-maneuver-the-us-veto-to-admit-the-state-of-palestine-as-un-member/) - UNITED NATIONS, Jun 21, 2024 (IPS) Inter Press Service, by Thalif Deen, quoting Dr. Stephen Zunes: "It has been U.S. policy since 1990 to withdraw funding from any United Nations agency which grants Palestine member status...'" [source]
- [Will Kamala Break With Joe on Israel?](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/will-kamala-break-with-joe-on-israel/) - The Progressive, July 26, 2024: While her Senate record was hawkish, Harris has signaled she’d make justice for Palestinians a higher priority than Biden... [source]
- [Don’t Believe the Rampant Disinformation over Israel’s Escalation in Lebanon](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/dont-believe-the-rampant-disinformation-over-israels-escalation-in-lebanon/) - Truthout August 2, 2024: The US is misrepresenting the strike on Majdal Shams and even the geography and political status of where it took place. Israel has been trading strikes with Hezbollah, the Lebanese political party and armed group, ever since October. So far, the strikes have killed at least 542 people in Lebanon, including
- [Interviews: Gaza War, Radio Summer 2024](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/interviews-on-gaza-war-summer-2024/) - Interview: Israel/Palestine, U.S. policy, and related issues on KMUD FM (at 1 hour). Find it at https://archive.kmudfm.org/ by scrolling down to “Friday Night Talk” at 7 pm July 26. On Netanyahu’s address before a joint session of Congress (July 25 CNA/Singapore radio, 13-min. starting at 1:45) WMNF Tampa: Israel’s True Motivations – A talk with
- [Donald Trump Shooting at RNC July 13](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/donald-trump-shooting-at-rnc-zunes-quoted-in-2-al-jazeera-pieces/) - 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”,
- [Is the UN Ready for a Second Trump Presidency?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/is-un-ready-for-second-trump-presidency/) - Inter Press Service August 29, 2024:This article, which examines the dangers to the United Nations system should Trump return to office, quotes Dr. Zunes:Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics and Director of International Studies at the University of San Francisco, who has written extensively on the politics of the United Nations, told IPS: “Yes, this would
- [It’s Not About the Bomb](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/its-not-about-the-bomb/) - The Progressive, August 5, 2025, by Stephen Zunes [source & audio] It would be a mistake to view the U.S. bombing of Iran and support for Israel’s twelve-day war on that country as simply about preventing the Iranian regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Ultimately, it’s about punishing Iran for its refusal to acquiesce to
- [U.S. Intervention in Bolivia](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/u-s-intervention-in-bolivia/) - The alleged support by the United States of wealthy landowners, business leaders, and their organizations tied to the violent uprising in eastern Bolivia has led U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg's expulsion from La Paz and the South American government's demands that the United States stop backing the illegitimate rebellion. Goldberg had met with some of these right-wing oppositionist leaders just a week before the most recent outbreak of violence against the democratically elected government of Evo Morales, who won a recall referendum in August with over 67% of the popular vote....
- [Biden's Foreign Policy 'Experience'](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/bidens-foreign-policy-experience/) - Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's choice of Joseph Biden as his running mate has drawn sharp criticism from many Democrats as a result of the Delaware senator's support for the U.S. invasion of Iraq, his flagrantly false claims about the alleged Iraqi threat, and the abuse of his position as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to suppress antiwar testimony before Congress prior to the invasion.
- [Distorting Obama's Views on Israel](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/distorting-obamas-views-on-israel/) - Barack Obama has alienated key sectors of his progressive base with statements and policy proposals regarding Israel in which he allies himself with right-wing Republicans. These have included: rejecting calls by human rights activists to condition military aid to Israel on an improvement in the government's human rights record; defending Israel's massive 2006 assault against Lebanon's civilian infrastructure, which killed more than 800 civilians; disputing findings by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other reputable human rights organizations citing Israeli violations of international humanitarian law; calling for an undivided Jerusalem as the capital of Israel without supporting the right of the Palestinian-populated eastern half of the city to be the capital of a Palestinian state; making exaggerated claims about Iran's threats towards Israel while refusing to express any concerns regarding Israel's threats towards Iran; and bringing in Dennis Ross — a prominent supporter of Israeli government policies — as his principal Middle East advisor....
- [What the Prospective VPs Got Wrong](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/what-the-prospective-vps-got-wrong/) - The October 3 debate between Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Delaware Senator Joe Biden was disturbing for those of us hoping for a more enlightened and honest foreign policy during the next four years. In its aftermath, pundits mainly focused on Palin’s failure to self-destruct and Biden’s relatively cogent arguments. Here’s an annotation of the foreign policy issues raised during the vice-presidential debate, which was packed with demonstrably false and misleading statements....
- [Mauritania's coup is a setback for democracy](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/mauritanias-coup-is-a-setback-for-democracy/) - The overthrow in August of what arguably constituted the most democratic government in the Arab world marks a serious setback in Africa as well as the Middle East.
- [Evaluating the Democratic Party Platform](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/evaluating-the-democratic-party-platform/) - The excitement over the nomination of Barack Obama as the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party has been tempered by some key foreign policy planks in the 2008 platform, particularly those relating to the greater Middle East region. These positions appear to run counter to Obama's pledge early in the primary race to end the mindset that led to the Iraq War...
- [Haidar's Struggle](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/haidars-struggle-2/) - Aminatou Haidar, a nonviolent activist from Western Sahara and a key leader in her nation's struggle against the 33-year-old U.S.-backed Moroccan occupation of her country, won this year's Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award....
- [Obama's Missed Opportunity](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/obamas-missed-opportunity/) - Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama missed a number of key opportunities during the presidential foreign policy debate on September 26 to challenge the dangerous and reckless foreign policies of Republican nominee John McCain....
- [Republicans Embrace the Cootie Effect](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/republicans-embrace-the-cootie-effect/) - Back in the 1950s, at the height of the McCarthy era, simply being friends with someone suspected of being a Communist could ruin your career. It became known as "guilt by association." During this year's presidential campaign, however, it's been extended to guilt by spatial proximity, which could appropriately be called the "cootie effect." If you sit on the same board, have appeared at the same event or otherwise have been in close physical proximity of someone deemed undesirable, you therefore must have been infected by their politics or, at minimum, have no problems with things they may have done in their past....
- [Rashid Khalidi: The Republicans’ Latest Smear of Obama](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/rashid-khalidi-the-republicans-latest-smear-of-obama/) - The smear campaign by John McCain, Sarah Palin and their supporters reached a new low this past week with their attacks on Democratic nominee Barack Obama for his former ties with Palestinian American scholar Rashid Khalidi. This is just one of a series of desperate guilt-by-association tactics by the Republicans to make the staunchly pro-Israel Obama appear to be anti-Israel and may be designed less to harm the Democratic nominee's chances of election as to limit politically his options for addressing urgent matters of Israeli-Palestinian peace upon becoming president....
- [The Cooties Effect](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/the-cooties-effect/) - During the McCarthy era of the 1950s, in what became known as "guilt by association," simply being friends with someone suspected of being a Communist could ruin your career. Today that's been extended to guilt by spatial proximity, which could appropriately be called the "cooties effect." If you sit on the same board, have appeared on the same panel, or otherwise have been in close physical proximity to someone deemed undesirable, you therefore must have been infected by their politics or, at minimum, have no problems with things they may have done in their past....
- [Bush's Unauthorized Attack on Syria Killed Civilians; Dems Silent](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/bushs-unauthorized-attack-on-syria-killed-civilians-dems-silent/) - A raid by U.S. forces into Syria last month was not only a major breach of international law, but has resulted in serious diplomatic repercussions which will likely harm U.S. strategic interests in the region. On October 25, four U.S. Army helicopters entered Syrian airspace from Iraq, firing upon laborers at the Sukkariyeh Farm near the town of Abu Kamal; two of the helicopters landed and eight commandoes reportedly stormed a building. By the time it was over, eight people had been killed, at least seven of whom were civilians, including three children.
- [Is Obama Screwing His Base with Rahm Emanuel Selection?](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/is-obama-screwing-his-base-with-rahm-emanuel-selection/) - I had really wanted to celebrate Barack Obama's remarkable victory for a day or so before becoming cynical again. I really did....
- [The Disenfranchisement of My Daughter](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/the-disenfranchisement-of-my-daughter/) - Growing up in Mississippi and North Carolina in the late 1950s and early 1960s, I have vivid memories of African-Americans hoping to participate in their first election being turned away at the polls, denied their most basic right to vote. Little did I know that near fifty years later, in 2008, my daughter would similarly be prevented from voting....
- [Hillary Clinton's Disdain for International Law -- PART ONE](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/hillary-clintons-disdain-for-international-law-part-one/) - For those hoping for a dramatic change in U.S. foreign policy under an Obama administration -- particularly regarding human rights, international law, and respect for international institutions -- the appointment of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State is a bitter disappointment. Indeed, Senator Clinton has more often than not sided with the Bush administration against fellow Democrats on key issues regarding America’s international legal obligations, particularly international humanitarian law.
- [Hillary Clinton's Disdain for International Law -- PART TWO](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/hillary-clintons-disdain-for-international-law-part-two/) - The appointment of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State is nothing less than a betrayal of the anti-war constituency responsible for Barack Obama winning the Democratic Party nomination and his subsequent election as president of the United States. The quintessential Democratic hawk, Senator Clinton has proven to be one of the leading militarists on Capitol Hill and her appointment as the country’s chief foreign policy representative serves notice to the international community that the change they had hoped for will not be forthcoming.
- [Hillary Clinton Brings Hawkish Record to State Department](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/hillary-clinton-brings-hawkish-record-to-state-department/) - The appointment of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State is nothing less than a betrayal of the anti-war constituency responsible for Barack Obama winning the Democratic Party nomination and his subsequent election as president of the United States. The quintessential Democratic hawk, Senator Clinton has proven to be one of the leading militarists on Capitol Hill and her appointment as the country's chief foreign policy representative serves notice to the international community that the change they had hoped for will not be forthcoming....
- [The Power of Protest in the Maldives](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/the-power-of-protest-in-the-maldives/) - The recent ousting of the corrupt and autocratic president of the Maldive Islands, Mahmoud Gayoom, marks another victory in the global struggle for rights and democracy. Gayoom was defeated in a nationwide election on 28 October after ruling the tiny Indian Ocean archipelago as his personal fiefdom for more than thirty years....
- [The 2008 Democratic Party Platform and the Middle East](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/the-2008-democratic-party-platform-and-the-middle-east/) - The excitement over the nomination of Barack Obama as the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party has been tempered by some key foreign policy planks in the 2008 platform, particularly those relating to the greater Middle East region. These positions appear to run counter to Obama's pledge early in the primary race to end the mindset that led to the Iraq War.
- [Biden, Iraq, and Obama's Betrayal](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/biden-iraq-and-obamas-betrayal-2/) - Incipient Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s selection of Joseph Biden as his running mate constitutes a stunning betrayal of the anti-war constituency who made possible his hard-fought victory in the Democratic primaries and caucuses.
- [The Democrats' Twisted Morality](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/the-democrats-twisted-morality/) - Revelations of an extra-marital affair two years ago by former North Carolina senator John Edwards has led the Democratic Party to not only reject the possibility of him running again for vice-president but to rule out allowing him to give his widely-anticipated address before the national convention. According to former Democratic National Committee chair Don Fowler, Edwards no longer meets the "high moral standards" expected of those given such a prominent role in the party's quadrennial gathering....
- [The U.S. and Georgia](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/the-u-s-and-georgia/) - The international condemnation of Russian aggression against Georgia – and the concomitant assaults by Abkhazians and South Ossetians against ethnic Georgians within their territories – is in large part appropriate. But the self-righteous posturing coming out of Washington should be tempered by a sober recognition of the ways in which the United States has contributed to the crisis....
- [U.S. Role in Georgia Crisis](https://stephenzunes.org/eastern-europe/u-s-role-in-georgia-crisis/) - The international condemnation of Russian aggression against Georgia – and the concomitant assaults by Abkhazians and South Ossetians against ethnic Georgians within their territories – is in large part appropriate. But the self-righteous posturing coming out of Washington should be tempered by a sober recognition of the ways in which the United States has contributed to the crisis....
- [African Dictatorships and Double Standards](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/african-dictatorships-and-double-standards/) - The Bush administration has justifiably criticized the Zimbabwean regime of liberator-turned-dictator Robert Mugabe. It has joined a unanimous UN Security Council resolution condemning the campaign of violence unleashed upon pro-democracy activists and calling for increased diplomatic sanctions in the face of yet another sham election. In addition, both the House and the Senate have passed strongly worded resolutions of solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe in support of their struggle for freedom and democracy....
- [Sharp Attack Unwarranted](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/sharp-attack-unwarranted/) - Gene Sharp, an 80-year-old scholar of strategic nonviolent action and veteran of radical pacifist causes, is under attack by a number of foreign governments that claim that he and his small research institute are key players in a Bush administration plot against them....
- [Why Obama Won](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/why-obama-won/) - Barack Obama has won the race for the Democratic nomination for president against Hillary Clinton on the issues. Sort of. This is not what the pundits will tell you: they would rather focus upon the most superficial and trivial aspects of the two final candidates' style, personality, associates, personal history, and campaign organization and strategy, not to mention race and gender....
- [Congress and Lebanon](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/congress-and-lebanon/) - On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the first U.S. military intervention in Lebanon, and 25 years after a second U.S. military intervention which left hundreds of Americans and thousands of Lebanese dead, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a resolution by a huge bipartisan majority which may lay the groundwork for a third one. At a minimum, this move has crudely and unnecessarily inserted the United States into Lebanon’s complex political infighting....
- [Obama and AIPAC](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/obama-and-aipac/) - In many respects, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has played right into the hands of cynics who have long doubted his promises to create a new and more progressive role for the United States in the world. The very morning after the last primaries, in which he finally received a sufficient number of pledged delegates to secure the Democratic presidential nomination and no longer needed to win over voters from the progressive base of his own party, Obama -- in a Clinton-style effort at triangulation -- gave a major policy speech before the national convention of the America-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Embracing policies which largely backed those of the more hawkish voices concerned with Middle Eastern affairs, he received a standing ovation for his efforts....
- [Obama’s Right Turn?](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/obamas-right-turn/) - In many respects, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has played right into the hands of cynics who have long doubted his promises to create a new and more progressive role for the United States in the world. The very morning after the last primaries, in which he finally received a sufficient number of pledged delegates to secure the Democratic presidential nomination and no longer needed to win over voters from the progressive base of his own party, Obama – in a Clinton-style effort at triangulation – gave a major policy speech before the national convention of the America-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Embracing policies which largely backed those of the more hawkish voices concerned with Middle Eastern affairs, he received a standing ovation for his efforts....
- [Lebanon Intrusion](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-policy-report/lebanon-intrusion/) - On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the first U.S. military intervention in Lebanon, and 25 years after a second U.S. military intervention which left hundreds of Americans and thousands of Lebanese dead, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a resolution by a huge bipartisan majority which may lay the groundwork for a third one. At a minimum, this move has crudely and unnecessarily inserted the United States into Lebanon’s complex political infighting....
- [Estonia's Singing Revolution](https://stephenzunes.org/eastern-europe/estonias-singing-revolution/) - There is an infamous line from the Nazi era, which Hermann Goring adapted from a play performed on Hitler's birthday: “When I hear the word ‘culture’ I reach for my gun.” By contrast, the people of Estonia, when faced with many guns, reached for their culture....
- [Letter to My Daughter](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/letter-to-my-daughter/) - Dear Kalila, It has been five years since you, as a 12-year old 7th grader, joined your classmates in a walk-out at your school in protest of the impending invasion of Iraq....
- [Video interview: The Politics of the U.S. Recognition of Serbia](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-real-news/video-interview-the-politics-of-the-u-s-recognition-of-serbia/) - The Real News Stephen Zunes: Along with the right to self-determination comes the principle of territorial integrity.
- [Strategic Dialogue: Kosovo](https://stephenzunes.org/eastern-europe/strategic-dialogue-kosovo/) - Was the United States too hasty in recognizing the new state of Kosovo? Ian Williams and Stephen Zunes have different takes in this strategic dialogue. To see the original essays, follow these links to Williams and Zunes.
- [Teachers and the War](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/teachers-and-the-war/) - Many Americans would be surprised to learn that among the most important constituencies backing the Bush administration’s disastrous agenda in the Middle East and promoting anti-Arab policies has been the one million-strong American Federation of Teachers (AFT). The AFT leadership has gone so far as to make a series of public statements and push through resolutions with demonstrably inaccurate assertions in its defense of administration policy. A key constituent union of the AFL-CIO, the AFT – which also represents a significant number of health care and other public service workers – gives over $5 million in contributions to congressional candidates each election cycle....
- [Still No Peace](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/still-no-peace/) - President George W. Bush has been using somewhat stronger language than he has uttered previously about the Israeli-Palestinian situation and has made some optimistic predictions of a peace agreement within a year. Nevertheless, there is little reason to hope that the president is any more serious about or is any more likely to be successful in bringing about a negotiated settlement to the conflict....
- [Barack Obama on the Middle East](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/barack-obama-on-the-middle-east/) - The strong showings by Senator Barack Obama of Illinois in the early contests for the Democratic presidential nomination don't just mark a repudiation of the Bush administration's Iraq policy and "war on terrorism." They also indicate a rejection of the Democratic Party establishment, much of which supported the invasion of Iraq and other tragic elements of the administration's foreign policy...
- [Lantos' Tarnished Legacy](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/lantos-tarnished-legacy/) - Pundits responded to news of the retirement of Representative Tom Lantos (D-CA) at the end of his current term with platitudes and praise. They have focused primarily on his heroic role as a Holocaust survivor and member of the anti-Nazi resistance in his native Hungary as well as his leadership on human rights issues in Congress, serving as the founder and longtime co-chair of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus....
- [Fighting Corruption through Nonviolent Action](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/fighting-corruption-through-nonviolent-action/) - The dramatic growth in democratic governance in recent decades from Latin America to Eastern Europe as well as large parts of Africa and Asia rarely came from outside forces or top-down initiatives, but primarily from democratic civil society organizations engaging in strategic nonviolent action. There appears to be a growing recognition that endemic corruption needs to be addressed the same way.
- [Feinstein: Bad Choice for Intelligence](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/feinstein-bad-choice-for-intelligence/) - Ignoring the pleas of those calling for a more credible figure, Senate Democrats have instead chosen Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to lead the Senate Committee on Intelligence. Feinstein was among those who falsely claimed in 2002 — despite the lack of any apparent credible evidence — that Saddam Hussein had somehow reconstituted Iraq's arsenal of chemical and biological weapons, as well as its nuclear weapons program.
- [Virtually the Entire Dem-Controlled Congress Supports Israel’s War Crimes in Gaza](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/virtually-the-entire-dem-controlled-congress-supports-israels-war-crimes-in-gaza/) - In a direct challenge to the credibility of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Red Cross and other reputable humanitarian organizations, an overwhelming bipartisan majority in both houses of Congress has gone on record supporting President George W. Bush's position that the Israeli armed forces bear no responsibility for the large and growing numbers of civilian casualties from their assault on the Gaza Strip.
- [Democrats Back Bush, Reject Human Rights Groups, in Support for Israeli Assault on Gaza](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/democrats-back-bush-reject-human-rights-groups-in-support-for-israeli-assault-on-gaza/) - The Democratic leadership's strident support for the ongoing Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip underscores how the Democrats suffer from the same illusions as the outgoing Republican administration: that placing an Arab territory under debilitating sanctions that punish the population as a whole, bombarding heavily populated civilian areas -- resulting in widespread casualties among innocent people -- and invading and occupying territories with a long history of resistance to outsiders will somehow lead to greater moderation from those afflicted....
- [Interview: U.S. Policy and the Rise of Hamas (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio/free-radio-santa-cruz/interview-u-s-policy-and-the-rise-of-hamas-audio/) - Free Radio Santa Cruz
- [America’s Hidden Role in Hamas’s Rise to Power](https://stephenzunes.org/source/znetwork/americas-hidden-role-in-hamass-rise-to-power/) - No one in the mainstream media or government is willing to acknowledge America's sordid role interfering in Palestinian politics.
- [Debate: Israel's War on Gaza (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/debate-israels-war-on-gaza-audio/) - Shared Sacrifice Professor Jason Steck, Department of Political Science, Creighton University, will debate Professor Stephen Zunes, Department of Middle Eastern Studies, University of San Francisco, on the topic of Israel's recent military actions in Gaza.
- [Is Mitchell Up to the Task?](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/is-mitchell-up-to-the-task-4/) - Obama's appointment of George Mitchell as special Middle East envoy may signal a step in the right direction regarding U.S. policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But there remain questions as to whether Mitchell is up to the task and whether the Obama administration is willing to put some muscle into the process....
