Erik Leaver

Erik is the communications manager at IPS. Previously he served as a research fellow with the peace and security program and with the Foreign Policy In Focus project.

Erik holds an MA in Latin American Studies from the University of New Mexico. He worked with the Interhemispheric Resource Center in New Mexico on Foreign Policy In Focus before moving to Washington to continue his work at IPS in April 1999.

You can follow him on twitter at: erikleaver and on Netvibes at: http://www.netvibes.com/erikleaver

Latest

An Interview with Jonathan Hutto

Erik Leaver | June 6, 2008

Over the last two years, some of the most energized movements opposing the war have not been those made up of civilians but those who have served on the front lines.

Anti-War Soldier: An Interview with Jonathan Hutto

Erik Leaver | June 6, 2008

Hutto talks about the founding of the Appeal for Redress and how the GI movement during the Vietnam War paved the way for the current movement.

When Sanctions Are Not Sanctions

Sam Gardiner, Erik Leaver | June 5, 2008

Calls for further sanctions on Iran may have a bigger impact than anyone imagines.

Candidates for Congress Show the Way Out

Erik Leaver | June 1, 2008

The 2006 mid-term election sent a clear signal: Americans want out of Iraq. As the occupation drags on, 10 candidates for the U.S. Congress announce a plan to bring all the troops home.

A Moral Burden on U.S. Soldiers

Erik Leaver, Adil E. Shamoo | May 30, 2008

The Iraq War is morally troublesome and many of our soldiers are suffering the consequences.

Getting Iraq to Pay More Is Not the Answer

Raed Jarrar, Erik Leaver | May 14, 2008

Congress should stop blaming the Iraqi government for our economic woes.

Does Protest Embolden the Iraqi Insurgency?

Camillo "Mac" Bica, Erik Leaver | May 12, 2008

An unpublished research paper that tries to blame protest and dissent for “emboldening” Iraq’s insurgents is severely flawed but its propaganda value is attracting unwarranted attention.

The Iraq Supplemental: A Three Ring Circus

Erik Leaver | May 8, 2008

A complicated picture has emerged for the latest Iraq spending bill.

The "Surge" of Iraqi Prisoners

Ciara Gilmartin, Erik Leaver | May 7, 2008

Amid all the talk about the U.S. military “surge” in Iraq, little has been said about the accompanying “surge” of Iraqi prisoners, whose numbers rose to nearly 51,000 at the end of 2007.

Mission Accomplished, Five Years Later

Erik Leaver | May 1, 2008

Five years after President George W. Bush declared “Mission Accomplished,” little has changed.

The New Walls of Baghdad

Erik Leaver, Steve Niva | April 21, 2008

One glance at the realities on the ground in Iraq today reveals that U.S. military strategy is less about cultivating human relationships than about limiting them.

Freedom, Democracy, and Death in Iraq

Erik Leaver, Adil E. Shamoo | April 8, 2008

By supporting Prime Minister al-Maliki in his attacks on Sadr’s al-Mahdi army, the U.S. is now more deeply involved in Iraq’s sectarian war.

Iraq Quagmire: Costs of War

Erik Leaver, Jenny Shin | March 27, 2008

Five years into the U.S. occupation of Iraq, the human, economic, social and other costs keep growing.

The Arab Abstraction

Erica Bouris, Erik Leaver | March 19, 2008

Even after five years of war, I have only rarely seen the lurching of a human gut towards these suffering people.

Iraq’s "Hidden" Conflict

Raed Jarrar, Erik Leaver | March 18, 2008

The “hidden” conflict in Iraq is in many ways similar to the U.S. civil war: Iraqis who are for keeping a central government are fighting against Iraqis who want to secede.

The Iraq War: The Costs to States

Erik Leaver, Jenny Shin | March 17, 2008

Facts and Figures of the Costs of the Iraq War to U.S. States

Rule, Not Reconciliation

Dahr Jamail, Erik Leaver | March 17, 2008

Occupation forces and their methods are dividing Iraqi groups, and rather than promoting reconciliation, are encouraging increases in violence, power struggles, and strife.

Messages to the People

The Brussels Tribunal, Erik Leaver | March 13, 2008

20th March 2003: the American army and its allies bombard Baghdad. The War in Iraq has started. Five years later, we, as writers, are sending a message to the people.

Progressives for Success in Iraq

Erik Leaver, Adil E. Shamoo | March 12, 2008

Five years later, it turns out that progressives were not only right in their predictions about the war, they are still right today in advocating a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.