Stephen Zunes is a professor of politics and international studies at the University of San Francisco. A regular contributor to The Progressive, he serves as a senior policy analyst for the Institute for Policy Studies.
RSS
Stephen Zunes
Power’s Prophet: Remembering Gene Sharp
The theorist’s study of nonviolence helped shape our world. But his analysis of the way power works will be his legacy. Read more
USAF
The Threat of War with Iran
Is the U.S. lurching towards another illegal war in the Middle East? Read more
Khamenei.ir
Trump’s Controversial Decision on Iran’s Revolutionary Guards
Iran has near-universal male conscription, in which the guards often get priority—now all of these young men, some of whom have no desire to even be in the armed forces, will be labeled as “terrorists.” Read more
Alicia M. Anderson, USMC
The Other Reason Biden Shouldn’t Run
Biden used his leadership to get a Democratic-controlled Senate to give then-President Bush in 2002 the unprecedented authority to invade a country on the far side of the world that was no threat to the United States. Read more
Mark A. Wilson
U.S. Recognition of Israel’s Golan Annexation a Threat to World Order
The Trump Administration’s decision marks a serious violation of fundamental principles of international law. Read more
Claudia Gabriela Marques Vieira
Disappointment (and a Little Hope) in First Foreign Policy Test of the New Congress
The new bill endorses state government efforts to punish socially conscious businesses that choose to boycott illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. Read more
Columbia GSAPP
Rescinding a Human Rights Award to Angela Davis Was Cowardly and Unfair
One would think that opposing Israel control of Palestinian territories seized in the 1967 war, which the international community recognizes as a foreign belligerent occupation, would not be particularly controversial. Read more
Thomas Altfather Good
Dems Eye Hawkish Eliot Engel to Chair House Foreign Affairs Committee
It’s nothing short of a betrayal that the Democratic leadership would turn this important committee over to someone so far to the right. Read more
Impeach Away! Thoughts on a Possible President Pence
Progressives should not hesitate to mobilize in support of the impeachment and conviction of Donald Trump. Here’s why. Read more
Gage Skidmore
Pompeo’s Iran Speech a Prelude to War?
A new benchmark for hypocritical, arrogant, and entitled demands by the United States on foreign governments. Read more
Trump’s Dangerous Abrogation of the Iran Deal
Trump and his Republican backers have long opposed efforts to ease tensions between the United States and Iran—especially any effort that might undermine excuses for going to war against that oil-rich nation. Read more
Green Cross Switzerland
Why the United States Can’t Lead on Syria’s Chemical Weapons Atrocities
The history of U.S. involvement reveals our complicity in the horror Assad inflicts on his people. Read more
Remembering Martin Luther King, the Radical for Peace
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” Read more
Power’s Prophet: Remembering Gene Sharp
The theorist’s study of nonviolence helped shape our world. But his analysis of the way power works will be his legacy. Read more
YouTube
Both Parties Pushed Trump Toward Reckless Action on Jerusalem
Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital further threatens Israeli-Palestinian peace, breaks international law, and risks a violent and destabilizing reaction in the region—which may be exactly the plan. Read more
Why Democrats Don’t Want to Talk about Flynn’s First Meeting with the Russians
It might have been a welcome opportunity to underscore the perfidy of Trump's team—if not for the fact that most Democrats supported his goal. Read more
Brandeis Center
Trump’s Dangerous Appointment to Key Civil Rights Position: Kenneth Marcus
Trump’s nomination of Kenneth Marcus as Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education constitutes a direct threat to academic freedom. Read more
Takver
Resistance Builds to Proposed Israeli Boycott Bill
If passed, the legislation would make it a crime to support or even furnish information about a boycott directed at Israel or the Israeli occupation supported by any entity of the UN, the EU, or other “international governmental organization." Read more
Shealah Craighead
Trump’s Support for Punishing Qatar Is Misguided
This new crisis in the Persian Gulf is complex and requires a thoughtful and nuanced approach—something apparently beyond the capabilities of the current U.S. administration. Read more
Erdoğan image by Democracy Chronicles
Erdogan Can Celebrate the Turkish Referendum—For Now
Erdogan’s plebiscite may grant him many years of authoritarian rule even in a society increasingly demanding democracy and justice. The question is what role the United States is going to play. Read more
Paul Keller
Trump’s Dangerous and Cynical Attack on Syria
With no direct threat to the national security of the United States and with no Congressional authorization, such use of force was illegal. Read more