- [Holbrooke: Insensitive Choice for a Sensitive Region](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/afghanistan/holbrooke-insensitive-choice-for-a-sensitive-region/) - Obama's choice for special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, arguably the most critical area of U.S. foreign policy, is a man with perhaps the most sordid history of any of the largely disappointing set of foreign policy and national security appointments....
- [Obama's Visit to Caterpillar Shows Insensitivity to Human Rights Concerns](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/obamas-visit-to-caterpillar-shows-insensitivity-to-human-rights-concerns/) - Over the objections of church groups, peace organizations and human rights activists, President Barack Obama decided to return to Illinois to visit the headquarters of the Caterpillar company, which for years has violated international law, U.S. law and its own code of conduct by selling its D9 and D10 bulldozers to Israel....
- [Congressional Support for Israel's War on Gaza Shows Bipartisan Hostility toward International Law](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/congressional-support-for-israels-war-on-gaza-shows-bipartisan-hostility-toward-international-law/) - Last month's decision by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, backed by an overwhelming majority of her Democratic colleagues, to go on record in support of Israel's war on the Gaza Strip does not give much hope that the expanded Democratic majority will be much more sensitive to human rights than we have seen after years of Republican rule....
- [Obama and Israel's Military: Still Arm-in-Arm](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/obama-and-israels-military-still-arm-in-arm/) - In the wake of Israel's massive assault on heavily populated civilian areas of the Gaza Strip earlier this year, Amnesty International called for the United States to suspend military aid to Israel on human rights grounds. Amnesty has also called for the United Nations to impose a mandatory arms embargo on both Hamas and the Israeli government. Unfortunately, it appears that President Barack Obama won't be heeding Amnesty's call....
- [Trump’s Plan for Gaza Expulsion Rooted in Decades of U.S. Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/trumps-plan-for-gaza-expulsion-rooted-in-decades-of-u-s-policy/)
- [By Rejecting Evidence of Genocide in Gaza, the US Is Following a Familiar Pattern](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/9406/) - For decades, Washington has denied, downplayed and rationalized atrocities by its allies
- [A Long Legacy of Hypocrisy on Occupations](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/a-long-legacy-of-hypocrisy-on-occupations/) - The Progressive March 6, 2025 (Please share widely)[source] While concurring that the outrage over Trump's support for Putin is quite appropriate, Zunes notes how administrations of both parties have supported invasions and occupations when the aggressor has been an ally, thereby weakening our ability to stand up to Russian aggression. His earlier articles on Ukraine
- [Interviews for KPFA Radio on Middle East](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interviews-for-kpfa-radio-on-middle-east/) - * 20-minute interview with Kris Welch on recent Middle East developments [May 30, segment starts 1:06:45]* Two on recent developments in Israel’s war on Gaza, U.S. policy, repression of student activists, related issues: June 8 begins at 10:20 and May 11 at 5:50
- [Interview: Trump's May Middle East trip](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/video-trumps-may-middle-east-trip/) - CNA/Channel News Asia television in Singapore (Mediacorp)7-min. Video: Restoring US-Syria ties may depend on battling terrorism and ensuring Israel’s security.
- [The fallout of Trump’s Iran strike](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/the-fallout-of-trumps-iran-strike/) - The Daily Star, Dhaka, Bangladesh, June 22, 2025, [source][Quoting Stephen Zunes] According to Stephen Zunes, director of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of San Francisco, Iran, too, "has a number of options" at its disposal. "They can attack US forces directly. There are up to 40,000 Americans within range, not just of Iranian missiles
- [No Iranian threat ‘other than having US regional interests challenged’](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/no-iranian-threat-other-than-having-us-regional-interests-challenged/) - Al Jazeera June 22, 2025 [source], 3-minute video,also World News, Virtual Jerusalem, Israel Insider, Ticker: Zunes says the suggestion that Iran posed any kind of threat to the US is “totally nonsense”... “Iran has no capabilities of reaching the United States with its missiles or other kinds of weaponry... And if the concern was about
- [End Times Militarism](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/end-times-militarism/) - Counterpunch, May 26, 2025, by Daniel Falcone [source]. Quotes Zunes on Trump's dangerous militarism, despite isolationist rhetoric
- [Panetta’s false charges of terrorism make no sense](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/panettas-false-charges-of-terrorism-make-no-sense/) - First published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel July 11, 2025, by Stephen Zunes:"My guest editorial from the Santa Cruz Sentinel takes on Rep. Jimmy Panetta for his bill that would designate the government of Western Sahara as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, even though they have never engaged in terrorism nor ever collaborated with a terrorist
- [Neocons 1, Obama 0](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/neocons-1-obama-0/) - The Obama administration's choice to head the National Intelligence Council (NIC) recently withdrew in face of a concerted right-wing attack. Veteran diplomat Chas Freeman would not have had to face Senate confirmation. Instead, he had to face attacks in the right-wing press and blogosphere. His withdrawal was a victory for Bush-era neoconservatives and their allies regarding intelligence and broader Middle East Policy.
- [Bipartisan US Push Tries to Label Democratic African Government as “Terrorist”](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/bipartisan-us-push-tries-to-label-democratic-african-government-as-terrorist/) - Truthout, August 2, 2025, By Stephen Zunes [podcast & source] The UN treats the Polisario as the legitimate representative of the Western Sahara people. Washington’s designation of armed groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) has always been politicized, but it may now reach a new level of absurdity thanks to a bipartisan resolution in the
- [Interview: Ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/11842/) - KPFA Evening News (Sunday) – July 27, 2025 [begins at 4:40]
- [Interview: Hunger and war in Gaza](https://stephenzunes.org/video/interview-hunger-and-war-in-gaza/) - KTVU July 21, 2025, Bay Area network affiliate [begins at 2:00] As fears of hunger in Gaza grow, countries are calling for an end to the war. In a joint statement on Monday. Twenty-five nations have described recent deaths in the territory as "horrifying." Stephen Zunes, a professor of politics and international studies at the
- [Iran Vows Stronger Response If U.S., Israel Attack Again](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/iran-vows-stronger-response-if-u-s-israel-attack-again/) - FO° Talks July 30, 2025 [25 mins.] Fair Observer’s Rohan Khattar Singh speaks to Professor Stephen Zunes about Iran, Israel and the United States... Trump has brought back the “Maximum Pressure” policy back on Iran with new sanctions, and for the first time, direct military strikes on Iranian soil. Zunes doesn’t believe Iran was building
- [U.S. Undermines Israeli Doves in their Quest for Peace](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/u-s-undermines-israeli-doves-in-their-quest-for-peace/) - National Catholic Reporter, Jan. 20, 2006, by Stephen Zunes [source]With national elections scheduled for the end of March, much attention is being given to the political direction Israeli voters will take their country in the post-Sharon era. During Israel's last election in January 2003, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon defeated Labor Party leader Amram Mitzna, who
- [The U.S. and Afghan Tragedy](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/afghanistan/the-u-s-and-afghan-tragedy/) - One of the first difficult foreign policy decisions of the Obama administration will be what the United States should do about Afghanistan. Escalating the war, as National Security Advisor Jim Jones has been encouraging, will likely make matters worse. At the same time, simply abandoning the country — as the United States did after the overthrow of Afghanistan's Communist government soon after the Soviet withdrawal 20 years ago — would lead to another set of serious problems....
- [Presentation: Nonviolent Action in the Islamic World](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/presentation-nonviolent-action-in-the-islamic-world/) - Dr. Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, discusses the long history of strategic nonviolent action throughout the Islamic world, in the Middle East and beyond. Based in part on the social contract implied in Islamic teachings which advocate the withdrawal of obedience from unjust authority, nonviolent civil insurrections have played a major role in the struggle for freedom and human rights for more than a century. Dr. Zunes, looks at case studies from Iran, Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Mali, Western Sahara, Indonesia, Pakistan, and others.
- [The Budget’s Foreign Policy Handcuffs](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/the-budgets-foreign-policy-handcuffs/) - Foreign Policy In Focus, March 20, 2009 [source].by Emily Schwartz Greco, Stephen Zunes Hopes that a Democratic administration with an expanded Democratic congressional majority might lead to a more ethical, rational, and progressive foreign policy were challenged with last week's passage of the 2009 omnibus budget bill, which included many troubling provisions regarding the State
- [Video interview: A New Political Moment for Empire (video)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/video-interview-a-new-political-moment-for-empire/) - Institute on Foreign Policy John Feffer of Foreign Policy In Focus interviews professor Stephen Zunes about the role of the U.S. in the world under the Obama administration. Will the U.S. empire roll back or continue on?
- [The War on Yugoslavia, 10 Years Later](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/the-war-on-yugoslavia-10-years-later/) - It has been 10 years since the U.S.-led war on Yugoslavia. For many leading Democrats, including some in top positions in the Obama administration, it was a "good" war, in contrast to the Bush administration's "bad" war on Iraq. And though the suffering and instability unleashed by the 1999 NATO military campaign wasn't as horrific as the U.S. invasion of Iraq four years later, the war was nevertheless unnecessary and illegal, and its political consequences are far from settled....
- [The Stealing of the Iranian Election](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/the-stealing-of-the-iranian-election/) - It is certainly not unprecedented for Western observers to miscalculate the outcome of an election in a country where pre-election polls are not as rigorous as Western countries, particularly when there is a clear bias towards a particular candidate. At the same time, the predictions of knowledgeable Iranian observers from various countries and from across the political spectrum were nearly unanimous in the belief that the leading challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi would defeat incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad decisively in yesterday's presidential election, certainly in the runoff if not in the first round. This also appeared to be the assumption among independent observers in Iran itself....
- [Missing an Anti-Racism Moment](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/missing-an-anti-racism-moment/) - In boycotting the United Nations conference on racism, the Obama administration demonstrated that just because an African American can be elected president doesn't mean the United States will be any more committed than the Bush administration in fighting global racism. Rejecting calls by liberal Democratic members of Congress, leading human rights groups, Pope Benedict XVI, and most of the international community to participate, the Obama administration instead gave into pressure by Congressional hawks and other anti-UN forces by joining a handful of other nations refusing to participate in the historic gathering....
- [Pelosi the Hawk](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/pelosi-the-hawk/) - Reports by international human rights groups and from within Israel in recent weeks have revealed the massive scale of war-crimes and other violations of international humanitarian law, committed by Israeli forces during their three-week offensive against the Gaza Strip earlier this year. Despite this, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has steadfastly stood by her insistence that the U.S.-backed Israeli government has no legal or moral responsibility for the tragic consequence of the war....
- [Panel Talk with Naomi Klein and Matt Rothschild: Challenging U.S. Empire (video)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/panel-talk-with-naomi-klein-and-matt-rothschild-challenging-u-s-empire-video/) - The Progressive Magazine's 100th Anniversary Conference.
- [Hillary Clinton's First 100 Days](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/hillary-clintons-first-100-days/) - Hillary Clinton has received mixed though generally favorable reviews, both internationally and domestically, during her first 100 days as secretary of state. Public opinion polls in the United States give her a more than 70 percent-positive rating....
- [Hawkish Union Leaders Hurting Teachers and Your Kid](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/hawkish-union-leaders-hurting-teachers-and-your-kid/) - Despite a new presidential administration and an expanded Democratic majority in Congress, teachers and their unions are under unprecedented assault through budget cuts and so-called reform efforts geared toward giving corporations increased access to, and management responsibilities for, public schools....
- [Defending Israeli War Crimes](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/defending-israeli-war-crimes/) - Foreign Policy In Focus/Institute for Policy Studies May 28, 2009, by Emily Schwartz Greco and Stephen Zunes In response to a series of reports by human rights organizations and international legal scholars documenting serious large-scale violations of international humanitarian law by Israeli armed forces in its recent war on the Gaza Strip, 10 U.S. state
- [Telling the Lebanese How to Vote](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/telling-the-lebanese-how-to-vote/) - In recent visits to Lebanon, both Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made clear that the United States would react negatively if the March 8th Alliance -- a broad coalition of Islamist, Maronite, leftist, nationalist, and pan-Arabist parties -- won the upcoming parliamentary elections. These not-so-subtle threats have led to charges of U.S. interference in Lebanon's domestic affairs. What prompts U.S. concerns is that the largest member of this coalition is Hezbollah, the populist Shiite party which the United States considers to be a terrorist organization....
- [Video interview: Obama Visits Concentration Camp in Germany (video)](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/obama/video-interview-obama-visits-concentration-camp-in-germany/) - RT News After a speech to the Muslim world, President Obama makes symbolic and politically-minded visit to a Nazi concentration camp, says professor Stephen Zunes, politics and international studies at San Fancisco University.
- [How Not to Support Democracy in the Middle East](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/how-not-to-support-democracy-in-the-middle-east/) - President Barack Obama's speech in Cairo to the Muslim world marked a welcome departure from the Bush administration's confrontational approach. Yet many Arabs and Muslims have expressed frustration that he failed to use this opportunity to call on the autocratic Saudi and Egyptian leaders with whom he had visited on his Middle Eastern trip to end their repression and open up their corrupt and tightly controlled political systems....
- [Will Democrats Finally End their Support for West Bank Settlements? (Part Two)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/will-democrats-finally-end-their-support-for-west-bank-settlements/) - Recent calls by President Barack Obama for the government of Israel to freeze the expansion of Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank marks a sharp reversal from Democratic Party policy toward the Israeli colonization of Palestinian land....
- [Interview: Arab Revolutions, U.S. Middle East Policy, Iran, and Israel-Palestine (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/arabian-peninsula/arab-revolutions-us-policy-iran-israel-palestine/) - Arab Voices Radio A live discussion with professor Zunes about the current uprisings in the Middle East and nonviolent movements; the foreign intervention by the U.S., Europe, China, Russia and others in Syria, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and other Arab countries; the ongoing war rhetoric against Iran by the U.S. and Israel; the recent H.R. resolution 4133 that passed by a vote of 411-2 described by Zunes as "a dangerous piece of legislation which would undermine the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, weaken Israeli moderates and peace advocates, undercut international law, further militarize the Middle East, and make Israel ever more dependent on the United States"; the prospects for real peace in the Middle East; and much more.
- [Africa Today (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/africa-today-audio/) - KPFA FM
- [The Attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya and Anti-American Protests Sweeping the Middle East (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/libya/the-attack-on-the-u-s-consulate-in-libya-and-anti-american-protests-sweeping-the-middle-east-audio/) - KPFK
- [The @PoliticalJones Show talking about the Middle East (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/the-politicaljones-show-talking-about-the-middle-east-audio/) - Political Jones Show
- [Interview: Middle East expert weighs in on Iran-Israel conflict and ceasefire](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-expert-on-middle-east-politics-weighs-in-on-conflict-and-ceasefire/) - KTVU Fox TV-2, Bay Area station, June 24, 2025following yesterday's ceasefire announcement.
- [The Last Colony: Beyond Dominant Narratives on the Western Sahara Roundtable](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/the-last-colony-beyond-dominant-narratives-on-the-western-sahara-roundtable/) - Western Sahara is a sparsely-populated territory about the size of Italy, located on the Atlantic coast in northwestern Africa, just south of Morocco. Traditionally inhabited by nomadic Arab tribes, collectively known as Sahrawis and famous for their long history of resistance to outside domination, the territory was occupied by Spain from the late 1800s through the mid-1970s. With Spain holding onto the territory well over a decade after most African countries had achieved their freedom from European colonialism, the nationalist Polisario Front launched an armed independence struggle against Spain in 1973. This (along with pressure from the United Nations) eventually forced Madrid to promise the people of what was then still known as the Spanish Sahara a referendum on the fate of the territory by the end of 1975. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) heard irredentist claims by Morocco and Mauritania and ruled in October of 1975 that (despite pledges of fealty to the Moroccan sultan back in the nineteenth century by some tribal leaders bordering the territory, and close ethnic ties between some Sahrawi and Mauritanian tribes) the right of self-determination was paramount. A special visiting mission from the United Nations engaged in an investigation of the situation in the territory that same year and reported that the vast majority of Sahrawis supported independence under the leadership of the Polisario, not integration with Morocco or Mauritania.
- [Progressives Flock to Ed Markey's Senate Campaign Despite Hawkish Record](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/progressives-flock-to-ed-markeys-senate-campaign-despite-hawkish-record/) - Democratic Congressman Ed Markey of Massachusetts is heavily favored to win the June 25 special election to fill the US Senate seat in Massachusetts vacated by John Kerry's appointment as Secretary of State. Markey's campaign has received widespread and enthusiastic backing from the progressive community, including endorsements from groups such as Peace Action and Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) which have previously tended to formally endorse only a selected number of candidates who have strong records on peace and human rights. This nearly unprecedented level of support comes despite the fact that - even though he comes from one of the most liberal states in the country - Markey's foreign policy record is well to the right of the majority of Democrats, both in Massachusetts and nationally.
- [Managing Repression (video)](https://stephenzunes.org/nonviolent-action/protest-resistance/managing-repression-video/) - NonviolentConflict.org Dr. Stephen Zunes emphasizes the international impact of repression, specifically how nonviolent responses in the face of brutal repression makes it easier to isolate the oppressive regime, whereas violent resistance, even where seemingly justifiable, could be seen as rationalizing further repression in the name of ?national security? or ?counter-terrorism.? He also addresses the importance of nonviolent discipline in encouraging defections by security forces and divisions within the regime.
- [Banned in Phoenix: How the Arizona State Bar Association Considers Analysis of International Law in the Middle East Too Controversial](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/banned-in-phoenix-how-the-arizona-state-bar-association-considers-analysis-of-international-law-in-the-middle-east-too-controversial/) - This past week, the Arizona State Bar Association (SBA) held its annual convention. It appears that the ban on my participation is still in effect. It was exactly ten years ago that the session in which an academic paper I was scheduled to present on the application of international law in conflicts in the greater Middle East was abruptly cancelled just two weeks before its scheduled presentation at the 2003 convention. No one in the organization?s leadership could explain anything objectionable in the paper, which they acknowledged they had not actually read, but were apparently convinced by a right-wing campaign that I was ?anti-Israel? and ?anti-American.?
- [Attacks against anti-occupation activism increase](https://stephenzunes.org/civil-liberties/attacks-against-anti-occupation-activism-increase/) - A growing movement has emerged on college campus calling for divestment from companies that support the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories that is part of broader international campaign initiated by Palestinian civil society for boycott, divestment and sanctions to pressure Israel to end its occupation of territories seized in the 1967 war.
- [Restless Nation: The Real Meaning of Iran's Elections](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/restless-nation-the-real-meaning-of-irans-elections-2/) - Will the people of Iran get the reforms they asked for in electing the moderate Hassan Rouhani? The answer depends partly on them, and partly on the United States.
- [Washington and the Egyptian Tragedy](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/egypt/washington-and-the-egyptian-tragedy/) - The vast majority of Egyptians killed since the coup have been unarmed protesters struck down with American-made weapons by soldiers transported in American-made vehicles provided by the American taxpayer.
- [US government hypocrisy undercuts demand for Snowden's extradition](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/us-government-hypocrisy-undercuts-demand-for-snowdens-extradition/) - Dr. Stephen Zunes' article in the National Catholic Reporter on the extradition of Edward Snowden
- [The US Has No Credibility Dealing With Chemical Weapons](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/the-us-has-no-credibility-dealing-with-chemical-weapons/) - This is an updated and expanded version of the article "The US and Chemical Weapons: No Leg to Stand On," originally posted in Foreign Policy in Focus on May 2, 2013.
- [Eight Arguments Against Going to War With Syria](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/eight-arguments-against-going-to-war-with-syria/) - An opinion piece by Dr. Stephen Zunes highlighting 10 reasons why the U.S. should not attack Syria
- [Interview on KQED's "Forum": Congress Set to Vote on Syria Strikes (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio/pacifica-radio/kqed/interview-on-kqeds-forum-congress-set-to-vote-on-syria-strikes-audio/) - KQED Dr. Stephen Zunes talks with a panel that includes, David Mark, editor-in-chief of Politix, an online community focusing on national politics, and former senior editor with Politico, Robert Danin, senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, Steve Weber, professor of political science at UC Berkeley and author of books including "The End of Arrogance, America and the Global Competition of Ideas", about the vote to strike Syria.
