Phyllis Bennis, Common Dreams

Phyllis Bennis

Common Dreams

Washington, DC, United States

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Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • Common Dreams
  • Inst. Policy Studies
  • BillMoyers.com

Past articles by Phyllis:

Who Benefits From Israel's Slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political troubles—and an arms industry eager to battle test new wares on Gazans—may help explain the latest escalation of violence. → Read More

Why Human Rights Watch Designating Israel's Crimes as Apartheid Is a Very Big Deal

Human Rights Watch is the best-known and arguably the most influential among Washington elites of any of the many human rights organizations in the United States. So when HRW issues an unsparing, 200-plus page legal and factual report concluding that Israeli government authorities are guilty of the crime of apartheid, it is a very big deal.The key findings are that it is → Read More

Poor Nation's of the Earth Host Millions of Refugees as US Refuses to Host Just a Few Thousand

Thousands of desperate migrants, mostly from Central America, are stuck at the U.S.-Mexico border. Most are families and unaccompanied children.Despite their legal rights to apply for asylum, U.S. officials are turning away huge numbers, claiming pandemic restrictions. But thousands of children remain, held in crowded border detention facilities while awaiting transfer to → Read More

The Israel-UAE Deal Isn’t About Peace at All

In some ways, the U.S.-brokered plan for mutual recognition between Israel and the United Arab Emirates is big news. For more than a quarter of a century, only two Middle Eastern countries—Egypt and Jordan—had officially recognized Israel. None of the Gulf monarchies did.So, it was a pretty big deal when the announcement was made. Except, actually, not so much. | By Phyllis → Read More

If War Breaks Out with Iran, It Won’t Be an Accident

A range of U.S. policies have been deliberately designed to provoke an Iranian response. → Read More

If War Breaks Out with Iran, It Won’t Be an Accident

A range of U.S. policies have been deliberately designed to provoke an Iranian response... Some things are still unclear about Trump’s recent decision to bomb Iran — and his rapid-fire follow-up decision not to. → Read More

We Have Movement Work To Do

Elections are not how we change history. But they are a big part of how we—social movements, poor and disenfranchised and marginalized people, communities of color—engage with power. So when we win electoral victories, it matters. A lot. It's not because of which party wins, which state turns from red to purple or back again. Elections are not a box of crayons. | By Phyllis Bennis, Rev. Dr.… → Read More

John Bolton's Terrifying First Day in the Trump White House

Today, fanatic war proponent John Bolton is taking office as President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser—and it comes at a perilous moment for international security. The volatile situation in Syria significantly raises the danger of a major intensification of direct U.S. military involvement. Over the weekend, the opposition's extremist Jaish al-Islam group reached a deal with the… → Read More

Trump’s Quiet Meeting with Saudi Arabia and Israel Portends a Dangerous Collision Course with Iran

It was a lot to take in, even in these whipsawed media moments.In one 24-hour news cycle, President Donald Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, appointed the war and torture-backing CIA chief Mike Pompeo to replace him, and then tapped Gina Haspel—who covered up CIA torture in Thailand—to replace Pompeo. | By Phyllis Bennis → Read More

Remembering Marc Raskin (1934-2017): A Progressive Leader Whose Legacy Outlives His Death

With the sudden passing of the Institute for Policy Studies co-founder Marcus Raskin on Christmas Eve, we've lost a life that paralleled most of the important progressive movements of the last 60 years—and conceptualized some of their boldest ideas.Marc was a former music prodigy, philosopher, lawyer, and government wonk, jumping into what would eventually be called the New Left before anything… → Read More

At United Nations, Trump's Attack on Palestinians Rebuffed by 128 Nations

The UN General Assembly sent a message from the world to the Trump administration yesterday—and it wasn’t pretty. Despite dire threats to countries voting against the United States, a huge majority of countries called Trump's bluff to condemn Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The vote was overwhelming against the U.S. → Read More

No "Peace Process" Exists to Destroy, But Trump's Jerusalem Decision Dangerous as Hell

Trump's plan to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and potentially to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is not going to undermine peace efforts—because there are no peace efforts underway. Protests have already begun, and anger is rising not only among Palestinians but across the Arab and Muslim worlds, among numerous governments including key U.S. allies, and among… → Read More

‘De-certifying’ the Iran Deal May Be Trump’s Most Reckless Decision Yet

Despite heavy competition, Trump’s latest Iran move ranks near the top of the list of the most reckless actions of this ever-so-reckless presidency. The president announced recently that he was refusing to certify Iran’s compliance with the landmark nuclear agreement it reached with the U.S. and several other world powers during the Obama administration. → Read More

There’s No Strategy Behind Trump’s Wars — Only Brute Force

Trump's wars are now all over the map. The peace movement can fight back by joining already thriving intersectional campaigns. → Read More

There’s No Strategy Behind Trump’s Wars — Only Brute Force

These are awesome days for headline writers. So many global settings, such an abundance of weapons, such a wealth of choices!On the morning of April 14, the New York Times led with “A Giant U.S. Bomb Strikes ISIS Caves in Afghanistan,” matched by CNN’s “US Drops ‘Mother of All Bombs.'” The Washington Post chose Syria, where “Errant U.S. Strike Kills 18: Victims in Syria Were Allied Forces.” By… → Read More

Building a New Movement Against Militarism

Donald Trump bombed a Syrian government airbase just a couple of weeks after releasing his budget plan for next year. The budget—with its call for a massive escalation in Pentagon spending, to be paid for with funds stolen from programs that fulfill urgent human needs—was met with outrage. But Trump’s illegal cruise-missile strike, ostensibly in response to a chemical-weapons attack on a Syrian… → Read More

Trump, Syria, and Chemical Weapons: What We Know, What We Don’t, and the Dangers Ahead

Let’s start with what we don’t know. Experts remain uncertain what chemical(s) were involved in the horrific chemical attack, almost certainly from the air, on the village of Khan Sheikhun in Idlib province in Syria. The nerve agent sarin, chlorine, and unknown combinations of chemicals have all been identified as possible, but in the first 48 hours nothing has been confirmed. We don’t know for… → Read More

Escalating Casualties in Mosul Cannot Be Blamed on the Fog of War

“There is an effort to deflect responsibility. But the bottom line is this is the result of a U.S. airstrike, whether there were other factors involved or not,” IPS Middle East foreign policy expert told Rising Up with Sonali amid recent accusations of a U.S. air strike killing more than 200 civilians in Mosul. While the U.S. has admitted to the bombings, it’s blamed the humanitarian impact on… → Read More

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

We need a powerful movement demanding an end to the war in Syria. The United States and to some extent the global antiwar movements remain largely paralyzed. There are some campaigns responding to specific congressional and other war moves, with some particularly good work against US support for Saudi Arabia. But as a movement, we seem unable to sort through the complexity of the multi-layered… → Read More

Muhammad Ali Understood the Racist Roots of War and Militarism

With all the discussion and debate these days about intersectionality and the need for progressives to link our movements against racism and against war, the name of Muhammad Ali belongs right up in our pantheon with Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Harry Belafonte, Joan Baez, Howard Zinn and so many other women and men who fought and continue to fight those linked battles together. Continue… → Read More