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

Latest Agreement in Syria Could Lead to Further Escalation

Phyllis Bennis says the war in Syria is being fought by outside powers to the last Syrian

‘No Wars for the Billionaire Class’: A look at a possible Sanders foreign policy

Sanders’ theme of addressing economic inequality could carry into his foreign policy

Who Benefits From Lifting Nuclear-Based Sanctions on Iran? The Iranian People.

Lifting of sanctions will be most significant for the Iranian people as Iran reintegrates into the world economy.

IPS Statement on the Release of Jason Rezaian and Other Detainees

Statement from Phyllis Bennis, IPS’s Middle East expert

The US-Iran Prisoner Swap Proves Diplomacy Works

But we must not take the survival of the nuclear deal for granted, because it still has many powerful opponents.

Who is responsible for the crisis in Syria and Iraq?

Americans must take responsibility for the havoc their government is perpetuating in the Middle East.

Is It Time for the US to Pull Out of Iraq and Syria?

 Five years after the Arab Spring began, four experts debate a pressing question that remains unsettled on the left.

Voters trust Clinton most on terrorism. Here’s why they shouldn’t.

Hillary Clinton spoke last week about what she would do to combat ISIS. Her strategy would only exacerbate the problem.

The Push For Ground War Grows Louder in Washington. Would It Help?

French fighter jets joined coalition strikes against ISIS for the third time in two days, but some in Washington want to see troops on the ground.

After Paris & Beirut Attacks, A Call for Justice – Not Vengeance

The years after 9/11 are a powerful reminder that an ‘all-out war’ on terror only creates more terrorism.

Is The U.S. Fighting for Regime Change in Syria?

Syrians are paying the price for the regional and global proxy fights taking place alongside the civil war there.

Will the U.S. Appease Netanyahu and Increase Military Aid to Israel?

Netanyahu requests a $2 billion increase in military aid on top of the more than $3 billion worth of weaponry that U.S. taxpayers provide to Israel each year.

The Endless War Grows: Obama Sends U.S. Forces to Syria, Reversing Pledge of No Boots on the Ground

The U.S. deployment of a team of special operations forces to Syria comes after the first U.S. combat casualty in Iraq in four years.

Iran Invited for Talks on Syria

Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies says the invitation to Iran is late but an essential move for a diplomatic regional solution, made possible by Russia’s escalated involvement in Syria.

Grounds for Doubt

Can the Pentagon still realistically maintain its ‘no boots on the ground’ stance in Iraq given that an American soldier has been killed in action there?

What to expect from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s trip to the Middle East this week

The question is not whether the U.S. has influence over Israel, but whether there is enough political will in Washington to inspire change, says Phyllis Bennis

Phyllis Bennis on U.S. Bombing of Afghan Hospital

The Pentagon has declared the bombing of a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, a “mistake.” Will an independent investigation be allowed to take place?

MSF Hospital Targeted by Afghan Government Forces in July

“We don’t get to choose–shouldn’t get to choose–who governs the people of Afghanistan,” says Phyllis Bennis

The Real Meaning of ‘Collateral Damage’

U.S. bombs hit a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan, leaving at least 22 dead.

Standing Before Congress, Pope Francis Calls Out the ‘Industry of Death’

In his speech to U.S. lawmakers, the “People’s pope” condemned the arms trade, war profiteering, and even the war on terror itself.

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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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