- [Left Voices Interview: Will Diplomatic Openings Avert a US Military Strike Against Syria? (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/left-voices/left-voices-interview-will-diplomatic-openings-avert-a-us-military-strike-against-syria-audio/) - Left Voices Dr. Stephen Zunes talks about the possible negotiated settlement over Syria's chemical weapons and efforts to prevent U.S. military intervention
- [Interview: Dr. Stephen Zunes previews Obama's Speech on Syria (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio/wtop-news/interview-dr-stephen-zunes-previews-obamas-speech-on-syria-audio/) - WTOP Radio Dr. Stephen Zunes previews the President Obama's speech on the Syrian dilemma
- [Apparent Fraud in Maldivian Elections Threatens Prospects for Democracy](https://stephenzunes.org/asia/maldives/apparent-fraud-in-maldivian-elections-threatens-prospects-for-democracy/) - Dr. Zunes talks about a number of troubling indicators that major fraud may have occurred in the election held on September 7, which raises questions regarding the integrity of the September 28 runoff.
- [Opposition to intervention in Syria utilitarian, not ideological](https://stephenzunes.org/source/open-democracy/reply-to-naopposition-to-intervention-in-syria-utilitarian-not-ideological/) - In this reply to a critique by Nader Hashemi, Dr. Zunes explains that: "Whether or not a movement is primarily violent or nonviolent, what is important is whether it employs strategies and tactics that can maximize its chances of success. "
- [What Obama Didn't Say in his UN Speech](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-news-international/what-obama-didnt-say-in-his-un-speech/) - In his speech before the United Nations General Assembly, President Obama made important and valid points on the issues of human rights, arms control, and global governance. But note what the president did not say.
- [On Syria, most thoughtful people are torn](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/obama/on-syria-most-thoughtful-people-are-torn/) - openDemocracy Foreign military intervention would prolong the war and increase the carnage still further. But this does not mean that the US in conjunction with others, including Syrian civil society, cannot do anything to help the situation. Reply to Nader Hashemi.
- [Interview: Chemical Weapons Watchdog Wins Nobel Peace Prize as U.S. Opposes Calls for WMD-Free Middle East (Video)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/democracy-now/chemical-weapons-watchdog-wins-nobel-peace-prize-as-u-s-opposes-calls-for-wmd-free-middle-east-video/) - Democracy Now! As the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons wins the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize, we look at international efforts to rid Syria and other countries — including the United States — of chemical weapons.
- [The Nobel Committee’s Rebuke to Washington’s Unilateralism](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/the-nobel-committees-rebuke-to-washingtons-unilateralism/) - The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), one of the most effective instruments for international arms control, sends an important message to those who have insisted that unilateral military action is the best means to eliminate and prevent the use of these deadly agents.
- [The Maldives: a serial coup in progress?](https://stephenzunes.org/asia/the-maldives-a-serial-coup-in-progress/) - Should Britain, the United States and others who claim to be concerned, stand by and allow reactionary forces to stage-manage a phony election, this sends yet another inconsistent and disheartening message to those struggling for peaceful democratic change in the Islamic world and beyond.
- [Maintaining U.S. presence in Afghanistan would bolster Taliban: expert says](https://stephenzunes.org/source/tehran-times/maintaining-u-s-presence-in-afghanistan-would-bolster-taliban-expert/) - On October 12 Washington and Kabul agreed on a draft deal that would keep some U.S. forces in Afghanistan after 2014, but only if political and tribal leaders in Afghanistan agree to a U.S. demand that U.S. troops not be subject to Afghan
- [The 2013 Nobel Prizes Explained (video)](https://stephenzunes.org/video/the-2013-nobel-prizes-explained-video/) - October 21, 2013. University of San Francisco, UC Berkeley, and UCSF professors explain the scientific contributions of the 2013 Nobel prize recipients. Aparna Venkatesan, Stephen Zunes, Teresa Head-Gordon, Dean Rader, Jason Fernandes, Jesse Anttila-Hughes. Host: Ludwig Chincarini
- [US Invasion of Grenada: A 30-Year Retrospective](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/us-invasion-of-grenada-a-30-year-retrospective/) - On this anniversary, it would be worth looking back at the Grenadian revolution, the U.S. invasion, its aftermath and the important precedent it set for "regime change" through U.S. military intervention.
- [Interview: Commentary on the OPCW and the Nobel Peace Prize](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fsn-reports/interview-commentary-on-the-opcw-and-the-nobel-peace-prize-audio/) - FSN Reports A five-minute radio interview on FSN Reports about the OPCW winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Zunes' section begins just before the 13:00 mark
- [How the state Assembly tries to limit what I can teach](https://stephenzunes.org/civil-liberties/stephen-zunes-how-the-state-assembly-tries-to-limit-what-i-can-teach/) - 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.
- [How to discredit your democratic opponents in Egypt](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/egypt/how-to-discredit-your-democratic-opponents-in-egypt/) - The brutal crackdown on both Islamist and secular oppositionists by the US-backed Egyptian military junta has taken on a bizarre twist: using government-controlled media to promote long-discredited conspiracy theories originally put forward by ultra-left fringe groups.
- [Egyptian Junta Claims U.S. Conspiracy While Accepting U.S. Support](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/egypt/egyptian-junta-claims-u-s-conspiracy-while-accepting-u-s-support/) - y claiming that the secular pro-democratic left is somehow in cahoots with both of Washington and the Muslim Brotherhood to undermine the nation, the Egyptian military is trying to have it both ways: appealing to the foreign policy establishment in Washington by suppressing both the Islamists and the left, while playing the pseudo-nationalist card for the Egyptian masses.
- [Straight Talk on the U.S. and Ukraine](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/straight-talk-on-the-u-s-and-ukraine-2/) - Foreign Policy In Focus, March 13, 2014 Given the limits of its power and its own compromised relationship with international law, the U.S. isn't in a position to do much about Ukraine.
- [A Nonviolent Alternative for Ukraine](https://stephenzunes.org/source/foreign-policy-magazine/a-nonviolent-alternative-for-ukraine/) - Ukraine faces a rising tide of violence in the restive east. Here's why nonviolent activism is the best strategy for fighting back. Written with Erica Chenoweth.
- [The U.S. and ISIS](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/the-u-s-and-isis/)
- [The United States' Tragic Role in Iraq](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/the-united-states-tragic-role-in-iraq/) - The dramatic rise of the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)—which even al-Qaeda deemed too extreme to remain part of its network—is a tragedy by any measure. It would also be tragic if we allowed the very forces that created this mess to explain it away.
- [U.S. Leadership Against Russia Crippled By Its Own Hypocrisy](https://stephenzunes.org/eastern-europe/u-s-leadership-against-russia-crippled-by-its-own-hypocrisy/) - Foreign Policy In Focus, September 15, 2014 [Republished by Common Dreams and Transnational.org]
- [Opposition to Israeli occupation consistent with other human rights struggles](https://stephenzunes.org/civil-liberties/stephen-zunes-opposition-to-israeli-occupation-consistent-with-other-human-rights-struggles/) - Santa Cruz Sentinel, February 6, 2015 In my late teens, I was active in the movement opposing South Africa’s illegal occupation of Namibia, calling for boycotts and divestment of companies supporting the occupation and sanctions against the occupying power. I was involved in similar efforts during the 1990s against the Indonesian occupation of East Timor.
- [US support for Saudis belies claims of supporting democracy](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/arabian-peninsula/us-support-for-saudis-belies-claims-of-supporting-democracy/) - Santa Cruz Sentinel February 20, 2015 One of the greatest myths is that the U.S. government supports democracy. In reality, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, the U.S. remains the world’s No. 1 military, financial, and diplomatic supporter of authoritarian regimes and occupying armies.
- [China Radio International - Iran Nuclear Negotiations Resume (Audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio/china-radio-international/iran-nuclear-negotiations-resume-audio/) - On KPFA radio network program “Up Front,” about Netanyahu’s speech before Congress and U.S.-Israeli relations. In a segment which begins at the 36-minute mark, Professor Zunes discusses the influence by AIPAC and the so-called “Israel Lobby,” which I argue is often exaggerated.
- [Powerful nonviolent resistance to armed conflict in Yemen](https://stephenzunes.org/source/3396/) - While media coverage of the tragic situation unfolding in Yemen in recent months has focused on armed clashes and other violence, there has also been widespread and ongoing nonviolent civil resistance employed by a number of different actors.
- [Obama administration undermines UN disarmament efforts](https://stephenzunes.org/source/national-catholic-reporter/obama-administration-undermines-un-disarmament-efforts/) - Though the United States may have taken the lead in the international diplomatic initiative against Iran's nuclear program, the Obama administration has also taken the lead in undermining the United Nations' efforts to promote nuclear arms control and disarmament elsewhere.
- [How U.S. Contributed to Yemen Crisis](https://stephenzunes.org/source/how-the-u-s-contributed-to-yemens-crisis/) - Washington's support for Yemen's former dictatorship — and of Saudi efforts to sideline the country's nonviolent pro-democracy movement — helped create the current crisis.
- [The contrasting fates of Tunisia and Libya](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-contrasting-fates-of-tunisia-and-libya/) - The people of Libya and Tunisia both overthrew long-standing dictatorships in popular uprisings in 2011. Four years later, however, the current political situation in these two neighboring North African states could not be more different. The reason has much to do with how their authoritarian regimes were overthrown...
- [Hillary Clinton, phosphates, and the Western Sahara](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/hillary-clinton-phosphates-and-the-western-sahara/) - For more than a half-century, a series of United Nations resolutions and rulings by the International Court of Justice have underscored the rights of inhabitants of countries under colonial rule or foreign military occupation. Among these is the right to "freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources," which "must be based on the principles of equality and of the right of peoples and nations to self-determination."
- [The Democrats and the Wasserman Schultz problem](https://stephenzunes.org/source/national-catholic-reporter/the-democrats-and-the-wasserman-schultz-problem/) - As chair of the Democratic National Committee since 2011, Florida congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz is the public face of the Democratic Party. Elected by over 300 Democratic leaders from across the country, she represents the party on talk shows and serves as a major fundraiser and influential strategist. Her leadership has engendered controversy, however, as a result of questions about her integrity and her advocacy of positions placing her well to the right of most of her fellow Democrats.
- [Support for Iraq War Still Haunts Hillary Clinton's Candidacy](https://stephenzunes.org/source/support-for-iraq-war-still-haunts-hillary-clintons-candidacy/) - More than a dozen years later, Hillary Clinton is still being haunted by her decision to break with the majority of her Congressional Democratic colleagues and vote in favor of President George W. Bush's call to authorize the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq.
- [Why Netanyahu Needs Holocaust Revisionism and Israeli-Palestinian Violence](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/why-netanyahu-needs-holocaust-revisionism-and-israeli-palestinian-violence/) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's October 20 speech claiming that Hitler had not planned to exterminate Jews until a prominent Palestinian cleric pressured him to do so, while outrageous, is consistent with the longstanding narrative of the right-wing government and its U.S. supporters.
- [Obama's Escalation in Syria](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/obamas-escalation-in-syria/) - President Obama’s announcement that he would send up to 50 U.S. Special Forces to "train, advise and assist" armed militia fighting forces of the so-called “Islamic State” in Syria marks an escalation in U.S. military involvement in that country.
- [The Troubling Implications of Hillary’s Anti-BDS Letter](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-troubling-implications-of-hillarys-anti-bds-letter/) - Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton's position on the Israeli occupation of the West Bank does not bode well for her future foreign policy.
- [Bipartisan Attacks Against Anti-occupation Divestment Campaigns](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/bipartisan-attacks-against-anti-occupation-divestment-campaigns/) - In April, the student senate at Earlham College, a Quaker liberal arts institution in Indiana, approved a resolution by consensus recommending the college endowment divest from three U.S. companies (Motorola, Hewlett Packard and Caterpillar) which are directly supporting the Israeli occupation in violation of international law. The resolution (thus far ignored by the college's board of trustees) follows decisions by a number of Quaker-affiliated organizations -- as well as the Presbyterian Church USA, the United Church of Christ, and other nonprofit groups -- to divest from these companies...
- [Netanyahu’s Incendiary Speech Blames Palestinians for Holocaust (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/rising-up-with-sonali/netanyahus-incendiary-speech-blames-palestinians-for-holocaust-audio/) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said he supports revoking the travel rights of Palestinians living in East Jerusalem. The announcement came amid furor over comments that he made recently over who was really responsible for the Holocaust.
- [Nobel Peace Prize spotlights National Dialogue Quartet](https://stephenzunes.org/source/national-catholic-reporter/nobel-peace-prize-spotlights-national-dialogue-quartet/) - Bloody civil wars, the rise of the so-called "Islamic State," the continued rule by absolute monarchs and other despots, and the ongoing Israeli and Moroccan occupations have left many skeptical of the prospects of peace, democracy and stability in the Arab world....
- [Chancellor’s opposition to student resolution problematic](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/chancellors-opposition-to-student-resolution-problematic/) - 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...
- [The U.S. and the Rise of ISIS](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/email-the-u-s-and-the-rise-of-isis/) - The rise of ISIS (also known as Daesh, ISIL, or the "Islamic State") is a direct consequence of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq. While there are a number of other contributing factors as well, that fateful decision is paramount....
- [Republican Candidates Defend Killing Civilians to Fight Terrorism—and So Do Democrats](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/republican-candidates-defend-killing-civilians-to-fight-terrorism-and-so-do-democrats/) - There's a bipartisan effort to justify the killing of civilians in the "war on terrorism."
- [Hillary Clinton's strident opposition to the International Criminal Court](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/hillary-clintons-strident-opposition-to-the-international-criminal-court/) - Supporters of international law have expressed consternation that the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for president -- like most of her potential Republican rivals -- strongly supported the illegal U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq. Hillary Clinton's support for the Bush administration's request for war authorization effectively placed her in opposition to the United Nations Charter and the Nuremberg Principles forbidding such wars of aggression. Ironically, these important international legal standards were in large part designed by officials from administrations of the very political party she hopes to represent in the contest for the White House.
- [The Five Lamest Excuses for Hillary Clinton’s Vote to Invade Iraq](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/the-five-lamest-excuses-for-hillary-clintons-vote-to-invade-iraq/) - Clinton supporters want Democratic voters to forgive their candidate's support for the most disastrous foreign policy decision in decades. They shouldn't.
- [On Hillary Clinton, Sexism, and U.S. Foreign Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/on-hillary-clinton-sexism-and-u-s-foreign-policy/) - Feminists who oppose Hillary Clinton's imperialism can't just challenge her foreign policy. We have to challenge the sexist attacks against her, too.
- [Hillary the Hawk](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/hillary-the-hawk/) - Despite Hillary Clinton’s reputation as a liberal, the record suggests her presidency would push America toward a more militaristic approach to the region.
- [Bipartisan Congressional efforts to support Israeli settlements and expansionism](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/bipartisan-congressional-efforts-to-support-israeli-settlements-and-expansionism/) - Following earlier Congressional initiatives to effectively recognize Morocco's illegal annexation of the occupied nation of Western Sahara, a bipartisan effort has been launched in Congress in support of Israel's colonization of occupied Palestinian territory in the West Bank and greater East Jerusalem, effectively recognizing Israeli annexation of territories seized in the 1967 war.
- [Syria after the Ceasefire](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/syria/syria-after-the-ceasefire/) - The partial ceasefire in Syria announced by the United States and Russia on February 23 has been met with less than overwhelming optimism, and, after so much bloodshed and the entrenchment of hardline positions, it is not hard to see why. The accord stipulates that the Syrian government and allied groups, including Russia, end attacks against opposition forces that are party to the agreement and these opposition forces suspend military operations. Both sides must refrain from seizing additional territory and allow “rapid, unhindered and sustained access” to humanitarian agencies.
- [The US role in the Honduras coup and subsequent violence](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/the-us-role-in-the-honduras-coup-and-subsequent-violence/) - On March 3, Berta Cáceres, a brave and outspoken indigenous Honduran environmental activist and winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize [1], was gunned down in her hometown of La Esperanza. Erika Guevara-Rosas [2], Americas director for Amnesty International, noted how "For years, she had been the victim of a sustained campaign of harassment and threats to stop her from defending the rights of indigenous communities."
- [Hillary Clinton's double standards on human rights](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/hillary-clintons-double-standards-on-human-rights/) - During the 1980s, the United States was seriously divided over U.S. policy toward Central America. The Reagan administration was propping up a brutal military-backed regime in El Salvador that was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people, including priests, nuns and catechists, along with labor, student and human rights leaders, as well as peasants who happened to live in areas supporting the opposition.
- [Hillary Clinton’s Iraq War vote still appalls](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/hillary-clintons-iraq-war-vote-still-appalls/) - In 2002, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York voted to authorize the Iraq War; her rival for the Democratic nomination for president, Bernie Sanders, opposed it. Clinton’s vote continues to haunt her on the campaign trail - and for good reason.
- [Hillary and Bernie Part Ways on Israel](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/hillary-and-bernie-part-ways-on-israel/) - The foreign policy divide between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders could not have been more obvious than in last week’s debate in Brooklyn when the moderator brought forward the issue of Israel and Palestine. The answers they gave not only revealed differing emphases among two politicians who both strongly identify as being “pro-Israel,” it revealed a striking contrast regarding the role the United States should play as a mediator in international conflicts and attitudes towards international humanitarian law.
- [Berrigan’s witness to nonviolence challenged church and nation](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/berrigans-witness-to-nonviolence-challenged-church-and-nation/) - Jesuit Fr. Daniel Berrigan, who died at the end of April, not only challenged the conscience of the Catholic church and the nation on the dangers of militarism and the need to affirm Christ’s teachings of nonviolence, he challenged those who oppose war to engage in direct action to stop it.
- [Turkey’s Creeping Authoritarianism: Is the Resistance Enough?](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/turkey/turkeys-creeping-authoritarianism-is-the-resistance-enough/) - Turkey’s march towards authoritarianism took another dangerous turn this past week with the forced resignation of moderate Islamist Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, apparently at the insistence of President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an.
- [Reasons to oppose the proposed state anti-boycott bill](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/reasons-to-oppose-the-proposed-state-anti-boycott-bill/) - 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.
- [Morocco continues occupation of Western Sahara, in defiance of UN](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/morocco-continues-occupation-of-western-sahara-in-defiance-of-un/) - As Morocco continues to defy the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and much of the international community in its continued occupation of Western Sahara, the United States continues supporting that autocratic government.
- [Pick Your Poison: Clinton Vs. Trump on Foreign Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/pick-your-poison-clinton-vs-trump-on-foreign-policy/) - In their remarks to the nation following the Orlando massacre, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump made their differences—and disturbing similarities—crystal clear.
- [Stephen Zunes' Testimony before the UN conference on decolonization](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/testimony-before-the-conference-on-decolonization/) - My interest in the dispute over Western Sahara is based not simply upon my belief in justice for that country’s people, but its implications in regard to international law and the principles upon which the United Nations organization is founded. These include the right of self-determination by non-self-governing territories and the inadmissibility of any country expanding its territory by force. Since I am not from Western Sahara, I have no stake as to whether the people of that country choose integration with Morocco, independence, or some sort of autonomy within the Moroccan kingdom. However, as a non-self-governing territory, they must have the right to make that choice.
- [Fight the Real Enemy: Terrorism, Not Immigration](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/fight-the-real-enemy-terrorism-not-immigration/) - What is most disturbing about the dramatic and disruptive decision by the U.K. electorate to leave Europe is how much of it is apparently rooted in anti-immigrant sentiment.
- [We Know They Lied about Iraq’s WMDs, but It Gets Worse](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/we-know-they-lied-about-iraqs-wmds-but-it-gets-worse/) - Sir John Chilcot’s report on Great Britain’s role in the Iraq War confirmed what many have long assumed: the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair—and, by extension, the administration of President George W. Bush—deliberately misled us, exaggerating the threat posed by Saddam Hussein and Iraq in order to justify the 2003 invasion of that country.
- [Discerning Real from False Claims of Anti-Semitism in the Pro-Palestinian Movement](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/discerning-real-from-false-claims-of-anti-semitism-in-the-pro-palestinian-movement/) - National Catholic Reporter & Huffington Post July 18, 2016
- [The Good News and the Bad News About Turkey’s Attempted Coup](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/the-good-news-and-the-bad-news-about-turkeys-attempted-coup/) - The survival of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Welfare Party of an attempted coup last week is a mixed blessing.
- [Republicans, Democrats alike still level threats at Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/republicans-democrats-alike-still-level-threats-at-iran/) - The 2015 Iran nuclear deal should have curbed the longstanding bellicose rhetoric coming from Republican and Democratic political leaders toward the Muslim country. Signed by Iran and six other nations (including the United States) and ratified by the United Nations Security Council, the comprehensive agreement contains strict provisions limiting Iran’s nuclear capabilities to well below the threshold necessary to develop atomic weapons and subjects Iran to the most rigorous inspection regime in history. The result has been dramatically reduced regional tensions and the elimination of any potential threat to U.S. national security.
