IPS Fellow Phyllis Bennis directs the New Internationalism Project at IPS, focusing on the Middle East, U.S. militarism, and UN issues. She is also a fellow of the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam.

In 2001 she helped found the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights and more recently spent six years on the board of Jewish Voice for Peace, where she now serves as its International Adviser. She works with many anti-war and Palestinian rights organizations, writing and speaking widely across the U.S. and around the world. She has served as an informal adviser to several top UN officials on Middle East issues and was twice short-listed to become the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Phyllis has written and edited 11 books. Among her latest is the 7th updated edition of her popular Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, published in 2018. She is also the author of Before & After: U.S. Foreign Policy and the War on Terror and Challenging Empire.

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Latest

Trump’s Pick for UN Ambassador Has Zero Foreign Policy Experience

If the Senate took the United Nations seriously, they would insist on a serious diplomat, Bennis told the Real News Network.

Trump’s Foreign Policy Picks Don’t Match His Isolationist Rhetoric

Trump has a heavy dose of anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim sentiment behind him, Phyllis Bennis tells the Real News Network.

We Can’t Predict Trump’s Foreign Policy, But We Can Mobilize a Broader Peace Movement to Protect Vulnerable Communities

The only thing we know for sure, Bennis said in an interview with FAIR, is that social movements are going to be far more important than anyone else.

 The War in Syria Cannot Be Won. But It Can Be Ended.

The multi-layered wars raging across Syria are complex, but there is no military solution, and it’s time for the left to rebuild a movement based on that reality.

Social Movements, Not Debate Moderators, Will Hold Candidates Accountable

Many falsehoods in candidates’ responses went unchallenged, Phyllis Bennis told Democracy Now! in her post-debate analysis.

In Second Debate, Clinton Escalates Her Call for a Military Solution in Syria

When it comes to their foreign policy proposals, Clinton’s is irresponsible and Trump’s has no content, Phyllis Bennis tells the Real News Network.

Record $38 Billion in Military Aid to Israel is a “Statement of Absolute Support” for Israeli Occupation

This is not about Israeli defenses, Bennis told the Real News Network, it’s about funding apartheid.

Saudi Arabia is Using U.S. Weapons to Kill Yemeni Civilians

The Obama administration has approved another $1.15 billion in weapons to the Saudi regime, even as it continues to bomb Doctors Without Borders-run hospitals.

Trump is Calling for a Return to McCarthy-Era Repression

Trump’s proposal for a commission on radical Islam echos the infamously shameful House Un-American Activities Committee, Phyllis Bennis tells Democracy Now!

No One is Asking Hillary Clinton What She’d Do In Syria and Iraq

The problem with Clinton is that although her critique of Trump is accurate, she is unclear about her own positions, Phyllis Bennis tells Democracy Now!

Team Refugee and the Normalization of Mass Displacement

As refugees take the Olympic stage, the wars that sent them running for their lives continue apace.

U.S. Announces New Front Against ISIS in Libya

“There is no military response to terrorism. President Obama says that over and over again. It’s time we held him accountable to his own words,” Phyllis Bennis told Democracy Now!

A Revolution That Reverses Militarism and Occupation

As part of a forum in the Nation on how to build the political revolution, Phyllis Bennis tells us how the U.S. can end its militarized foreign policy.

Escalation in Mosul Will Cause a Massive Refugee Crisis that Dwarfs the Existing One

The U.S. has announced it will send 560 more troops to Iraq to fight ISIS, but no preparations have been made to take care of the civilians that will have their city destroyed, Phyllis Bennis tells the Real News Network.

What the Democratic Party Platform Tells Us About Where We Are on War

The platform shows the limits of party politics while corporate and military interests dominate both parties  — and the necessity of social movements to challenge those limits.

The Chilcot Report Legitimizes Critiques of the Iraq Invasion, But Lacks Accountability Measures

When no one goes to jail, Phyllis Bennis tells South African radio, there’s no reason for future Tony Blairs to do anything differently.

More Troops in Afghanistan is a Huge Mistake

After 15 years of U.S. occupation in Afghanistan, the Taliban controls more territory than at any point since the U.S. invasion that overthrew them in 2001, Phyllis Bennis tells Press TV.

Our Military Approach to ISIS Will Only Lead to More Civilian Casualties

We need to address the root causes of what is leading ordinary people to turn to ISIS, Phyllis Bennis tells RT America.

From Paris to Istanbul, More ‘War on Terror’ Means More Terrorist Attacks

As ISIS loses territory, it returns to mass-casualty attacks against civilians. That’s why military-first approaches to terrorism are doomed to failure.

Reclaiming the Legitimacy of the United Nations as a Truly Internationalist Power

In the second issues of the International Review of Contemporary Law, dedicated to the 70th Anniversary of the United Nations Charter, Phyllis Bennis writes about the Paris climate talks, the UN, terrorism, and the global war on terror.

Program Director

New Internationalism

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anti-war movements, International Law, Iran, Iraq, ISIS, Israel-Palestine, Middle East, military budget, Refugees, sanctuary movement, Saudi Arabia, Syria, terrorism, Torture, U.S. foreign policy, U.S. wars, United Nations, War on Terror, Yemen

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