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

Boehners’ Invitation to Netanyahu a Provocation Aimed at War with Iran

Phyllis Bennis says the invitation issued to Netanyahu to speak to U.S. Congress, and the call for more sanctions against Iran, is a call for war

Boehner Invites Netanyahu to U.S. Congress Without Consulting the White House

Phyllis Bennis joins Lawrence O’Donnell on The Last Word: “This goes beyond partisan politics — it is more urgently involved with the question of negotiations with Iran.”

Phyllis Bennis: As Obama Hails “Turning Page” on Wars, U.S. Drone Strikes Continue Across Globe

“It’s a rather shocking level of authorization to go to war anywhere in the world for as long as you want, against whoever you say, without any checks and balances,” she says.

Class War Is Being Waged by the Rich Against the Poor

Phyllis Bennis joins Ralph Nader and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Cay Johnston to discuss inequality in the State of the Union address on Democracy Now!.

Do Demonstrations Matter?

Phyllis Bennis and filmmaker Amir Amirani discuss the largest mobilization of people in human history — the 2003 protest against the invasion of Iraq — and its relevance to today.

Will ICC Membership Bring Justice to Stateless and Occupied Palestinians?

In a move opposed by the United States and Israel, Palestinian leaders have submitted a request to join the International Criminal Court and sign over a dozen other international treaties.

Palestinian Statehood: A Lost Cause?

The United Nations Security Council has again undermined efforts to end the Israeli occupation.

Just “Ending the Violence” Isn’t Enough

Following the attacks on a synagogue in Jerusalem by two Palestinian youths, Phyllis Bennis discusses the significant role of Israeli and U.S. policies in the escalating conflict.

EU Parliament Vote on Palestinian Statehood a ‘Very Important Move’

The vote could represent an international shift where Washington is no longer the center of negotiating peace between Israel and Palestine.

Diplomacy, Not Bombs, Against ISIS

Phyllis Bennis on RT’s Breaking the Set, discussing military force against ISIS.

Chuck Hagel Resigns – A Look at His Track Record

After less than two years as U.S. Secretary of Defense, what progress did Chuck Hagel make on the withdrawal in Afghanistan, the Pentagon budget, and the rise of the Islamic State?

Webinar: Understanding the U.S.-ISIS Crisis and Washington’s New Wars

Phyllis Bennis delves into the context of the U.S.-ISIS Crisis, addressing what is ISIS and why are they considered such a threat, why the Obama administration going back to war in Iraq and Syria, and whether this U.S. war helping the Syrian regime.

Should the U.S. Change Its Islamic State Strategy in Syria?

Phyllis Bennis discusses the Obama administration’s strategy to defeat the Islamic State in Syria and the regional challenges it faces on PBS NewsHour.

IPS Fellow Phyllis Bennis Condemns Escalating War in Syria and Iraq

More troops will mean “more violence for Iraqis and Syrians” and will not “make us any safer here at home.”

CIA Report: Arming Foreign Forces Has “Minimal Impact”

“This was a report looking back at examples where arming rebel troops worked — and the best [the CIA] could come up with was Afghanistan in the 1980s,” says Phyllis Bennis.

Phyllis Bennis Discusses Latest Developments in Libya

Phyllis Bennis discusses the deteriorating security situation in Libya on CCTV.

The Islamic State Crisis: Responding Without War

Phyllis Bennis addresses the Westchester Peace Action Coalition on crises such as Ebola, ISIS, and renewed wars in the Middle East.

U.S. Will Fail In Attempt to Create Proxy Army in Syria

Obama has been right — in rhetoric — about one thing: there is no military solution to defeating the Islamic State.

“There Is No Military Solution” – But Obama Launches a New U.S. War in Syria

President Obama’s decision to bomb Syria stands in stark violation of international law, the UN Charter, and the requirements of the U.S. Constitution.

Is There a Diplomatic Solution to ISIS Crisis?

The U.S. could turn to aid, arms embargo, and engaging foes.

Program Director

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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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