- [Western Sahara-Morocco dispute remains stalemated as federation proposal advanced](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/western-sahara-morocco-dispute-remains-stalemated-as-federation-proposal-advanced/) - The New Arab August 19, 2016
- [Uzbekistan's Karimov: The Death of One of Washington’s Favorite Tyrants](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/the-death-of-one-of-washingtons-favorite-tyrants/) - The Progressive September 7, 2016
- [Putin's U.S. Defenders](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/putins-u-s-defenders/) - The Progressive September 15, 2016 After experiencing decades of rightwing attacks for being "soft" on Moscow, progressives may be feeling a bit of whiplash as they witness prominent conservatives—with Donald Trump in the lead—heaping praise upon an autocratic Russian leader. Trump has praised President Vladimir Putin, a former KGB operative who tolerates little dissent, for his
- [Millennial Apathy and a Possible President Trump](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/millennial-apathy-and-a-possible-president-trump/) - The Progressive September 28, 2016: Despite Hillary Clinton's shellacking of Donald Trump in Monday’s debate, polls show the presidential race remains disturbingly close.
- [Anti-war movement must listen to voices within Syria's civil war](https://stephenzunes.org/human-rights/anti-war-movement-must-listen-to-voices-within-syrias-civil-war/) - National Catholic Reporter October 10, 2016.
- [Overcoming Bitterness and No Longer Assuming the Worst of Democrats](https://stephenzunes.org/source/overcoming-bitterness-and-no-longer-assuming-the-worst-of-democrats/) - National Catholic Reporter November 28, 2016 For decades, I have been obsessed with exposing the Clintons and like-minded Democratic politicians’ dangerous foreign policies, challenging liberal naiveté that ignores or excuses such hawkish proclivities, and underscoring the need to withhold support until they embrace more responsible positions. What I am belatedly discovering, as this campaign
- [New Lebanese president's career highlights US inconsistencies](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/new-lebanese-presidents-career-highlights-us-inconsistencies/) - National Catholic Reporter November 28, 2016 There are more than a few ironies regarding the Oct. 31 election by the Lebanese parliament of former Gen. Michel Aoun, a Maronite Catholic who received his military training in the United States, as the country’s new president. One of the most striking is his shifting allegiances and the
- [Fidel Castro left Cuba a green legacy](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/fidel-castro-left-cuba-a-green-legacy/) - National Catholic Reporter December 9, 2016 While he no longer held any formal position of power since his resignation as president for health reasons eight years ago, Fidel Castro's death last month marks the passing of an era. In his nearly 50 years in power, few individuals have had had such a profound influence
- [Trump’s Frightening Picks for U.S. Policy in the Middle East](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/trumps-frightening-picks-for-u-s-policy-in-the-middle-east/) - The Progressive December 22, 2016 Among the many disturbing appointments by President-elect Donald Trump are the people charged with conducting U.S. policy in the Middle East. Trump’s ignorance of the region will make him even more dependent on his advisers than most Presidents. And that’s not good news.
- [Panel discussion: 2016 year in review](https://stephenzunes.org/audio/panel-discussion-2016-year-in-review/) - Source link and recording are no longer available. Search Zunes's 2016 archive.
- [Obama’s Support for International Law Draws Bipartisan Ire](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/obamas-support-for-international-law-draws-bipartisan-ire/) - The Progressive December 29 2016 Here’s one way to look at it: The United States was the only country in the fifteen-member U.N. Security Council that did not support a resolution passed last week criticizing Israel for continuing to expand illegal settlements in the occupied territories.
- [Hope fades for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/hope-fades-for-a-two-state-solution-to-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict/) - National Catholic Reporter January 10, 2017 The election of Donald Trump may mark the end of any realistic hope of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And don't expect the Democratic Party to try to save it, it appears.
- [Once Again, Democrats Blow It on Middle East Peace](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/once-again-democrats-are-blowing-it-on-middle-east-peace/) - Foreign Policy In Focus January 11, 2017: In the first major foreign policy vote of the new Congress, most Democrats sided with Trump — and against international law — on Israeli settlements.
- [Panetta’s first foreign policy vote sides with Trump](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/stephen-zunes-nettas-first-foreign-policy-vote-sides-with-trump/) - Monterrey Herald January 13, 2017
- [Interview: How Syria Divides the Left](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/crisis-over-qatar/) - Truthout July 10, 2017: Daniel Falcone Interviewed Dr. Zunes SZ: “Most credible academics and journalists on the left, while varying to some degree in their analyses, generally agree that the Syrian regime is horrifically repressive and not particularly progressive by any measure. There is also a consensus that the bulk of the armed opposition is
- [Trump’s Far-Right Israel Stance Creates an Opening for the Left](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/trumps-far-right-israel-stance-creates-an-opening-for-the-left/) - But congressional Democrats won’t act without a push. In These Times & The Huffington Post February 17, 2017
- [Pro-Palestinian activism faces suppression on Catholic campuses](https://stephenzunes.org/civil-liberties/pro-palestinian-activism-faces-suppression-on-catholic-campuses/) - National Catholic Reporter March 7, 2017
- [The Bipartisan Effort against Campaigns for Corporate Responsibility](https://stephenzunes.org/human-rights/the-bipartisan-effort-against-campaigns-for-corporate-responsibility/) - The Progressive, Huffington Post & Common Dreams The Trump Administration’s efforts to legitimize the Israeli occupation and illegal settlements in the Israeli-occupied territories has received surprising bipartisan support. A series of bills passed or under consideration in Washington and in state capitols seeks to punish companies, religious denominations, academic associations, and other entities which support
- [The United States and Israel: An Alliance or a Protection Racket](https://stephenzunes.org/source/tikkun/the-united-states-and-israel-an-alliance-or-a-protection-racket/) - Tikkun May 17, 2017
- [In Trump’s America, who’s protesting and why?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/in-trumps-america-whos-protesting-and-why/) - Washington Post April 24, 2017: For March 2017, we tallied 585 protests, demonstrations, marches, sit-ins and rallies with at least one in every state and the District. Our conservative guess is that 80,000 to 90,000 people showed up. Because mainstream media often neglect to report nonviolent actions — especially small ones — it is probable
- [Remembering Martin Luther King, the Radical for Peace](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/remembering-martin-luther-king-the-radical-for-peace/) - The Progressive April 3, 2018: King challenged the draining of our national resources for the military, opposed the Vietnam War and other aspects of U.S. foreign policy and questioned an economic system that created enormous poverty amid great wealth. He was assassinated while organizing the Poor People’s March...
- [Impeach Away! Thoughts on a Possible President Pence](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/impeach-away-thoughts-on-a-possible-president-pence/) - August 22, 2018 in The Progressive, and Common Dreams: While many express concern that Vice-President Mike Pence, a Christian supremacist with more consistently hard right wing views than Trump, could replace him, Zunes argues Trump will likely be forced from office and this would be a positive development...
- [Dems Eye Hawkish Eliot Engel to Chair House Foreign Affairs Committee](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/dems-eye-hawkish-eliot-engel-to-chair-house-foreign-affairs-committee/) - The Progressive November 14, 2018
- [Despite Everything, U.S. Troops Should Leave Syria](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/despite-everything-u-s-troops-should-leave-syria/) - Z Network, January 4, 2019: Donald Trump’s sudden decision to remove U.S. forces from Syria appears to have been impetuous and ill-considered — apparently a result of a conversation with Turkey’s autocratic president Recep Erdogan. That doesn’t mean, however, that the United States should remain in that country...
- [Politicians Are Not Going to Hold Saudi Arabia Accountable](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/politicians-are-not-going-to-hold-saudi-arabia-accountable/) - Sojourners January 2019: Despite manifold horrors inflicted by the Saudi regime over the years, it was not until the grisly murder of a well-connected exiled journalist in early October that public attention has finally been given to the monarchy’s savagery...
- [Rescinding a Human Rights Award to Angela Davis Was Cowardly and Unfair](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/rescinding-a-human-rights-award-to-angela-davis-was-cowardly-and-unfair/) - This past October, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute announced that activist, author, and scholar Angela Davis would be presented with the Fred Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award at the group’s annual gala event next month. The announcement described Davis as “one of the most globally recognized champions of human rights, giving voice to those who are powerless to speak.”
- [‘More AIPAC Than J Street’: Kamala Harris Runs to the Right on Foreign Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/more-aipac-than-j-street-kamala-harris-runs-to-the-right-on-foreign-policy/) - Harris is being embraced by many progressive Democrats, and she’s branding herself as a progressive. Yet in the course of her little more than two years in the U.S. Senate, she’s taken some foreign policy positions that should give pause to supporters of human rights and international law.
- [U.S. Recognition of Israel’s Golan Annexation a Threat to World Order](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/u-s-recognition-of-israels-golan-annexation-a-threat-to-world-order/) - The Trump Administration’s decision to recognize Israel’s illegal annexation of the Golan Heights—Syrian territory seized in the June 1967 war—marks a serious violation of fundamental principles of international law.
- [Trump’s Dangerous and Cynical Attack on Syria](https://stephenzunes.org/source/trumps-dangerous-and-cynical-attack-on-syria-2/) - The Progressive & Huffington Post April 7, 2017: Trump's proposed budget would make major cuts to programs that provided relief to Syrian refugees and has tried to bar any refugees from entering the U.S.
- [Trump’s Support for Punishing Qatar Is Misguided](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/trumps-support-for-punishing-qatar-is-misguided/) - The Progressive & Huffington Post June 16, 2017: The decision by the Saudis and allied dictatorships to sever ties with Qatar and impose draconian sanctions on the tiny nation has precipitated a major regional crisis, and President Trump’s support has made matters even worse.
- [Resistance Builds to Proposed Israeli Boycott Bill](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/resistance-builds-to-proposed-israeli-boycott-bill/) - The Progressive & Huffington Post August 1, 2017 A disturbing number of Congressional Democrats have joined their Republican counterparts in co-sponsoring a bill (S. 720/H.R. 1697) effectively criminalizing support for boycotts against Israel or companies doing business in the country or its occupied territories. If passed, the legislation would make it a crime to
- [Liberal UCSC alumni may pay price for donations](https://stephenzunes.org/civil-liberties/liberal-ucsc-alumni-may-pay-price-for-donations/) - Santa Cruz Sentinel September 29, 2017 It seems that UC Santa Cruz now reserves the right to bring in ultra-conservative speakers as a condition of accepting in-kind donations from those with left-of-center views.
- [Trump’s Dangerous Appointment to Key Civil Rights Position: Kenneth Marcus](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/trumps-dangerous-appointment-to-key-civil-rights-position-kenneth-marcus/) - The Progressive and Huffington Post Nov. 3, 2017 and quoted in Berkeley Law:
- [Why Democrats Don’t Want to Talk about Flynn’s First Meeting with the Russians](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/why-democrats-dont-want-to-talk-about-flynns-first-meeting-with-the-russians/) - The Progressive and The Huffington Post December 5, 2017 Key points are rendered in this 5-minute video.
- [Both Parties Pushed Trump Toward Reckless Action on Jerusalem](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/both-parties-pushed-trump-toward-reckless-action-on-jerusalem/) - [Full Article] Published in The Progressive, Huffington Post, Common Dreams & Transcend Media Service: President Trump's plan to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the U.S. embassy there risks a violent and destabilizing reaction targeting U.S. interests globally. The 1947 UN partition plan was to divide Palestine between a Jewish and Arab
- [Trump’s actions on Jerusalem come with Democratic support](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/trumps-actions-on-jerusalem-come-with-democratic-support/) - San Francisco Chronicle December 7, 2017: President Trump’s announcement on Wednesday that the United States formally recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and that the U.S. embassy would be moved to that multiethnic and multifaith city once again places the United States at odds with the rest of the international community. No other government in the
- [In Retrospect: Public Intellectuals and Activists Weigh In on the Tet Offensive 50 Years Later](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/public-intellectuals-and-activists-weigh-in-on-the-tet-offensive-50-years-later/) - Truthout January 31, 2018: This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Tet Offensive. On January 30, 1968, thousands of North Vietnamese soldiers and their Viet Cong support organized a sweeping attack of multiple cities in South Vietnam. The event is said to have reinforced the United States opposition to the Vietnam War. The following
- [Power’s Prophet: Remembering Gene Sharp](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/powers-prophet-remembering-gene-sharp/) - The Progressive February 1, 2018: Dr. Gene Sharp, a Harvard University-based scholar, through his through analysis of centuries of nonviolent struggle, made a convincing case on utilitarian grounds that nonviolent struggle was a more effective and successful means of resistance than violence... [Related article & Petition]
- [Mike Pompeo: Trump Is Handing the State Department Over from Exxon Mobil to the Tea Party](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/mike-pompeo-trump-is-handing-the-state-department-over-from-exxon-mobil-to-the-tea-party/) - In These Times March 14, 2024: President Trump abruptly fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and plans to replace him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo [who] will only reinforce Trump’s most dangerous, reckless and militaristic instincts...
- [Why the United States Can’t Lead on Syria’s Chemical Weapons Atrocities](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/why-the-united-states-cant-lead-on-syrias-chemical-weapons-atrocities/) - The Progressive April 11, 2018: The repeated use of these horrific and illegal weapons by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s repressive regime deserves a strong international response. Unfortunately, given its history of politicizing the issue, the U.S. is in no position to lead...
- [History Shows Hypocrisy of US Outrage Over Chemical Weapons in Syria](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/history-shows-hypocrisy-of-us-outrage-over-chemical-weapons-in-syria/) - Truthout April 24, 2018: There are serious legal and strategic concerns regarding the decision by the U.S., along with France and Great Britain, to bomb Syria in response to its alleged use of chemical weapons in Douma...
- [Villaraigosa still haunted by role as 2012 DNC chair](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/villaraigosa-still-haunted-by-role-as-2012-dnc-chair/) - The Californian May 4, 2018: Despite endorsements from Luis Alejo, Simón Salinas, and other leading Monterey County Democrats, gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa has been struggling to gain traction statewide...
- [Trump’s Dangerous Abrogation of the Iran Deal](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/trumps-dangerous-abrogation-of-the-iran-deal/) - The Progressive, May 9, 2018: Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—the landmark nuclear agreement between Iran and the UK, France, Germany, Russia, China, and the U.S.—strikes a dangerous blow against arms control and international security and more firmly establishes the U.S. as a rogue nation.
- [The Robust Opposition: The Modern History of Israel/Palestine](https://stephenzunes.org/video/the-robust-opposition-the-modern-history-of-israelpalestine/) - Video interview with Lauren Steiner, May 19, 2018: Overview of the Zionist project, the wars of 1948, 1967, the first and second Intifada, the various peace talks, the change in Israel over the years making it harder and harder to achieve peace and how any real solution must be precipitated by American Jews pressuring their
- [There Is Zero Actual Evidence Iran Is Responsible for Killing Hundreds of Americans](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/there-is-zero-actual-evidence-iran-is-responsible-for-killing-hundreds-of-americans/) - The assertions being repeated today seem based on apparently groundless claims from twelve years ago by the same people who said Iraq possessed weapons, weapons programs, and weapons systems that were such a grave threat that they ignited the U.S.-Iraq war.
- [VIDEO: Democracy Defense: Advice from Activists Around the World](https://stephenzunes.org/video/video-democracy-defense/) - Nonviolence International, Beautiful Trouble, BlackOUT Collective, and OR Books present a webinar on: "Democracy Defense: Advice from Activists Around the World."
- [Sudan’s 2019 Revolution The Power of Civil Resistance](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/sudan/sudans-2019revolutionthe-power-of-civil-resistance/) - Stephen Zunes' April 2021 report* reviews the chronology of the resistance struggle in Sudan, the critical role of nonviolent discipline, other factors contributing to the movement’s success, and the current political situation. It seeks to explain how the movement was able to succeed despite enormous odds against it, and what lessons could be learned by
- [WORT: 9/11 Anniversary](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/afghanistan/wort-9-11-anniversary/) - September 9, 2021: Recording is no longer available. [Find best related links.]
- [Movement for a New Society Reunion: International Training and Nonviolent Revolution](https://stephenzunes.org/video/movement-for-a-new-society-reunion-international-training-and-nonviolent-revolution/) - VIDEO of panel with 4 other activist presenters: "Nonviolence, Peace & Transnational Part 2" and Dr. Zunes' PowerPoint of Photos from Sudan. Sponsor: Movement for a New Society.
- [Interview: Israel's Attacks on Syria](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iran/interview-israels-attacks-on-syria/) - KALW Radio, San Francisco, July 17, 2025, on Israel's attacks on Syria and related developments.
- [Interviews: Israel, Syria, Gaza developments and ongoing mass killing](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/israel-syria-gaza-and-recent-developments/) - KPFA-FM Pacifica Network, July 19, 2025: Zunes discusses Israel, Syria, Gaza, and other recent developments [segment starts at 12:30] and July 13 on mass killing [segment starts at 13:15; Note: Each broadcast must load before you can drag the pointer to when it begins]
- [Interview: What's the real motive behind Israel's involvement in Syria?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-whats-the-real-motive-behind-israels-involvement-in-syria/) - Al Jazeera English Inside Story July 17, 2025 (16.5M subscribers):Zunes joins a Syrian and Israeli analyst on latest developments in Israel's war on Syria.
- [Video: Israelis continue to say no to war.](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/israelis-continue-to-say-no-to-war/) - Zunes Facebook Video July 17, 2025: Meanwhile, the Trump administration and the leadership of both parties in Congress continue to say yes. As the U.S./Israeli-imposed famine on Gaza increases, I keep getting solicitations to contribute to Democratic candidates who insist on arming and funding Israel's siege, bombing, and occupation. Meanwhile, the Democratic leadership refuses to
- [Interview: Today’s US-Iran Crisis Is Rooted in the Decision to Invade Iraq](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/todays-us-iran-crisis-is-rooted-in-the-decision-to-invade-iraq/) - The ramifications of the illegal, unnecessary and predictably tragic U.S. decision to invade Iraq are still with us. This includes the ongoing crisis with Iran, which brought us perilously close to all-out war in early January, resulted in the tragic downing of a civilian airliner and remains in a hair-trigger situation.
- [Radio: US and Afghanistan](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/afghanistan/pacifica-radio-flashpoints-u-s-and-afghanistan/) - Pacifica Radio Flashpoints, 16 August 2021:US and Afghanistan: Leaving is never easy...
- [Radio: U.S. and Afghanistan](https://stephenzunes.org/source/radio-islam-international-u-s-and-afghanistan/) - Radio Islam International, 17 August 2021: “U.S. Government Still Trying to Come to Terms with How Quickly Taliban Took Over Afghanistan.”
- [US Support for Invasions Should Disqualify It From Leading on Russia-Ukraine](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/uss-support-for-invasions-should-disqualify-it-from-leading-on-russia-ukraine/) - The United States and Russia are heading toward a dangerous showdown over Ukraine, as the U.S. has 8,500 troops on high alert, ready to deploy to Eastern Europe should Russia invade Ukraine, and a new round of arms shipments have begun arriving in Ukraine.
- [U.S. and Western Sahara](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/whmp-bill-newman-show-u-s-and-western-sahara/) - WHMP Bill Newman Show, KZFR public radio, Chico, CA, 9 Feb. 2022 (Zunes begins at 39:00). Find more at Western-Sahara.org.
- [Lecture: US policy towards Israel/Palestine](https://stephenzunes.org/video/us-policy-towards-israel-palestine/) - March 5, 2024: US policy towards Israel/Palestine:90-minute video at Chalmers University, Gothenburg, Sweden
- [Interviews: Israel's War on Gaza:<br> October-December 2023](https://stephenzunes.org/video/israels-war-on-gaza-3-tv-radio-interviews-october-december-2023/) - On Al-Jazeera English: Biden’s policy on Israel’s war on Gaza (Zunes begins at the four-minute mark.) KPFA and affiliated stations [Source link currently unavailable. 45-minutes, Zunes starts just before the ten-minute mark. There’s ten minutes of failed Internet, but then he returns.] Al-Jazeera English: U.S. support for Israel’s terror bombing of Gaza is not unique,
- [Iran can gain politically by de-escalating](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iran/iran-can-gain-politically-by-de-escalating/) - Al Jazeera Analysis April 15, 2024: (Scroll down that page 2/3) ... Stephen Zunes, a professor of politics and international studies at the University of San Francisco, said the US is trying to “calm things” in the Middle East following Iran’s retaliatory attacks against Israel. While the US has “allowed Israel to engage in some pretty
- [Interviews: Middle East,<br>KPFA Oct. 2023-July 2024](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iran/interviews-middle-east-kpfa-oct-23-july-24/) - Twelve more interviews on KPFA Evening News aired Sundays on KPFA-FM and Pacifica Radio Network affiliated stations October 7, 2023 through July 2024 October 8, 2023: The horror of the crimes, why it happened, and the U.S. response (begins just after the four-minute mark) Mid-October: The United States has long been an international outlier in
- [As President, Jimmy Carter Was Not a “Peacemaker”](https://stephenzunes.org/human-rights/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
- [Video: Zunes' Research on Coup Resistance](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/video-zunes-research-on-coup-resistance/) - 4 Keys to Defeat a Coup (5 mins.): Dr. Zunes's animated summary of his research on coup resistance. Also at ChooseDemocracy.us, see "10 Ways to Ground Ourselves" & "Bringing Down a Dictator".
