Stephen Zunes

The election of the hardline Tehran mayor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, over former President Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani as the new head of Iran is undeniably a setback for those hoping to advance greater social and political freedom in that country. It should not necessarily be seen as a turn to the Right by the Iranian electorate, however. … Continue reading “Democracy, Terrorism, and Nuclear Weapons”

Recent revelations that the United States successfully blocked a call by NATO for an international investigation of the May 13 massacre of hundreds of civilians by the government of the former Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan serves as yet another reminder of the insincerity of the Bush administration’s claims for supporting freedom and democracy in the … Continue reading “US Support for Repression in Uzbekistan Belies Pro-Democracy Rhetoric”

In what appears to be a concerted effort to discredit independent human rights advocates, the Bush administration and its allies in the media have been engaging in a series of attacks against Amnesty International, the world’s largest human rights organization and winner of the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize. Amnesty International has received support from literally … Continue reading “US Government Versus Amnesty International: A Short History”

In a mirror image of those who blame everything wrong in the world on President George W. Bush, a surprising number of people are now giving him credit for the recent show of force by hundreds of thousands of Lebanese protestors demanding an end to Syria’s overbearing influence in their country. It is extremely doubtful … Continue reading “Blaming and Crediting Bush for Everything: Two Sides of the Same Coin”

The broader implications of the Feb. 14 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was seen by many as the embodiment of the Lebanese people’s efforts to rebuild their country in the aftermath of its 15-year civil war, are yet to unfold. A Sunni Muslim, Hariri reached out to all of Lebanon’s ethnic … Continue reading “All Set for War With Syria”

No wonder it feels so damn frustrating. It’s like 1968 all over again. The United States is bogged down in a bloody counter-insurgency war on the other side of the globe, a war that the majority of the American people believe we should have never entered. Polls consistently show it is the number one issue … Continue reading “Humphrey-Nixon Redux”

On the eve of the third anniversary of 9/11, the U.S. House of Representatives – by an overwhelming, bipartisan majority of 406-16 – passed a resolution linking Iraq to the al-Qaeda attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. This comes despite conclusions reached by the bipartisan 9/11 Commission, a recent CIA report, and … Continue reading “Republicrats Still Linking Iraq to 9/11”

Commentators in the mainstream media seem genuinely perplexed over the polite but notably unenthusiastic reception given to President George W. Bush’s Sept. 21 address before the United Nations General Assembly. Why wasn’t a speech that emphasized such high ideals as democracy, the rule of law, and the threat of terrorism better received? The answer may … Continue reading “Fact-Checking Bush’s UN Address”

Against the backdrop of ongoing death and destruction in Iraq as a result of the U.S. invasion and subsequent occupation, the Democratic Party formally adopted their 2004 platform on July 28 at their convention in Boston. The platform focused more on foreign policy than it had in recent years. It represented an opportunity to challenge … Continue reading “Democratic Party Platform Turns Toward the War Party”

U.S. Senator John Kerry’s decision to select a vice-presidential running mate who shares his militaristic foreign-policy agenda has once again demonstrated the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s willingness to take the party’s activist core, which overwhelmingly supports human rights and international law, for granted. While bringing Senator John Edwards – a bright and charismatic Southern populist … Continue reading “John Edwards, the Smiling Hawk”