- [Was Jimmy Carter Really a Peacemaker?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/9092/) - Fair Observer January 17, 2025, with Claire Whitaker: Carter earned the Nobel Peace Prize for his post-presidency work, but while in office, he was no peacemaker. Carter’s foreign policy compromised his morals, supported autocratic regimes and failed to combat human rights violations... (source)
- [Interview: U.S. policies in the Middle East](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-u-s-policies-in-the-middle-east/) - A comprehensive overview, late 2024 with USFCA colleague Dr. Assim Al-Khawaja.
- [Interview: Israeli PM Netanyahu visits White House seeking flexibility on tariffs](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-israeli-pm-netanyahus-visits-white-house-seeking-flexibility-on-tariffs/) - Singapore major morning news show (CNA Media Corps. 7 mins)
- [Video: U.S. veto of UN Security Council Gaza ceasefire resolution](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/video-u-s-veto-of-un-security-council-gaza-ceasefire-resolution/) - Al Jazeera June 20, 2025: One of three panelists in this half-hour television news show analyzing the U.S. veto of an otherwise-unanimous UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages
- [Missed Opportunity on Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/missed-opportunity-on-iran/) - The Progressive June 19, 2025 and June 21 at PeaceandJustice.org & SmirkingChimp.com asTrump (and Biden) Could Have Forestalled War With Iran If They Wanted.How the war on Iran isn't really about containing Iran's nuclear program, since staying in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and other diplomatic efforts would have made it physically impossible for Iran
- [Interview: Trump Bombs Three Nuclear Sites in Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/10941/) - Civic Media Breaking News Jnne 21, 2025[24 mins., also on Facebook and YouTube] Civic Media carried a special report Saturday evening, anchored by Todd Allbaugh and joined by Stephen Zunes, a professor of politics and international studies at the University of San Francisco. He serves as founding director of the school’s Middle Eastern Studies Program,
- [Interview: CBS on US bombs Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-cbs-on-us-bombs-iran/) - CBS Bay Area affiliate KPIX June 22, 2025 [10 mins.] Zunes argues why the action was unnecessary and what the implications for the future might be.
- [US Should Reassess Policy in Western Sahara](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/us-should-reassess-policy-in-western-sahara/) - THE incoming Bush administration has an opportunity to score an early diplomatic victory should it choose to actively throw its support behind United Nations sponsored negotiations for a peaceful settlement to the war in Western Sahara. To do so would be a departure from the Reagan administration which, despite diplomatic successes in Namibia and elsewhere, has chosen not to play a similarly constructive role in northwest Africa.
- [Nicaragua - Not Another Domino](https://stephenzunes.org/source/christian-science-monitor/nicaragua-not-another-domino/) - WHILE the Bush administration and many pundits see the defeat of the Sandinistas in Nicaragua as simply a continuation of the democratic trend sweeping Eastern Europe, the circumstances are quite different. Failure to make such a distinction, in fact, could be disastrous for US foreign policy.
- [Re-Evaluate, Recognize Angola](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/re-evaluate-recognize-angola/) - DESPITE the euphoria resulting from independence in Namibia and prospects for negotiations in South Africa, another conflict in that region continues - and the United States is fanning the flames. The US government continues to arm UNITA, a rebel organization seeking to overthrow the Angolan government.
- [The Appeal of Bigotry](https://stephenzunes.org/source/christian-science-monitor/the-appeal-of-bigotry/) - THE assassination of Meir Kahane brings on mixed emotions for most Americans familiar with his career. First of all, many acknowledge the tragedy of taking any human life, particularly for political purposes; it is yet another unfortunate manifestation of the easy availability of handguns; and it is another depressing reminder of the increasing violence in the clash between Israeli and Palestinian nationalism.
- [Clinton on Wrong Side of Jerusalem Issue](https://stephenzunes.org/source/christian-science-monitor/clinton-on-wrong-side-of-jerusalem-issue/) - A LITTLE-NOTICED policy shift by the Clinton administration on Jerusalem has implications beyond the fate of one city in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. It marks a retrenchment in the American commitment to international law and the authority of the United Nations.
- [Bombing Is Not The Answer](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/bombing-is-not-the-answer/) - The ongoing threats of NATO air strikes against Serbia to end the Milosevic regime's repression against Kosovo's Albanian majority is a prime example of the wrong policy at the wrong time.
- [Continuing Storm: The U.S. Role in the Middle East](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/continuing-storm-the-u-s-role-in-the-middle-east/) - Throughout the centuries, Western nations have tried to impose their order on the region now commonly known as the Middle East. For certain periods of time they have succeeded, only to find themselves at the receiving end of a popular and oftentimes violent backlash. Now, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the triumph in the Gulf War, the United States stands—at least for a time—as the region's dominant outside power.
- [A Tragic Miscalculation](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/a-tragic-miscalculation/) - There is little hope that Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milosevic's cease fire overtures mount to anything significant. Indeed, he has largely won the war on the ground. By contrast, NATO bombs have done a lot of damage, but have little more to show.
- [U.S., Greece, and Turkey](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/turkey/u-s-greece-and-turkey/) - President Bill Clinton's visit to NATO allies Greece and Turkey is raising new questions about the ongoing strategic relationship the United States has with these two historic rivals, particularly in the light of the anti-American demonstrations which delayed and shortened the planned presidential visit.
- [U.S. Policy Hampers Chances for Israeli-Syrian Peace](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/u-s-policy-hampers-chances-for-israeli-syrian-peace/) - There is little hope for real progress in the Israeli-Syrian peace talks unless the Clinton Administration is willing to uphold human rights and international law along with its commitment to Israel's legitimate security needs. Since Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967, these issues have been at the heart of the
- [U.S. Must Insist Israel Return to the Peace Talks and Withdraw from Lebanon](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/u-s-must-insist-israel-return-to-the-peace-talks-and-withdraw-from-lebanon/) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's decision to pull out of the peace talks with Syria is a shameless capitulation to Israel's far right and raises serious questions as to whether the Israeli government is seriously interested in peace. President Clinton must demand that Israel return immediately to the negotiation table and come into full compliance with UN Security Council resolutions or risk an immediate cutoff of U.S. military and economic aid.
- [The U.S. Must Pressure Israel to Compromise](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/the-u-s-must-pressure-israel-to-compromise/) - As the Clinton administration pushes for a high-level resumption of final status talks between Israelis and Palestinians, we are again hearing the mantra that both sides need to compromise, both sides cannot have everything they want and other familiar exhortations. This has been the administration's approach since the singing of the Declaration of Principles in 1993.
- [Camp David II: Clinton Should Pressure Israel, As Carter Did](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/camp-david-ii-clinton-should-pressure-israel-as-carter-did/) - It is highly unlikely that the upcoming summit between the United States, Israel, and Palestine at Camp David will the kind of positive results that came from the 1978 summit between the United States, Israel, and Egypt. At the earlier Camp David gathering, President Jimmy Carter was willing to pressure Israel to withdraw from all Egyptian territory seized in the 1967 war in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338. President Bill Clinton, in contrast, has not supported total Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian lands seized in 1967, and he has actually pressured the Palestinians to allow the Israelis to maintain control of large amounts of their land, including Arab East Jerusalem, the historic capital of Palestine.
- [U.S. Policy Toward Jerusalem: Clinton’s Shift To The Right](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/u-s-policy-toward-jerusalem-clintons-shift-to-the-right/) - Foreign Policy In Focus by Stephen Zunes, July 1, 2000 [Source] It is not surprising that Jerusalem has become the sticking point in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The Israeli refusal to share the city with the Palestinians and the Clinton administration's refusal to push the Israelis to compromise make successful negotiations extremely difficult...
- [Cuba's New Revolution](https://stephenzunes.org/latin-america-caribbean/cubas-new-revolution-2/) - Explores issues of sustainability in Cuba. [Source and text are no longer available]
- [International Symposium on Unemployment and Poverty](https://stephenzunes.org/source/international-symposium-on-unemployment-and-poverty/) - September 2000 by Stephen Zunes [Download the PDF]
- [Credit the Serbian People, Not NATO](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/credit-the-serbian-people-not-nato/) - The people of Yugoslavia did what NATO bombs could not. As in 1989, it was not the military prowess of the western alliance bringing freedom to an Eastern European country, but the power of nonviolent action by the subjugated peoples themselves.
- [The Gulf War: 8 Myths](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/the-gulf-war-8-myths/) - The United States-led war against Iraq commenced on January 16, 1991. On this the tenth anniversary of the Gulf War, the myths that justified the war continue to be widely circulated. It is important, particularly in the light of the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iraq and the devastating humanitarian impact of U.S.-led sanctions, to challenge these myths. To fail to do so will make it difficult to change U.S. policy and could even increase the possibility of another cataclysmic war in the future.
- [Iraq: 10 Years After Gulf War](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/iraq-10-years-after-gulf-war/) - Ten years after the Gulf War, U.S. policy toward Iraq continues to suffer from an overreliance on military solutions, an abuse of the United Nations and international law, and a disregard for the human suffering resulting from sanctions. Furthermore, Washington’s actions have failed to dislodge Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from power.
- [U.S. Aid to Israel: Interpreting the "Strategic Relationship"](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-palestine-center/u-s-aid-to-israel-interpreting-the-strategic-relationship/) - "The U.S. aid relationship with Israel is unlike any other in the world," said Stephen Zunes during a January 26 CPAP presentation. "In sheer volume, the amount is the most generous foreign aid program ever between any two countries," added Zunes, associate professor of Politics and chair of the Peace and Justice Studies Program at the University of San Francisco. He explored the strategic reasoning behind the aid, asserting that it parallels the "needs of American arms exporters" and the role "Israel could play in advancing U.S. strategic interests in the region."
- [Palestine and Israel](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/palestine-and-israel/) - There is a widespread assumption that resolution of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is extremely complex and that the U.S. has been and still is the best hope for peace. The reality, however, is just the opposite.
- [Lockerbie Verdict Unlikely to Bring Change](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/lockerbie-verdict-unlikely-to-bring-change/) - Foreign Policy In Focus by Stephen Zunes, February 1, 2001 [Source] The guilty verdict against Libyan intelligence operative Abdel Baset Ali Mohamed Al-Megrahi may have finally established guilt in the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland in 1988, yet it will not usher in a new era for U.S.-Libyan relations. Perhaps, however,
- [U.S. Arrogance on Display in UN Human Rights Commission Flap](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/u-s-arrogance-on-display-in-un-human-rights-commission-flap/) - The decision by the U.S. Congress to withhold $244 million in dues owed to the United Nations only builds upon the growing global perception of U.S. arrogance. In recent days, both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill have placed themselves to the right of even the Bush administration in their sharp anti-UN rhetoric....
- [Mitchell Report on Israeli-Palestinian Violence Flawed](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/mitchell-report-on-israeli-palestinian-violence-flawed/) - The report on the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict by the commission led by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell is a failed effort--not for what it includes but for what it does not include.
- [Audio: The Evolution of U.S. Policy on Jerusalem: International Law versus the Rule of Force](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-palestine-center/the-evolution-of-u-s-policy-on-jerusalem-international-law-versus-the-rule-of-force/) - “Recent moves by the Clinton and the current Bush administrations regarding Jerusalem have surprised even the most cynical observers of U.S. foreign policy for their disregard of … international legal conventions and their departure from the stated positions of their previous administrations,” said Stephen Zunes at a 26 July 2001 Center lecture. Zunes, associate professor of Politics and chair of the Peace and Justice Studies Program at the University of San Francisco, explained that the U.S. has become increasingly accepting of Israel’s unilateral annexation of East Jerusalem, which is in violation of international law.
- [Overview of Self-Determination Issues in the Middle East](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/overview-of-self-determination-issues-in-the-middle-east/) - As in much of the third world, many of the national boundaries of the Middle East and North Africa are artificial creations of the colonial era. Because most of the region’s inhabitants are Muslim Arabs and thanks to relatively high tolerance levels for minorities in traditional Islamic societies, the denial of self-determination has not been as widespread as in many parts of the world. Still, disputes in the Middle East involving people struggling for the right of self-determination remain some of the most dangerous and intractable conflicts in the world today.
- [U.S. Policy on the UN Conference Wrong](https://stephenzunes.org/climate/u-s-policy-on-the-un-conference-wrong/) - The United States, the self-described leader of human rights, effectively decided to boycott the UN conference against racism in Durban, South Africa. The U.S. could have made a strong, positive impression by sending its African-American Secretary of State, a descendent of slaves, and making a forceful stand against racism. Instead, it chose to send a low-level delegation.
- [Death Squad Democrats](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/death-squad-democrats/) - Last Tuesday, Israeli forces murdered Isaac Saada outside of his home in Bethlehem. He was the father of ten and a beloved teacher at Terra Sancta, a RomanCatholic school in that West Bank city. Saada was actively involved with the peace education program of the Israeli-Palestinian Center for Research and Information. The day he was buried, he had been scheduled to take part in a joint seminar with Israeli teachers on improving understanding and cooperation between the two peoples.
- [Dangerous Times for U.S. Foreign Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/dangerous-times-for-u-s-foreign-policy/) - The tragic events of September 11 have brought out both the best of America and the worst of America. The former is represented by the heroism of the rescuers, the thousands of people lining up to donate blood and the response of the religious community through prayer vigils and memorial services. The latter is represented by the jingoism, militarism and xenophobia exhibited from the street to the talk shows.
- [Don't Bomb Afghanistan](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/afghanistan/dont-bomb-afghanistan/) - It appears that the United States is preparing for a major military strike against Afghanistan. There is no question that the United States needs to respond forcefully to bring the perpetrators of last week's terrorist attack to justice and to prevent future attacks. A large-scale military action against that country, however, would be a big mistake.
- [International Terrorism](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/international-terrorism/) - Foreign Policy In Focus by Stephen Zunes, September 20, 2001 [Source] Key Points: * The massive terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, have placed the threat of terrorism on the front burner and have exposed the failure of the U.S. government to protect its citizens. * The U.S. is using the threat of terrorism to
- [10 Things to Know about U.S. Policy in the Middle East](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/10-things-to-know-about-u-s-policy-in-the-middle-east/) - Alternet September 26, 2001 by Stephen Zunes 1. The United States has played a major role in the militarization of the region. 2. The U.S. maintains an ongoing military presence in the Middle East. 3. There has been an enormous humanitarian toll resulting from U.S. policy toward Iraq. 4. The U.S. has not been a
- [The Bush Administration & the Israeli-Palestinian Stalemate](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/the-bush-administration-the-israeli-palestinian-stalemate/) - Whether or not the shaky cease-fire in effect since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States holds, the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace remain dim.
- [10 Things to Know About the Middle East](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/10-things-to-know-about-the-middle-east/) - 1. Who are the Arabs? Arab peoples range from the Atlantic coast in northwest Africa to the Arabian peninsula and north to Syria. They are united by a common language and culture. Though the vast majority are Muslim, there are also sizable Christian Arab minorities in Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Palestine. Originally the inhabitants of the Arabian peninsula, the Arabs spread their language and culture to the north and west with the expansion of Islam in the 7th century. There are also Arab minorities in the Sahel and parts of east Africa, as well as in Iran and Israel. The Arabs were responsible for great advances in mathematics, astronomy and other scientific disciplines, while Europe was still mired in the Dark Ages.
- [Redefining Security in the Face of Terrorism (PDF)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/peace-review/redefining-security-in-the-face-of-terrorism-2/) - The tragic events of September 11, 2001 have created unprecedented challenges for those who traditionally have been critical of U.S. military intervention and have allied themselves with the peace movement. For the first time in the lives of most Americans, the United States has found i tself under attack....
- [Why the U.S. Did Not Overthrow Saddam Hussein](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/turkey/why-the-u-s-did-not-overthrow-saddam-hussein/) - There has been a curious bout of revisionist history in recent weeks criticizing the U.S. decision not to "finish the job" during the 1991 Gulf War and overthrow the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein. With such a lopsided victory in the six-week military campaign, these right-wing critics argue the U.S. could have easily marched into the capital of Baghdad and ousted the dictator.
- [Nonviolent Resistance in the Islamic World](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/nonviolent-resistance-in-the-islamic-world/) - The tragic events of recent months have only strengthened the stereotype here in the United States of the Islamic world as an area of violent conflict. However, the region also has an impressive and growing tradition of nonviolent resistance and other unarmed challenges to authoritarianism.
- [A New Path to Peace](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/a-new-path-to-peace/) - The tragic events of September 11 have created unprecedented challenges for the peace movement, anti-interventionist forces, and other progressive activists. For the first time in the lives of most Americans, the U.S. has found itself under attack.
- [Why the U.S. Supports Israel](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/why-the-u-s-supports-israel/) - In the United States and around the world, many are questioning why, despite some mild rebukes, Washington has maintained its large-scale military, financial, and diplomatic support for the Israeli occupation in the face of unprecedented violations of international law and human rights standards by Israeli occupation forces. Why is there such strong bipartisan support for Israel's right-wing prime minister Ariel Sharon's policies in the occupied Palestinian territories?
- [Congress Ignores Human Rights Groups In Pro-Israel Resolution](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/congress-ignores-human-rights-groups-in-pro-israel-resolution/) - Republican Right and congressional liberals join together to show support for Sharon government despite reports by Amnesty and Human Rights Watch detailing gross human rights abuses.
- [Congress Attacks Human Rights](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/congress-attacks-human-rights/) - On Thursday, both the House of Representative and the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed resolutions defending the policies of right-wing Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon in the occupied territories. Human rights activists are alarmed, both at the strong Congressional support for a repressive military occupation as well as the fact that the resolutions are being widely interpreted as an attack on the credibility of Amnesty International and other human rights groups.
- [Challenging the Myths about the Failure of the 2000 Camp David Talks](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/challenging-the-myths-about-the-failure-of-the-2000-camp-david-talks/) - Both the Clinton and Bush administrations, along with leading members of Congress of both parties, have deliberately misrepresented what happened in the peace process before, during, and after Camp David, as well as what has transpired since the outbreak of the second intifada in late September 2000. This has served to justify a policy of supporting an increasingly repressive occupation army, something that would otherwise be unpalatable to the American public.
- [Aiding the War Effort](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/aiding-the-war-effort/) - The violence of the past year and a half between Israelis and Palestinians has left more than 2,000 people dead, torpedoed the peace process, and turned the streets of the West Bank and Gaza Strip into battlefields. As the U.S. reconsiders its role in promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace, the prospects for a final settlement that recognizes the security needs of Israel and the legitimate political rights of Palestinians seem worse than ever. The Bush administration has abandoned the ambitious approach of its predecessor by emphasizing "assistance" over "insistence."
- [A Bush Plan For Mideast Disaster](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/a-bush-plan-for-mideast-disaster/) - President George W. Bush's speech on Monday actually represents a setback for Middle East peace. On the one hand, it is reassuring that, after thirty years of rejecting the international consensus that peace requires the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel, an American president now formally recognizes that need. The bad news is that President Bush is simply perpetuating the unfair assumption that while Israel's right to exist is a given, Palestine's right to exist -- even as a mini-state on the West Bank and Gaza Strip -- is conditional. This comes despite the fact that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has at least as much blood on his hands as does Palestinian President Yasir Arafat. Indeed, far more Palestinian civilians have died at the hands of Israeli occupation forces than have Israeli civilians died from terrorist attacks.
- [Seven Reasons to Oppose a U.S. Invasion of Iraq](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/seven-reasons-to-oppose-a-u-s-invasion-of-iraq/) - The United States still appears determined to move forward with plans to engage in a large-sale military operation against Iraq to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein. In the international community, however, serious questions are being raised regarding its legality, its justification, its political implications, and the costs of the war itself. Such an invasion would constitute an important precedent, being the first test of the new doctrine articulated by President George W. Bush of “preemption,” which declares that the United States has the right to invade sovereign countries and overthrow their governments if they are seen as hostile to U.S. interests.
- [Don’t Blame the Jews for Cynthia McKinney’s Defeat](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/dont-blame-the-jews-for-cynthia-mckinneys-defeat/) - With the defeat of five-term Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney in the August 22 Democratic primary in Georgia, the U.S. House of Representatives will soon be losing one of its most outspoken progressive voices. This is very bad news for those of us who support peace, human rights, and social justice. It would be even worse news, however, if the blame for her defeat is placed primarily upon the Jewish community.
- [Video: What are the chances of a Gaza ceasefire deal soon?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/video-what-are-the-chances-of-a-gaza-ceasefire-deal-soon/) - CNA (Channel News Asia) July 6, 2025 (9 mins.)Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said July 6 he hoped an upcoming meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump could "help advance" a Gaza ceasefire deal, after sending negotiators to Doha for indirect talks with Hamas. Stephen Zunes, professor of politics and director of the Middle Eastern studies
- [Video: Reflections on Authoritarianism and Resistance](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/video-reflections-on-authoritarianism-and-resistance-2/) - VIDEO of Stephen Zunes and Rebecca Solnit in conversation at the University of San Francisco April 22, 2025 [1:12] on a variety of topics related to growing authoritarianism in the United States and the resistance.
- [US Threatens UN Members Seeking Two-State Solution to Israeli-Palestine Conflict](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/us-threatens-un-members-seeking-two-state-solution-to-israeli-palestine-conflict/) - Inter Press Service, UN June 13 2025 (IPS) By Thalif Deen [source]Zunes quoted on the extreme efforts the Trump administration is taking to prevent the emergence of even a Palestinian mini-state alongside Israel, including threats of "diplomatic consequences" against countries if they attend a UN conference on a two-state solution
- [Interviews: U.S. bombing of Iran and ceasefire](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interviews-u-s-bombing-of-iran-and-ceasefire/) - Aired June 23-27, 2025, KTVU-2, Bay Area Fox affiliate: 3 interviews analyzing the U.S. bombing of Iran and the subsequent ceasefire Analysis: Israel-Iran Conflict Analysis: Israel-Iran Conflict and Response Israel-Iran Conflict and Ceasefire concerns
- [Authoritarianism and Resistance: What the World Can Teach Us](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/authoritarianism-and-resistance-what-the-world-can-teach-us/) - May 17, 2025, Stephen Zunes's keynoteaddress at the 2025 Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation Spring Assembly
- [Interview: Israel, Iran and the U.S.](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-israel-iran-and-the-u-s/) - Santita Jackson Show Sunday, June 22, 2025 [Second Hour] Also see Zunes's Facebook notes on Iran, Israel and Palestine
- [Joe Biden’s Tragic Failure to Learn from the Past](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/joe-bidens-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]
- [Rep. Jimmy Panetta’s rejection of the rule of law](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/rep-jimmy-panettas-rejection-of-the-rule-of-law/) - Santa Cruz Sentinel: Guest Commentary, January 2025: Addresses a bill to punish those associated with the International Criminal Court for investigating war criminals allied with the United States, for which all 205 Republicans and 42 Democrats voted in favor, including Zunes's Congressperson Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19). [source]
- [UN Faces Backlash from a Hostile White House](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/un-faces-backlash-from-a-hostile-white-house/) - Inter Press Service UN Bureau Report, Jan 30 2025 Dr. Zunes is quoted extensively in this report: “No leader of a major power since the UN’s founding in 1945 has expressed such disdain for fundamental principles of international law.” It should be remembered, though, that the United States was already undermining such principles under previous
- [What a Second Trump Presidency Could Mean for the Pro-Palestine Movement](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/what-a-second-trump-presidency-could-mean-for-the-pro-palestine-movement/) - The Progressive February 3, 2025 Examines how a Trump presidency will make U.S. policy towards Israel/Palestine even worse than under Biden, but how it might spawn a bigger backlash that could end up forcing real change in U.S. policy in the longer term. [source]
- [Pro-Palestinian Student Protests Are Nothing New](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/pro-palestinian-student-protests-are-nothing-new/) - The Progressive March 3, 2025 by Nyki Duda quoting Zunes: "Stephen Zunes, a veteran of the anti-apartheid movement in solidarity with Black South Africans in the 1980s and a regular contributor to The Progressive, sees parallels between that movement and the student movement in support of Palestine. Much like the Gaza solidarity encampments, Zunes told
- [US Policy Toward Israel/Palestine Under Trump](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/us-policy-toward-israel-palestine-under-trump/) - Americans for Middle East Understanding, April 27, 2025The Trump administration will certainly take a more hardline policy in support of Israel’s right-wing leadership and in opposition to Palestinian rights. Given President Biden’s strident support for Netanyahu’s wars on Palestinian and Lebanese populations, which had already isolated the United States in the international community, the shift
- [Interview: Why Israel Can't Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Program: Conversation With Professor Zunes](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-why-israel-cant-destroy-irans-nuclear-programme-conversation-with-professor-zunes/) - Kianistan June 17, 2025
- [Bush's United Nations Speech Unconvincing](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/bushs-united-nations-speech-unconvincing/) - The last time--and only time--the United States came before the United Nations to accuse a radical Third World government of threatening the security of the United States through weapons of mass destruction was in October 1962. In the face of a skeptical world and Cuban and Soviet denials, U.S. ambassador Adlai Stevenson presented dramatic photos clearly showing the construction of nuclear missiles on Cuban soil. While the resulting U.S. military blockade and brinksmanship was not universally supported, there was little question that the United States had the evidence and that the threat was real
- [UN Resolution Does Not Authorize US To Use Force Against Iraq](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/un-resolution-does-not-authorize-us-to-use-force-against-iraq/) - Despite successfully pushing the U.N. Security Council to toughen further its already strict inspections regime against Iraq, the Bush administration appears ready to engage in unilateral military action. "If the Security Council fails to act decisively in the event of further Iraqi violations, this resolution does not constrain any member state from acting to defend itself against the threat posed by Iraq or to enforce relevant United Nations resolutions," U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Negroponte claimed immediately after last Friday's vote.
- [Lecture: U.S. Middle East Policy and the Roots of Terrorism (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-palestine-center/lecture-u-s-middle-east-policy-and-the-roots-of-terrorism-audio/) - Palestine Center, October 2, 2002, Dr. Stephen Zunes.More on the Palestine Center.
- [U.S.-Iraq: On the War Path](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-policy-report/u-s-iraq-on-the-war-path/) - With its enormous oil wealth, large agricultural base, and population of over 20 million, Iraq has long been considered one of the most important countries in the Arab world. The site of the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia, Iraq emerged as an amalgam of three Ottoman provinces under a British-imposed monarch in 1921. A nationalist revolution in 1958 led to a series of military-led leftist governments, eventually coalescing under leadership from the Baath Party, a secular Arab nationalist movement.
- [President Bush Fails to Make His Case](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/president-bush-fails-to-make-his-case-2/) - Given what is at stake, one would have thought that the administration would have made a stronger case for going to war than President George W. Bush did on Monday evening. The weakness of the administration's position is apparent in its insistence of repeating stories of Iraqi atrocities from more than 10 to 20 years ago, such as its support for international terrorist groups like Abu Nidal and its use of chemical weapons. It was during this period when the United States was quietly supporting the Iraqi regime, covering up reports of its use of chemical weapons and even providing intelligence for Iraqi forces that used such weapons against Iranian troops. Though the 1980s marked the peak of Iraq's support for terrorist groups, the U.S. government actually dropped Iraq from its list of states sponsoring terrorism because of its own ties to the Iraqi war effort.
- [It’s Iraq, Stupid!](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/its-iraq-stupid/) - This should have been the Democrats' year. The country is still mired in recession. Polls consistently have shown that the Republicans' positions on such basic policy issues as the environment and the economy are decidedly unpopular. The connection of top administration officials with scandal-plagued corporations provided ample opportunities for a populist message against corruption and in support of economic justice.
- [Pelosi Win Not A Progressive Victory](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/1343/) - Many liberals are celebrating the apparent victory of San Francisco Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi to the leadership of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives. With foreign policy concerns now front and center in the political debate, some liberals concerned with peace and human rights issues hope that her election to the post of House Minority Leader is evidence that the Democrats may finally be ready to play the role of an opposition party. As evidence of this shift, so goes the argument, is Pelosi's outspoken role as a defender of human rights in Tibet, East Timor and elsewhere.
- [U.S. Declares Open Season on UN Workers](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/u-s-declares-open-season-on-un-workers/) - By Stephen Zunes January 10, 2003 [source no longer available] In yet another example of the Bush Administration's contempt for international law, the United States vetoed an otherwise-unanimous UN Security Council resolution on December 20 that criticized the Israeli government for a series of attacks by its armed forces against United Nations workers and facilities
- [More 'Right' on Israel Than Bush](https://stephenzunes.org/source/alternet/more-right-on-israel-than-bush/) - The moment images of Saddam Hussein's capture flashed across TV screens around the world, John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman jumped on the opportunity to lash out at Howard Dean for not supporting the war on Iraq, even as they congratulated the Bush White House for a job well done. It was not, however, the first time that the two Democratic candidates have attacked the former Vermont governor for being too "liberal" on foreign policy. Nor is Iraq the only issue where the Democratic leadership -- and its anointed heirs -- have revealed an unmistakably rightwing agenda. It is a less-known fact that when it comes to the Israel/Palestinian issue, the Democratic establishment is virtually indistinguishable from the Bush administration.
- [Democrats’ Attacks on Dean Enhance Bush’s Re-election Prospects](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/democrats-attacks-on-dean-enhance-bushs-re-election-prospects/) - It is not the increasingly likely prospect of Howard Dean’s nomination that could lead to a Democratic defeat in November, it’s his opponents’ attacks against him. As Dick Gephardt, John Kerry and Joe Lieberman see themselves lagging in the polls running up to the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary later this month, their campaigns are engaging in increasingly desperate attacks against the front-runner for their party’s nomination.
- [Libyan Disarmament a Positive Step, but Threat of Proliferation Remains](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/libyan-disarmament-a-positive-step-but-threat-of-proliferation-remains/) - In a world seemingly gone mad, it is ironic that one of most sane and reasonable actions to come out of the Middle East recently has emanated from the government of Muammar Qaddafi, the Libyan dictator long recognized as an international outlaw.
- [Kerry’s Support for the Invasion of Iraq and the Bush Doctrine Still Unexplained](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/kerrys-support-for-the-invasion-of-iraq-and-the-bush-doctrine-still-unexplained/) - As casualties mount and disorder continues in Iraq, and as the lies that were put forward to garner support of the invasion are exposed, Massachusetts senator John Kerry and his supporters have desperately sought to defend his decision to back the U.S. invasion and occupation. Their failure to make a convincing case may spell trouble for Senator Kerry’s dreams of capturing the White House in November.
- [US Christian Right’s Grip on Middle East Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/source/znetwork/us-christian-rights-grip-on-middle-east-policy/) - In recent years, a politicized and right-wing Protestant fundamentalist movement has emerged as a major factor in US support for the policies of the rightist Likud government in Israel. To understand this influence, it is important to recognize that the rise of the religious right as a political force in the United States is a relatively recent phenomenon that emerged as part of a calculated strategy by leading right-wingers in the Republican Party who - while not fundamentalist Christians themselves - recognized the need to enlist the support of this key segment of the US population in order to achieve political power.
- [Some Potentially Positive Developments from a Disastrous Election](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/some-potentially-positive-developments-from-a-disastrous-election/) - No progressive should be happy with the results of the presidential election. However, it is hard to predict what the longer-term impact on American politics of a particular presidential election result might be. For example, it would have felt terrible at the time if ‘ despite Vietnam and Watergate ‘ Gerald Ford had managed to defeat Jimmy Carter in the close election of 1976. However, if Ford had stayed in office for another four years, the Republicans would have been blamed for the recession and the Iranian hostage crisis of subsequent years and the Democrats would have almost certainly won in 1980, thereby sparing the nation and the world the consequences of the eight years of the Reagan administration.
- [HOW THE HAWK KILLS THE DOVE](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iraq/how-the-hawk-kills-the-dove/) - August 5, 2005 by Stephen Zunes [source links are no longer available] In a country wracked with violence, more than 100,000 Iraqis marched peacefully through the streets of Baghdad on 19 January 2004 demanding direct elections. Shouting ‘No to Saddam!’ and ‘No to America’, the nonviolent throng – many of them linking hands – marched
- [The Israeli Raid in Jericho: The Background](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-policy-report/the-israeli-raid-in-jericho-the-background/) - The origins of the March 14 Israeli raid of a Palestinian prison in Jericho are rooted in another Israeli raid on a Palestinian city in 2001. On August 27 of that year, Israeli occupation forces assaulted the offices of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) with a U.S.-supplied helicopter gunship and missiles. Their target was PFLP leader Abu Ali Mustafa, who was killed instantly. The PFLP vowed to retaliate.
- [Falling In Line on Israel](https://stephenzunes.org/source/tompaine/falling-in-line-on-israel/) - The election of a Democratic majority in the House and Senate is unlikely to result in any serious challenge to the Bush administration's support for Israeli attacks against the civilian populations of its Arab neighbors and the Israeli government's ongoing violations of international humanitarian law.
- [Operation Enduring Freedom: A Retrospective](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/afghanistan/operation-enduring-freedom-a-retrospective/) - It has become a given, even among many progressive critics of Bush administration policy, that while the U.S. war on Iraq was illegal, immoral, unnecessary, poorly executed, and contrary to America's national security interests, the war on Afghanistan?which was launched five years ago last week?was a legal, moral, and a necessary response to protect American national security in the aftermath of 9/11. Virtually every member of Congress who has gone on record opposing the Iraq War supported the Afghanistan War. Similarly, a number of soldiers who have resisted serving in Iraq on moral grounds have expressed their willingness to serve in Afghanistan....
- [Reasons to Like Ike](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/reasons-to-like-ike/) - The fiftieth anniversary of the Suez Crisis came and went this past November without much notice. That’s too bad because the Bush administration could learn a lot from the crisis, which ensued when the armed forces of Great Britain, France, and Israel invaded Egypt, then under the rule of Gamal Abdul-Nasser. In a move that earned the United States respect around the world, the administration of Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower denounced the tripartite invasion as a violation of international law and used America’s considerable diplomatic leverage to force a withdrawal of these American allies.
- [Reasons Not to Like Ford](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/reasons-not-to-like-ford/) - Through the obligatory accolades that inevitably follow the death of a former president, it is important to remember Gerald Ford’s problematic legacy in leading the United States in its international relations during his time as president. However decent and moral Ford may have been as a person, his foreign policy was anything but.
- [Hillary Clinton's Hawkish Record](https://stephenzunes.org/source/common-dreams/hillary-clintons-hawkish-record/) - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has already assumed front-runner status for the Democratic Party nomination for president despite a foreign policy agenda that closely parallels that of the Bush administration.
- [The Democrats' Support for Bush's War](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/the-democrats-support-for-bushs-war-2/) - The capitulation of the Democratic Party’s congressional leadership to the Bush administration’s request for nearly $100 billion of unconditional supplementary government spending, primarily to support the war in Iraq, has led to outrage throughout the country. In the Senate, 37 of 49 Democrats voted on May 24 to support the measure. In the House, while only 86 of the 231 Democratic House members voted for the supplemental funding, 216 of them voted in favor of an earlier procedural vote designed to move the funding bill forward even though it would make the funding bill’s passage inevitable (while giving most of them a chance to claim they voted against it).
- [The Peace Movement Addresses Israel-Palestine (Finally)](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/the-peace-movement-addresses-israel-palestine-finally/) - In my Inbox last Friday was an email from Peace Action, the country’s largest peace group, encouraging its members to join the thousands of peace and human rights activists from across the country in the June 10 march in Washington against the Israeli occupation. This otherwise unremarkable letter served as an important reminder that U.S. support for the Israeli occupation is finally becoming an issue for the mainstream of the peace movement.
- [The U.S. Role in the Gaza Tragedy](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/the-u-s-role-in-the-gaza-tragedy/) - There is much blame to go around regarding the tragic turn of events in the Gaza Strip. While Hamas is the most immediate culprit, responsibility also rests with Fatah, Israel – and the United States.
- [The Future of Western Sahara](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/the-future-of-western-sahara/) - Morocco’s ongoing refusal to allow for the long-planned UN-sponsored referendum on the fate of Western Sahara to move forward, combined with a growing nonviolent resistance campaign in the occupied territory against Moroccan occupation authorities, has led Morocco to propose granting the former Spanish colony special autonomous status within the kingdom.
- [Annotate This... President Bush's Sept 13 Speech to the Nation on Iraq](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/annotate-this-president-bushs-sept-13-speech-to-the-nation-on-iraq/) - Instead of charting a new direction for U.S. policy in Iraq, President Bush's speech to the nation last evening was an impassioned plea to the American public to stay the course. But much of Bush's argument for staying the course was based on spin instead of reality. In this edition of Annotate This… Stephen Zunes and Erik Leaver analyze Bush's statements and offer an alternative interpretation of the situation on the ground....
- [Hillary Clinton on Military Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/hillary-clinton-on-military-policy/) - While much attention has been given to Senator Hillary Clinton’s support for the U.S. invasion of Iraq, her foreign policy record regarding other international conflicts and her apparent eagerness to accept the use of force appears to indicate that her fateful vote authorizing the invasion and her subsequent support for the occupation and counter-insurgency war was no aberration. Indeed, there’s every indication that, as president, her foreign policy agenda would closely parallel that of the Bush administration...
- [The US Palestinian Rights Movement](https://stephenzunes.org/video/the-us-palestinian-rights-movement/) - Discussion with Dr. James Zogby of the Arab-American Institute, where we examined the trajectory of the pro-Palestinian movement over the past 50 years, including his history as an advocate for Palestinian rights from grassroots campaigns in the 1970s to his more recent leadership in the Democratic National Committee (University of San Francisco, 1-hour video)
- [Interview: US Middle East Policy Developments](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-u-s-middle-east-policy-developments/) - KPFA-FM News March 9, 2025: Interview on recent developments (begins 2:30-6:30)
- [Interview: Trump's policies on Israel/Palestine and power grab](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-trumps-policies-on-israel-palestine-and-power-grab/) - Community of Chaos, New Zealand radio, March 18, 2025Hosted by an American expat, podcast in which Zunes discusses Trump policies ranging from Israel/Palestine to his dangerous domestic power grab
- [Interview: Ukraine, Palestine, and other issues](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/interview-ukraine-palestine-and-other-issues/) - Ukraine, Palestine, and other developments March 2025 (segment starts at 31:30) for a community radio station in northern California
- [Interview: Gaza, resumption of war and implications](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-gaza-resumption-of-war-and-implications/) - KPFA-FM news March 23, 2025 (segment starts at the 10:30)
- [Interview: Trump's Student Crackdowns](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-trumps-student-crackdowns/) - KQSD-FM March 2025 (30 mins.) on the crackdown on antiwar student activists and related issues
- [Interview: Civil resistance, pro-democracy struggles and Middle Eastern politics](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/interview-civil-resistance-pro-democracy-struggles-and-middle-eastern-politics/) - Episode 45 - West Asia on a Powder Keg: Lessons from the Arab Spring With Professor Stephen Zunes. British podcast on civil resistance pro-democracy struggles, contemporary Middle Eastern politics, and other issues (1 hour)
- [US is a constant partner in sabotaging ceasefires and shielding Israel’s crimes](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/us-is-a-constant-partner-in-sabotaging-ceasefires-and-shielding-israels-crimes/) - U.S. support for Israel's breaking the ceasefire agreement and unleashing the terror bombing on Gaza, 12-minute video from a forum held March 2025 by the Arab Organization on Human Rights (UK-based)
- [Interview: Scope of Syrian War Widens Following Deadly Israeli Strikes on Damascus (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/interview-scope-of-syrian-war-widens-following-deadly-israeli-strikes-on-damascus-audio/) - Free Speech Radio News
- [Democrats Push Through Yet Another Anti-Palestinian Resolution](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/democrats-push-through-yet-another-anti-palestinian-resolution/) - Though outgoing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has insisted that there just isn't enough time for the lame duck Democratic-controlled Congress to consider much of the progressive legislation on the docket prior to the Republican takeover early next month, she and other Democratic leaders did find time last Wednesday to pass a resolution condemning efforts by Palestinian moderates to seek recognition of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
- [Israel, Syria and the United States](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/israel-syria-and-the-united-states/) - An op-ed piece published on Truthout.org about Israel's attack against Syria on May 6th, 2013
- [Fordham ban of Palestine group contradicts free speech, Jesuit values](https://stephenzunes.org/civil-liberties/fordham-ban-of-palestine-group-contradicts-free-speech-jesuit-values/) - National Catholic Reporter February 9, 2017
- [Trump “Peace Plan” Too Extreme Even for Former Right-Wing Israeli Prime Minister](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/trump-peace-plan-too-extreme-even-for-former-right-wing-israeli-prime-minister/) - In an extraordinary joint press conference at the United Nations on Tuesday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert outlined their objections to Donald Trump’s so-called “peace plan” between Israel and Palestine. The plan would allow Israel to annex large swathes of territory conquered in the 1967 war that it has since illegally colonized with Israeli settlers. Trump’s proposal, made without Palestinian participation and unilaterally announced last month, would leave small noncontiguous enclaves of remaining Palestinian territory surrounded by a greatly expanded Israel and allowed only limited autonomy.
- [Klobuchar Has Pushed Extreme Right-Wing Policy on Israel/Palestine](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/klobuchar-has-pushed-extreme-right-wing-policy-on-israel-palestine/) - In recent days, much of the mainstream media has been focusing on the rise of centrist Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar as a serious contender in the Democratic presidential primary. Many in the more progressive wing of the party have been criticizing her positions on climate change and broader environmental concerns, as well as her stances on economic inequality, social welfare and the criminal legal system. However, attention also needs to be brought to her surprisingly right-wing foreign policy perspectives.
- [DNC Platform Condemns BDS But Not Israel’s Occupation of Palestine](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/dnc-platform-condemns-bds-but-not-israels-occupation-of-palestine/) - Due to a series of decisions by the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC’s) platform committee, progressives are concerned that the Biden-led Democratic Party’s foreign policy toward Israel and Palestine will more closely resemble that of Republicans than that of the Democratic rank-and-file.
- [Israel/Palestine Conflict and U.S. Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/the-israel-palestine-conflict-and-u-s-foreign-policy-w-prof-stephen-zunes/) - ParallaxViews.podbean.com: We explore recent events involving Israeli airstrikes, the Sheikh Jarrah district of East Jerusalem, Hamas, Gaza, and U.S. foreign policy [and] dive into the Israeli airstrike that took down an Associated Press building... the misuse of antisemitism to stifle criticism... the generational gap... racism and settler-colonialism, and more.
- [From Aleppo to Gaza: A Handy Guide for Defending War Crimes](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/from-aleppo-to-gaza-a-handy-guide-for-defending-war-crimes/) - Foreign Policy In Focus May 26, 2021: The U.S. strident defense of Israel’s recent military onslaught on the Gaza Strip... sounds remarkably similar to that to defend the Assad regime in Syria during their bloody attacks on Aleppo, Idlib, and other rebel-held areas... here's a summary — based on real articles, interviews, and statements —
- [Commentary: Panetta out of touch with constituents in his support for Netanyahu](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/commentary-panetta-out-of-touch-with-constituents-in-his-support-for-netanyahu/) - The Californian: Commentary: As the ceasefire takes hold ending the fighting between Hamas and Israel, central coast voters are raising questions over controversial statements he made.
- [Professor Stephen Zunes on Gaza, the US, and Israel](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/professor-stephen-zunes-on-gaza-the-u-s-and-israel/) - Tikkun: "The extreme disproportionate firepower of the Israelis is really staggering. We’re looking at a 20:1 ratio just in terms of casualties... the U.S. bears special responsibility..."
- [Interview: A Beacon of Hope in Troubled Times; Stephen Zunes](https://stephenzunes.org/video/a-beacon-of-hope-in-troubled-times-an-interview-with-stephen-zunes/) - Resource Center for Nonviolence, January 11, 2024; 25 min. on YouTube. Professor Zunes shared his nuanced understanding of the Israel-Palestine conflict with RCNV’s Executive Director, Silvia Morales. Zunes said. "Jews feel attachment to Israel, often rationalizing war crimes it commits.” RCNV and Zunes emphasize human rights and international law over ideology.
- [Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestine, election of most right-wing government ever, and US Role](https://stephenzunes.org/video/israels-decades-long-occupation-of-palestine-election-of-most-right-wing-government-ever-and-us-role/) - Unitarian Universalist San Francisco, April 8, 2024, 1 hr. 19 mins.
- [Biden's engagemang for israel kan falla honom i valet](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/bidens-engagemang-for-israel-kan-falla-honom-i-valet/) - Zunes is quoted rather extensively in this article in the Gothenburg Post, the city’s leading newspaper.
- [Interview: Israel’s True Motivations in war on Gaza](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/israels-true-motivations-in-war-on-gaza/) - Israel’s True Motivations – A talk with Professor Stephen Zunes April 18, 2024, on WMNF-FM in Tampa
- [Interview: Campus activism and recent developments in Gaza](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/interview-campus-activism-and-recent-developments-in-gaza/) - KPFA-FM in Berkeley April 26, 2024 (Download mp3) Dr. Zunes’ half-hour segment begins at 30-minute mark
- [Interviews: US Israel/Palestine policy, Santita Jackson Show](https://stephenzunes.org/video/interviews-us-israel-palestine-policy-santita-jackson-show/) - Four interviews on US Israel/Palestine policy on the US nationally-syndicated Santita Jackson Show (Minn.): June 12, 2024 (Zunes begins at 31 mins.), April 29, April 29, and April 15. Watch all four below.
- [TV: What would ICC arrest warrants against Netanyahu et al. mean?](https://stephenzunes.org/video/tv-what-would-icc-arrest-warrants-against-netanyahu-et-al-mean/) - On Al Jazeera television broadcast panel with a prominent Israeli journalist and British international lawyer about possible indictment of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders [source]
- [US rejection of UN Membership for Palestine Betrays Claimed Two-State Position](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/us-rejection-of-un-membership-for-palestine-betrays-claimed-two-state-position/) - Common Dreams April 27, 2024: Unlike most governments that support a two-state solution, the United States only recognizes Israel, not Palestine. [source]
- [Antiwar/Solidarity Activism on Gaza: New Generation, New Challenges](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/antiwar-solidarity-activism-on-gaza-new-generation-new-challenges/) - Project on Middle East Political Science April 2024. [source]
- [The Crackdown on Campus Protests is a Bipartisan Strategy to Repress Pro-Palestine Speech](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/the-crackdown-on-campus-protests-is-a-bipartisan-strategy-to-repress-pro-palestine-speech/) - The Progressive, May 1, 2024: Unlike apartheid-era South Africa, many universities aren’t even recognizing Israel’s human rights abuses. A wave of sit-ins and encampments have swept college and university campuses... led—as in past anti-war campus protests in 1968—by Columbia University. [source]
- [Interview: The Dangerous Dynamic Between Israel and Iran](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iran/interview-the-dangerous-dynamic-between-israel-and-iran/) - KPFA-FM, Berkeley, “Letters and Politics” April 17, 2024 (Dr. Zunes' 20-min. segment begins at the 40-minute mark): On costs of the confrontation between Israel and Iran.
- [Interview: Suppression of Gaza War campus protests, outside agitators charge](https://stephenzunes.org/civil-liberties/interview-suppression-of-gaza-war-campus-protests-outside-agitators-charge/) - “Flashpoints” on KPFA-FM and affiliated stations (20-minute interview begins at the 13:15 mark): Dr. Zunes contrasts blatant censorship and violent police suppression of Gaza War campus protests with anti-apartheid protests of the 1980s.
- [Interview: The United States, Israel, and regional issues](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iran/interview-the-united-states-israel-and-regional-issues/) - KPFA-FM "Talkies" May 17, 2024 (begins at 16-mins.) Covers a number of issues regarding the United States, Israel, and Middle East regional issues. Criticizes the "extreme position" of Democratic Party politicians...
- [The New Assault on Academic Freedom: Professors across the country are being targeted by the right in order to score political points.](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/the-new-assault-on-academic-freedom-professors-across-the-country-are-being-targeted-by-the-right-in-order-to-score-political-points/) - The Progressive May 15, 2024: During the wave of campus protests opposing the U.S.-backed war on Gaza and calling for divestment from Israel, students weren’t the only ones facing arrest...
- [The Chilling Effect of Equating Criticism of Israel to Antisemitism](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/the-chilling-effect-of-equating-criticism-of-israel-to-antisemitism/) - The Progressive May 17, 2024: Broadening the federal definition of antisemitism is a disingenuous attempt to quash dissent...
- [Letter: Panetta opposes halting weapons to Israel](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/letter-panetta-opposes-halting-weapons-to-israel/) - Santa Cruz Sentinel Letter to the Editor May 20, 2024: Once again, our Congressperson Jimmy Panetta is out of step with his constituents....
- [Biden’s Response to Israel’s ICC Prosecution Is an Attack on International Law](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/bidens-response-to-israels-icc-prosecution-is-an-attack-on-international-law/) - Truthout May 22, 2024: This marks the first time in US history a sitting president has openly sided with suspected war criminals...
- [Biden Continues to Provide Israel Billions for War Crimes](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/biden-continues-to-provide-israel-billions-for-war-crimes/) - Truthout May 26, 2024: Biden’s administration is violating US law by continuing to send military aid to Israel despite Gaza war crimes [and] growing popular opposition...
- [Is Joe Biden’s Gaza Policy Leading to a Repeat of 1968?](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/is-joe-bidens-gaza-policy-leading-to-a-repeat-of-1968/) - The Progressive June 5, 2024Zunes warns how Biden’s Gaza policy and the repression against student protests is creating a political environment similar to 1968, in which alienating young and minority voters could dampen voter.
- [Parallels Between Today's Student Activism and Anti-Apartheid Protests](https://stephenzunes.org/video/stephen-zunes-draws-parallels-between-todays-student-activism-and-anti-apartheid-protests/) - In this Recent 8-min. video Dr. Zunes contrasts response to today’s growing student protests urging divestment from Israel with the successful student protests in the 1980s demanding boycotts and divestment from South Africa, which helped end apartheid there.
- [Interview: Kamala Harris, Israel Palestine and the 2024 Democratic Convention](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/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)
- [Interview: U.S. Policy and the Gaza war and its impact on American politics](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/u-s-policy-and-the-gaza-war-and-its-impact-on-american-politics/) - Community or Chaos with Marvin Hubbard, August 25, 2024A 50-minute interview for a New Zealand radio station.
- [Democratic Platform Defies International Law on the Middle East](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/democratic-platform-defies-international-law-on-the-middle-east-2/) - Truthout August 29, 2024Despite indications Harris will have a better foreign policy than Biden, the Democratic Party's platform’s segment on the Middle East -- written primarily by Biden's team -- is very disappointing...
- [Israel’s Orwellian Strategy in Lebanon](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/israels-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].
- [Video: Oxford Union Debate Against Military Intervention to Promote Democracy](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/oxford-union-debate-against-military-intervention-to-promote-democracy/) - This House Would Fight for Democracy, Liberty & the Rule of Law Abroad, April 8, 2023 [11 mins., Prof. Stephen Zunes' impassioned argument against John Bolton.]
- [Gaza War Prompts Attacks on Academic Freedom](https://stephenzunes.org/civil-liberties/gaza-war-prompts-attacks-on-academic-freedom/) - Americans for Middle East Understanding, Sept. 28, 2024:During the wave of campus protests opposing the US-backed war on Gaza and calling for divestment from Israel, students weren’t the only demonstrators to face arrest; supportive faculty members were also caught up in the crackdown... “We are witnessing a new era of McCarthyism where a House committee is
- [Lecture: Antisemitism in the Pro-Palestinian Movement: What’s Real, What’s Not, and Why it Matters](https://stephenzunes.org/civil-liberties/lecture-antisemitism-in-the-pro-palestinian-movement-whats-real-whats-not-and-why-it-matters/) - Lecture at University of San Francisco, Sept. 26, 2024, that critically examines charges of antisemitism in the U.S. pro-Palestinian movement.
- [Dr. Zunes' Speech from the Aug. 24 Panetta Protest   ](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/dr-zunes-speech-from-the-aug-24-panetta-protest/) - Serf City Times included this transcript of Dr. Zunes' speech at a rally in Santa Cruz protesting U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta's strident support for Israel's far right government, placing him further right than even the Biden administration -- and the failure of the Santa Cruz city government and other Democratic leaders to challenge him and
- [Interview for Oberlin College, Zunes' Alma Mater, on Israel, Palestine, Mideast](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/israel-palestine/interview-for-oberlin-college-zunes-alma-mater-on-israel-palestine-mideast/) - Oberlin College Nov. 1, 2024: Written transcript for the student newspaper after giving a series of talks October 2024 [source]
- [Video: A Year of Student Protest, Part 1: Goals & Achievements](https://stephenzunes.org/video/video-a-year-of-student-protest-part-1-goals-achievements/) - Zunes is one two faculty members interviewed in this
- [Interview for Singapore Radio on Assassination of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iran/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
- [Interview: Israel's devastating military offensive in the occupied West Bank](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-israels-devastating-military-offensive-in-the-occupied-west-bank/) - Al-Jazeera English "Inside Story" February 4, 2025: One of three experts, Zunes's segment begins at 9 mins. of 27.
- [Interview: Trump’s policy toward Palestinians](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-trumps-policy-toward-palestinians/) - Two recent interviews on CNA television, Singapore-based multinational news channel: Jordan, Egypt unlikely to take in more Palestinian refugees despite Trump’s threats (8 mins.) Trump’s proposal to ‘clean out’ Gaza disturbing (7 mins.)
- [Interview: Trump's plans to ethnic cleanse Gaza](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-trumps-plans-to-ethnic-cleanse-gaza/) - KPFA-FM news February 9, 2025; Segment begins at 14-mins.: Trump's plans for ethnic cleansing in Gaza and other issues.
- [Lecture: U.S. Middle East Policy Under Trump](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/lecture-u-s-middle-east-policy-under-trump/) - Video February 9, 2025: A talk for the Alameda County Green Party entitled “U.S. Middle East Policy Under Trump: How It Will Differ from Biden (and How It Won't)”
- [Interview BBC: Israel violates, threatens to end Gaza ceasefire](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-bbc-gaza-ceasefire/) - BBC television news February 15, 2025 (4 min.)
- [Interview: Ceasefire: Israel violates agreement, Democrats remain complacent](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-u-s-israel-palestine-iraq-now/) - KPFA-FM February 14, 2025 with Kris Welch (17 mins. starting at 15:30)
- [Interview: Speaking of Palestine, Gaza Ceasefire](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-speaking-of-palestine-gaza-ceasefire/) - FM Radio (CA) Feb. 24, 2025: On the Gaza ceasefire, Trump and Netanyahu's ethnic cleansing plans, and related issues (segment starts at 14:30).
- [Interview: Can Egypt’s plan for Gaza backed by Arab League become reality?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-can-egypts-plan-for-gaza-backed-by-arab-league-become-reality/) - Al-Jazeera English March 5, 2025 (28 mins.): On the Arab League's summit and quite reasonable reconstruction and administrative plan for Gaza, which both Israel and the United States have rejected. This follows US President Donald Trump’s proposal to forcibly expel Palestinians and turn Gaza into a US-controlled beach resort. Presenter Sami Zeidan interviews Zunes along
- [RTVI interview](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/rtvi-interview/) - RTVI is a global Russian-speaking multi-platform media, which includes a news website and other digital platforms: 6 YouTube channels, 2 Telegram channels and accounts in all major social networks. It broadcasts in 160 countries with more than 350 broadcasting operators around the world and over 20 million viewers. Wikipedia [Not to be confused with RT
- [Behind the Headlines: the CIA and Post 9/11 National Security with NY Times Reporter Eric Schmitt (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/afghanistan/behind-the-headlines-the-cia-and-post-911-national-security-with-ny-times-reporter-eric-schmitt-audio/) - NPR/The Commonwealth Club
- [10 years after the Iraq invasion, Washington still hasn't learned](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iraq/10-years-after-the-iraq-invasion-washington-still-hasnt-learned/) - This month marks the 10th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, which has resulted in the deaths of up to half a million Iraqis, mostly civilians, and the displacement of millions of others.
- [Don't Blame the Iraq Debacle on the Israel Lobby](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/dont-blame-the-iraq-debacle-on-the-israel-lobby/) - Given the enormous tragedy of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the war's tenth anniversary has inevitably raised the question of ?why?? As many of us predicted in the lead-up to the war, the official rationales for the U.S. invasion of Iraq?namely, that Iraq possessed ?weapons of mass destruction? and had operational ties to al-Qaeda?were false. And the corrupt, inept, and repressive sectarian government the United States helped establish in Baghdad has undermined any pretense that the war was about democracy.
- [Interview: WNUR-FM (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/interview-wnur-fm-audio/) - WNUR-FM Chicago Dr. Stephen Zunes discusses the Bradley Manning verdict beginning at the 15:30 minute mark
- [Possible Iraqi retaliation to Trump immigration restrictions](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/possible-iraqi-retaliation-to-trump-immigration-restrictions/) - [This item’s no longer available.] Iraq’s parliament has voted in favor of demanding the government respond in kind to the US visa ban on Iraqi nationals.
- [WBAI: Colin Powell’s Legacy](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/iraq/wbai-colin-powells-legacy/) - 18 October 2021: Item is no longer available. See Biden and Other Democrats Helped then Secretary of StateColin Powell Spread George W. Bush’s Iraq Lies about WMDs.
- [Interview: International News Net: World Report (audio)](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/interview-inn-world-report-audio/) - INN World Report Dr. Stephen Zune's commentary on Egypt and other topics begins at the 36-minute mark
- [Reaction to ICC Indictment Reveals US Bipartisan Contempt for International Law](https://stephenzunes.org/source/the-progressive/reaction-to-icc-indictment-reveals-bipartisan-contempt-for-international-law-2/) - 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]
- [New Zealand radio station (hosted by an American expat) on threats to American democracy from Trump and the far right.](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/new-zealand-radio-station-hosted-by-an-american-expat-on-threats-to-american-democracy-from-trump-and-the-far-right/) - Recording is no longer available. [Find best related links.]
- [Interview: Trump Was Never a “Moderate” on Foreign Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-trump-was-never-a-moderate-on-foreign-policy-2/) - Truthout August 21, 2024, by Daniel FalconeFormer President Donald Trump is sometimes depicted as having a less interventionist foreign policy than his Democratic rivals, but this is a myth, argues foreign policy scholar Stephen Zunes. The former president had an extreme militaristic agenda, which he disingenuously pitched as an alternative to former Secretary of State
- [Will Biden Cost Harris the Election?](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/will-biden-cost-harris-the-election-2/) - News Lines Magazine October 8, 2024[Dr. Zunes urges readers to please circulate this important article widely, particularly to those in swing states who are reluctant to vote for Harris because of the Biden administration’s Middle East policy.] A detailed analysis of how Kamala Harris is seriously constrained by her role as sitting vice-president from breaking
- [Interview: International Effects of Trump Presidency](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-international-effects-of-trump-presidency/) - OAR FM Radio, Community or Chaos late Feb. 2025:Zunes and New Zealand political science professor Robert Patman discussed the international ramifications of a Trump presidency -- "a slow motion coup."
- [Biden Has Defended US Allies’ Use of Lethal Force Against Civilians](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/biden-has-defended-us-allies-use-of-lethal-force-against-civilians/) - On an October evening in 2002, while quietly embroidering on the porch of her home in Nablus in the West Bank, 60-year-old Shaden Abu Hijleh was shot and killed by Israeli occupation forces. A grandmother and community activist involved in promoting the arts, women’s and children’s advocacy, serving the needy and nonviolent resistance to the occupation, she had no links to any violent or extremist organizations. No protests or other violent disturbances were taking place nearby, and her killing is widely believed to have been a targeted assassination.
- [Biden's Hawkish Record](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/joe-biden/bidens-hawkish-record/) - When Barack Obama picked Joe Biden as his running mate, he drew sharp criticism from his anti-war base because of Biden's support for the U.S. invasion of Iraq, his flagrantly false claims about the alleged Iraqi threat, and the abuse of his position as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to suppress antiwar testimony before Congress prior to the invasion....
- [Iraq: The Democrats’ War](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/iraq-the-democrats-war/) - The ongoing presence of over 50,000 US troops, many thousands of civilian employees and tens of thousands of US-backed mercenaries raises serious questions over the significance of the partial withdrawal of US forces from Iraq. The August 31 deadline marking the "end of US combat operations in Iraq" is not as real or significant a milestone as President Obama implied in his speech. Indeed, hearing for the umpteenth time that the US has "turned a corner" in Iraq, it makes one think that the country must be some kind of dodecahedron.
- [Biden’s Support of Iraq War Shows How He Would Run the White House](https://stephenzunes.org/source/truthout/bidens-support-of-iraq-war-shows-how-he-would-run-the-white-house/) - Supporters of presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden are probably hoping that Democratic voters will see his key role in pushing through the Iraq War authorization as simply a “mistake” which should not be a factor in the 2020 presidential race. Indeed, Biden now claims that, “From the moment [the invasion] started … I was opposed to the effort, and I was outspoken as much as anyone at all in the Congress” despite his statements at the time and subsequently that he supported Bush’s decision to invade even after inspectors returned and no “weapons of mass destruction” were found. Not only was Biden one of the most important Democratic supporters of the Iraq War, but that support says much about the kind of president he would be.
- [Worth the Price? Joe Biden and the Launch of the Iraq War](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/worth-the-price-joe-biden-and-the-launch-of-the-iraq-war/) - A 19-Minute documentary featuring a contribution by Dr. Stephen Zunes.
- [Obama Ad Condemns Israel Aid Opponents](https://stephenzunes.org/elections/obama-ad-condemns-israel-aid-opponents/) - An ad on my Facebook page from barackobama.com reads, "Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, and Newt Gingrich say they would start foreign aid to Israel at zero. Reject their extreme plan now!" This struck me as odd for two reasons: First, it is disingenuous and misleading. The actual position taken by these Republican presidential candidates is that all foreign aid should initially start at zero as means of reducing the deficit, to be immediately followed by the resumption of aid on a case-by-case basis. As they themselves have acknowledged, they would immediately resume aid to Israel and perhaps even increase it. Ironically, U.S. "aid for Israel" goes almost exclusively to U.S. arms manufacturers, with which the Republican candidates have a close relationship.
- [The U.S. and Chemical Weapons: No Leg to Stand On](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/the-u-s-and-chemical-weapons-no-leg-to-stand-on/) - Foreign Policy In Focus/Institute for Policy Studies, May 2, 2013 [Republished by Alternet, Ander Niews Week (Netherlands), Common Dreams, Greanville Post, Huffington Post and the Middle East Institute]
- [Tufts University: Western Sahara](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/tufts-university-western-sahara/) - 12 November 2021 (begins at 23:10, but item is no longer available). See the Archives, Blog and Reviews at Western-Sahara.org.
- [West’s role in Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/ws/) - April 20, 2024: On Dr. Zunes’ recent talk at the Gothenburg Science Festival on the West’s role in the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara. More at Western-Sahara.org
- [Not only the fate of the people of Western Sahara is at stake.](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/not-only-the-fate-of-the-people-of-western-sahara-is-at-stake/) - Emmaus Artikel 2, Stockholm May 2024 (Dr. Stephen Zunes is quoted extensively): The opposition to Trump’s rushed and unrighteous recognition of Morocco’s alleged sovereignty over Western Sahara prompts President Biden to correct this mistake... Biden could resend the U.S. recognition with the stroke of a pen, however, this has put him in something of a
- [Interview: Status of Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara for Emmaus, Stockholm](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/den-internationella-rattsordningens-trovardighet-star-pa-spel/) - ALSO SEE Dr. Zunes's book and website: Western Sahara: War, Nationalism and Conflict Irresolution Emmaus Artikel 2, Stockholm May 2024 An hour-long May 2024 interview (in English) of Dr. Stephen Zunes and a prominent Sahrawi activist in Stockholm on the situation in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara and international legal implications. More at Western-Sahara.org
- [Interview: Ukraine Peace Negotiations](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/trump/interview-ukraine-peace-negotiations/) - Fox-KTVU Television, San Francisco Bay, February 13, 2025 (7 mins)
- [Serbia: 10 Years Later](https://stephenzunes.org/eastern-europe/serbia-10-years-later/) - Since the end of the U.S.-led war against Serbia, the country is slowly emerging from the wars of the 1990s. Despite lingering problems, Serbs appear to be more optimistic about their country's future than they have for decades. The United States deserves little credit for the positive developments, however, and a fair amount of blame for the country's remaining problems....
- [Showdown in 'Tegucigolpe'](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-commentary/showdown-in-tegucigolpe/) - One of the hemisphere's most critical struggles for democracy in 20 years is now unfolding in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa (nicknamed "Tegucigolpe" for its long history of military coup d'états, which are called golpes de estado, in Spanish). Despite censorship and repression, popular anger over the June 28 military overthrow of democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya is growing. International condemnation has been near-unanimous, and the Organization of American States has suspended Honduras, the first time the hemisphere-wide body has taken so drastic an action since 1962.
- [Lessons from the Velvet Revolution](https://stephenzunes.org/eastern-europe/lessons-from-the-velvet-revolution/) - The 20th anniversary of the 1989 Velvet Revolution that overthrew the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia was one of the most impressive civil insurrections in history. It was not the military might of NATO, but the power of nonviolent action by ordinary citizens which brought down the system. The popular uprising against the repressive system that had ruled their country for much of the previous four decades -- along with comparable movements, which came to the fore that year in Poland, Hungary and East Germany -- marks a great triumph of the human spirit....
- [A Tale of Two Human Rights Awardees](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/a-tale-of-two-human-rights-awardees/) - I have worked with both Jenni Williams and Aminatou Haidar. They are both deserving of the RFK Prize, and they both deserve the support of the U.S. government as well. A test of a government's sense of justice is whether it sees human rights as a universal principle or simply as a political tool to advance its foreign policy agenda. The Obama administration appears to have opted for the latter. It is easy to support human rights activists like the women of WOZA, since they are battling against a regime opposed by the United States. When it comes to human rights activists who challenge a U.S. ally, however, the Obama administration appears no different than previous administrations in tolerating their oppression.
- [U.S. Lawmakers Support Illegal Annexation](https://stephenzunes.org/africa/western-sahara/u-s-lawmakers-support-illegal-annexation/) - In yet another assault on fundamental principles of international law, a bipartisan majority of the Senate has gone on record calling on the United States to endorse Morocco's illegal annexation of Western Sahara, the former Spanish colony invaded by Moroccan forces in 1975 on the verge of its independence. In doing so, the Senate is pressuring the Obama administration to go against a series of UN Security Council resolutions, a landmark decision of the International Court of Justice, and the position of the African Union and most of the United States' closest European allies.
- [The U.S. Attack on Syria: Implications for the Next Administration](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/the-u-s-attack-on-syria-implications-for-the-next-administration/) - The raid by U.S. forces into Syria in late October was not only a major breach of international law, but has resulted in serious diplomatic repercussions which will likely harm U.S. strategic interests in the region. On October 25, four U.S. Army helicopters entered Syrian airspace from Iraq, firing upon laborers at the Sukkariyeh Farm near the town of Abu Kamal; two of the helicopters landed and eight commandoes reportedly stormed a building. By the time it was over, eight people had been killed, at least seven of whom were civilians, including three children....
- [Yemen: The Latest U.S. Battleground](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east/arabian-peninsula/yemen/yemen-the-latest-u-s-battleground/) - The United States may be on the verge of involvement in yet another counterinsurgency war which, as is the case in Iraq and Afghanistan, may make a bad situation even worse. The attempted Christmas Day bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight by a Nigerian man was apparently planned in Yemen. There were alleged ties between the perpetrator of the Ft. Hood massacre and a radical Yemeni cleric, and an ongoing U.S.-backed Yemeni military offensive against al-Qaeda have all focused U.S. attention on that country....
- [Obama's Human Rights Record a Disappointment](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/obamas-human-rights-record-a-disappointment/) - One year into their term in office, the Obama administration's record on human rights has been a major disappointment. In part because the Bush administration abused the promotion of democracy and human rights to rationalize its militaristic policies in the Middle East and elsewhere, the Obama administration has at times been reluctant to be a forceful advocate for those struggling against oppression. For example, Obama was cautious in supporting the ongoing freedom struggle....
- [Obama's State of the Union: Little Focus on the World Beyond Our Borders](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/obamas-state-of-the-union/) - Despite two ongoing wars, it was striking that Obama focused so little in his first State of the Union speech on the world outside our borders other than the call to be competitive in the global economy. Indeed, he dedicated only eight minutes of the 70-minute speech to foreign policy. Yet many of the pressing economic problems the country faces that were addressed in the speech are directly related to foreign policy. And, despite promises of change, much of this foreign policy shows disappointing continuity with previous administrations.
- [The Gaza War, Congress and International Humanitarian Law](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/democratic/the-gaza-war-congress-and-international-humanitarian-law/) - The large-scale killing of civilians during Israel’s three-week assault on the Gaza Strip in 2008-09 received widespread condemnation from human-rights advocates and international legal scholars the world over. In both Europe and North America, public reaction to the grossly disproportionate Israeli response to Hamas rocket attacks was the most negative ever expressed against an Israeli military action. In Israel itself, soldiers who had witnesses some of the atrocities joined Israeli peace activists in exposing war crimes committed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). However, the U.S. Congress, under the leadership of the Democratic Party, overwhelmingly defended the Israeli offensive, even to the point of attacking leading defenders of international humanitarian law.
- [Richard Holbrooke Represented the Worst Side of the Foreign Policy Establishment](https://stephenzunes.org/foreign-policy/richard-holbrooke-represented-the-worst-side-of-the-foreign-policy-establishment/) - The many accolades coming out following the sudden death on Monday of veteran diplomat Richard Holbrooke and his death bed conversion in opposing the Iraq war have overshadowed his rather sordid history of supporting dictators, war criminals and military solutions to complex political problems.
- [The U.S. Deserves Its Share of Blame for Fate of Arab Christians](https://stephenzunes.org/source/fpif/fpif-analysis/the-u-s-deserves-its-share-of-blame-for-fate-of-arab-christians/) - It was the second week in January in 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 US bombing campaign -- which was to be known as “Operation Desert Storm” – that was soon to commence. A member of our group asked the priest whose side the church would be on in the forthcoming conflict. He replied that “The Church can only be on one side. That of the victims.”
- [Israel Represses Israelis and Congress Approves](https://stephenzunes.org/source/huffington-post/israel-represses-israelis-and-congress-approves/) - It's been two years since Israel initiated the "Operation Cast Lead" military assault on the besieged Gaza Strip. Since then, the right-wing Israeli government of Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has launched an unprecedented wave of intimidation against Israeli peace and human rights groups. These groups say they are "working in an increasingly hostile environment," according to a New York Times report, and that Israeli government leaders are fostering "an atmosphere of harassment" by turning "human rights criticism into an existential threat." However, Congress has chosen to look the other way -- and wants the executive branch to do the same.

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- [Suggested Lecture Topics](https://stephenzunes.org/lecture-topics/) - The Trump Administration and the Middle East U.S. Policy towards Israel/Palestine and Fading Hopes for a Two-State Solution The Syrian Tragedy: Causes, Consequences, and U.S. Policy ISIS: Causes, Consequences, and What to Do Now Iraq’s Ongoing War: Causes and U.S. Options Libya’s Disintegration and the U.S. Role Syria: Opposing the Regime, ISIS, and Military Intervention
- [About](https://stephenzunes.org/about/) - Dr. Stephen Zunes is a Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, where he served as founding director of the program in Middle Eastern Studies, and is the inaugural Daniel Greenberg Faculty Fellow in Interfaith Nonviolence. Recognized as one the country’s leading scholars of U.S. Middle East policy and of
- [Archive](https://stephenzunes.org/archive/) - Search over 1,000 articles, lectures, and interviews by Professor Stephen Zunes, by Date or Source or by Category below, (or see all in chronological order). Audio, Radio, Books, Interviews, Lectures, Television, Video . * Censorship * Civil Liberties * Climate * Democracy * Globalization * Terrorism * United Nations * War on Terror -- MAJOR
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- [Books](https://stephenzunes.org/books/) - By Professor Stephen Zunes Nonviolent Social Movements: A Geographical Perspective Nonviolent Social Movements is the first book to offer a truly global overview of the dramatic growth of popular nonviolent struggles in recent years. From the civil rights movement in the United States, and the ‘People Power’ movement in the Philippines, to the pro-democracy movements
- [Archive: Search over 1000 by Date](https://stephenzunes.org/archive-search-by-date/) - Or search by Category or Source, or see over 1,000 in chronological order. 2025 2025 August July June April March February January 2024 2024 December November October August June May April March February 2023 2023 (9 were posted belatedly 2/24) 2022 2022 2021 2021 November October September August June May April March February January 2020
- [Privacy Policy](https://stephenzunes.org/privacy/) - Who we are Our website address is: https://stephenzunes.org. This site is a compendium of publications and other resources by and about Professor Stephen Zunes, his research and related work. This site does not collect or publish visitor comments and retains no personal information other than essentially anonymous visitation statistics. Links to Other Sites This site
- [Quotes](https://stephenzunes.org/quotes/) - Dr. Stephen Zunes is frequently interviewed and quoted by a wide range of U.S. and international media as a political scientist, author and prominent expert on the Middle East, Western Sahara and Nonviolent Social Movements and change. Below are a few recent examples. In Gaza, the US is an active partner in Israel's war The
- [Middle East Interviews, KPFA Oct. '23-July '24](https://stephenzunes.org/middle-east-interviews-kpfa-oct-23-july-24/) - Twelve more interviews on KPFA Evening News aired Sundays on KPFA-FM and Pacifica Radio Network affiliated stations October 7, 2023 through July 2024 October 8, 2023: The horror of the crimes, why it happened, and the U.S. response (begins just after the four-minute mark) Mid-October: The United States has long been an international outlier in

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- [In These Times](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/in-these-times/) - In These Times
- [San Francisco Chronicle](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/san-francisco-chronicle/) - San Francisco Chronicle
- [WORT](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/radio/wort/) - WORT FM Radio
- [Censorship](https://stephenzunes.org/category/censorship/) - censorship
- [campus activism](https://stephenzunes.org/category/nonviolent-action/campus-activism/) - campus activism
- [George McGovern](https://stephenzunes.org/category/foreign-policy/george-mcgovern/) - George McGovern
- [Pacifica Radio](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/radio/pacifica-radio/)
- [International Center on Nonviolent Conflict](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/international-center-on-nonviolent-conflict/)
- [Free Speech Radio News](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/radio/free-speech-radio-news/)
- [C-SPAN](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/television/c-span/) - C-SPAN
- [Podcasts](https://stephenzunes.org/category/audio/podcast/) - Podcast
- [WPFW](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/radio/pacifica-radio/wpfw/)
- [Bahrain](https://stephenzunes.org/category/middle-east/arabian-peninsula/bahrain/)
- [Hezbollah](https://stephenzunes.org/category/middle-east/lebanon/hezbollah/)
- [Kamala Harris](https://stephenzunes.org/category/foreign-policy/kamala-harris/)
- [NPR](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/radio/npr/) - National Public Radio
- [Jimmy Carter](https://stephenzunes.org/category/foreign-policy/jimmy-carter/) - Jimmy Carter’s foreign policy legacy as president.
- [Inter Press Service](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/inter-press-service/) - Inter Press Service, UN
- [New Lines Magazine](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/new-lines-magazine/) - News Line Magazine
- [BBC](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/radio/bbc/) - BBC
- [BBC](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/television/bbc-television/) - BBC
- [WRFI](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/radio/pacifica-radio/wrfi/)
- [New Zealand, Community or Chaos](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/radio/new-zealand-community-or-chaos/) - Community or Chaos radio, New Zealand
- [Qatar](https://stephenzunes.org/category/middle-east/arabian-peninsula/qatar/) - Qatar
- [Wyoming Star](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/wyoming-star/) - Wyoming Star
- [CNA Singapore](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/television/cna-singapore/) - CNA/Channel News Asia television, Singapore
- [Santita Jackson Show](https://stephenzunes.org/category/video/santita-jackson-show/)
- [The Nation](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/the-nation/) - The Nation magazine
- [Arab Organisation for Human Rights](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/arab-organisation-for-human-rights/) - Arab Organisation for Human Rights UK
- [Venezuela](https://stephenzunes.org/category/latin-america-caribbean/venezuela/) - Venezuela
- [Fair Observer](https://stephenzunes.org/category/source/fair-observer/) - Fair Observer

## Tags

- [abortion](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/abortion/)
- [foreign aid](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/foreign-aid/)
- [allegations](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/allegations/)
- [American Federation of Teachers (AFT)](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/american-federation-of-teachers-aft/)
- [Amnesty International](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/amnesty-international/)
- [annexation](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/annexation/)
- [Annotate This!](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/annotate-this/)
- [Anthony Weiner](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/anthony-weiner/)
- [anti-racism](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/anti-racism/)
- [apartheid](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/apartheid/)
- [Arafat](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/arafat/)
- [Ariel Sharon](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/ariel-sharon/)
- [Armenian Genocide](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/armenian-genocide/)
- [Assad](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/assad/)
- [Bahrain](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/bahrain/)
- [Barbara Boxer](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/barbara-boxer/)
- [Bin Laden](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/bin-laden/)
- [blowback](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/blowback/)
- [California](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/california/)
- [Camp David](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/camp-david/)
- [Carter](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/carter/)
- [ceasefire](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/ceasefire/)
- [Chas Freeman](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/chas-freeman/)
- [chemical weapons](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/chemical-weapons/)
- [Chile](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/chile/)
- [Christian Right](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/christian-right/)
- [Civil Courage Award](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/civil-courage-award/)
- [civil liberties](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/civil-liberties/)
- [civil society](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/civil-society/)
- [colonialism](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/colonialism/)
- [Cooties](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/cooties/)
- [coup d'état](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/coup-detat/)
- [Cuba](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/cuba/)
- [Czechoslovakia](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/czechoslovakia/)
- [democracy](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/democracy/)
- [East Africa](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/east-africa/)
- [East Timor](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/east-timor/)
- [Ed Markey](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/ed-markey/)
- [education](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/education/)
- [El Mozte massacre](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/el-mozte-massacre/)
- [Equatorial Guinea](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/equatorial-guinea/)
- [Feinstein](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/feinstein/)
- [foreign relations chair](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/foreign-relations-chair/)
- [free speech](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/free-speech/)
- [Gaddafi](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/gaddafi/)
- [Gene Sharp](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/gene-sharp/)
- [genocide](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/genocide/)
- [George McGovern](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/george-mcgovern/)
- [George Mitchell](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/george-mitchell/)
- [Georgia](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/georgia/)
- [globalization](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/globalization/)
- [Gulf War](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/gulf-war/)
- [Harry Reid](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/harry-reid/)
- [IAEA](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/iaea/)
- [Ian Williams](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/ian-williams/)
- [Indonesia](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/indonesia/)
- [International Center for Nonviolent Conflict](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/international-center-for-nonviolent-conflict/)
- [IPC](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/ipc/)
- [Islamic World](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/islamic-world/)
- [Jenni Williams](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/jenni-williams/)
- [Jerusalem](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/jerusalem/)
- [John Edwards](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/john-edwards/)
- [John Hall](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/john-hall/)
- [John McCain](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/john-mccain/)
- [Kent State](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/kent-state/)
- [Kurds](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/kurds/)
- [Lectures](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/lectures/)
- [Letter](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/letter/)
- [Likud Bloc](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/likud-bloc/)
- [Magodona Mahlangu](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/magodona-mahlangu/)
- [Mahmoud Ahmadinejad](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/mahmoud-ahmadinejad/)
- [Mauritania](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/mauritania/)
- [MINURSO](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/minurso/)
- [MoveOn.org](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/moveon-org/)
- [Neoconservatives](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/neoconservatives/)
- [not audio](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/notaudio/)
- [occupation](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/occupation/)
- [Occupy Wall Street](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/occupy-wall-street/)
- [oil spill](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/oil-spill/)
- [Open Letter](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/open-letter/)
- [Ossetians](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/ossetians/)
- [Pompeo](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/pompeo/)
- [Qaddafi](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/qaddafi/)
- [Rahm Emanuel](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/rahm-emanuel/)
- [Ralph Nader](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/ralph-nader/)
- [Republican Party](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/republican-party/)
- [Republican Smear](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/republican-smear/)
- [RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/rfk-center-for-justice-and-human-rights/)
- [Richard Holbrooke](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/richard-holbrooke/)
- [Robert F Kennedy Award](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/robert-f-kennedy-award/)
- [Robert Mugabe](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/robert-mugabe/)
- [Rose Revolution](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/rose-revolution/)
- [Sarah Palin](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/sarah-palin/)
- [self-determination](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/self-determination/)
- [Slobodan Milosevic](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/slobodan-milosevic/)
- [State of the Union](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/state-of-the-union/)
- [Taliban](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/taliban/)
- [Teacher's Union](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/teachers-union/)
- [Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/teodoro-obiang-nguema-mbasogo/)
- [Tom Lantos (D-CA)](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/tom-lantos-d-ca/)
- [Velvet Revolution](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/velvet-revolution/)
- [Wikileaks](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/wikileaks/)
- [death penalty Capital Punishment](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/death-penalty-capital-punishment/)
- [foreign occupation](https://stephenzunes.org/tag/foreign-occupation/)