Foreign Policy In Focus

Foreign Policy In Focus (FPIF) is a "Think Tank Without Walls" connecting the research and action of more than 600 scholars, advocates, and activists seeking to make the United States a more responsible global partner. It is a project of the Institute for Policy Studies.

FPIF provides timely analysis of U.S. foreign policy and international affairs and recommends policy alternatives. We believe U.S. security and world stability are best advanced through a commitment to peace, justice and environmental protection as well as economic, political, and social rights. We advocate that diplomatic solutions, global cooperation, and grassroots participation guide foreign policy.

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Op-Ed
The North Korean Conundrum
November 13 - Change you can believe in or policy status quo? By John Feffer, published in Altercation, Common Dreams, Middle East Online, Mother Jones, TomDispatch.

Commentary
Burma's New Charter: Radical Change or Fig Leaf?
October 14 - Burma's new constitution meets with skepticism as the country attempts to move beyond its notoriously rocky past. By John Feffer, published in Inter Press Service.

Commentary
A Memo to the Next President: Think Globally
October 9 - The next U.S. administration needs to make the alleviation of global poverty a top priority. By Emira Woods, published in OneWorld US.

Op-Ed
A Fat Budget for Weapons, Thin for Diplomacy
October 7 - It is quintessential "Washington business as usual" that keeps the goal of rebalancing security resources always out of reach. By Miriam Pemberton, published in Evening Times (Little Falls, NY) and The Burlington Record.

Commentary
Book Review: Spies for Hire
October 6 - Tim Shorrock's groundbreaking book assesses the growing dominance of contractors in the intelligence "industry." By Emily Schwartz Greco, published in Foreign Policy In Focus.

Commentary
South Korea: Still Dreaming of Regionalism
October 3 - Collaboration in Northeast Asia is crucial to the future of South Korea and its allies. By John Feffer, published in Inter Press Service.

Op-Ed
U.S. Should Boost Nonmilitary Security
September 29 - Foreign aid and diplomacy are key to strategic success. By Lawrence Korb and Miriam Pemberton, published in Defense News.

Op-Ed
Surrounding China's String of Pearls
September 29 - The United States' "rimland strategy" highlights the ambiguity of its relationship with China. By John Feffer, published in Mother Jones.

Report
A Unified Security Budget for the United States, FY 2009
September 22 - This new report offers a comprehensive proposal for re-balancing military, international engagement, and homeland security spending. By the Foreign Policy In Focus project.

Op-Ed
East Asia’s History Wars Rage On
September 18 - Northeast Asians wage war over history. By John Feffer, published in Inter Press Service.

Op-Ed
The Goldilocks Apocalypse
August 20 - We seek out the comfortable middle at our own peril. By John Feffer, published in AlterNet, Common Dreams, Mother Jones, The Asia Times, TomDispatch, Truthout.

Commentary
Christians United for Israel and Attacking Iran
August 18 - We can't ignore Christian Zionists' influence on U.S. policy toward the Middle East By Farrah Hassen and Dedrick Muhammad, published in Common Dreams and Foreign Policy In Focus.

Commentary
Postcard from... Dhaka
August 11 - A new mega-mall in Dhaka is symbolic of the flawed approach to solving Bangladesh's problems. By Saif Rahman, published in Foreign Policy In Focus.

Commentary
Baseball – Big and Little: Its Role in U.S.-Cuba Relations
August 8 - Let's face it, sports fans, baseball, like most of the great cultural institutions of our country, is a major multi-billion dollar business. By Saul Landau, published in Foreign Policy In Focus.

Essay
North Korea, Japan and the Abduction Narrative of Charles Robert Jenkins
July 2 - How will strange abductions from Korea figure in the transformation of Japanese foreign policy? By John Feffer, published in Japan Focus.

Op-Ed
Mother Earth's Triple Whammy: Are We All North Koreans Now?
June 17 - Why North Korea was a global crisis canary. By John Feffer, published in AlterNet, Common Dreams, Pacific Free Press, TomDispatch.

Op-Ed
Now Class, Let’s Review Iraq’s Lessons
June 14 - The tragic Iraq War can serve as a guide to many policies to avoid. By Miriam Pemberton, published in Evening Telegram (Herkimer, NY), Evening Times (Little Falls, NY), The Asheville Citizen-Times, The Bemidji Pioneer, The Northwest Arkansas Times, The Record-Journal, The Wayne Independent.

Interview
An Interview with Jonny 5 from the Flobots
June 12 - Music, foreign policy, and activism don't often go together. One band is changing that. By Saif Rahman, published in Foreign Policy In Focus.

Interview
Anti-War Soldier: An Interview with Jonathan Hutto
June 6 - Hutto talks about the founding of the Appeal for Redress and how the GI movement during the Vietnam War paved the way for the current movement. By Erik Leaver, published in Foreign Policy In Focus.

Magazine Article
The Way to a Just Foreign Policy
June 1 - It’s time to leave behind old ideas of superpowers. A changing world brings new opportunities for peace and the chance to join a community of nations. By John Feffer, published in Common Dreams and YES! Magazine.

Magazine Article
Raiding the War Chest
June 1 - It’s called “defense" spending, but how much of it is actually about defense? Here’s how we could save billions, and still have billions left to make the U.S. and the world more secure. By Miriam Pemberton, published in YES! Magazine.

Magazine Article
Africa’s Own Needs Should Come First
June 1 - Rising prices make African oil a tempting prize. But African leaders are resisting U.S. plans to militarize the continent, saying their resources should be used to alleviate poverty. By Emira Woods, published in YES! Magazine.

Magazine Article
Candidates for Congress Show the Way Out
June 1 - The 2006 mid-term election sent a clear signal: Americans want out of Iraq. As the occupation drags on, 10 candidates for the U.S. Congress announce a plan to bring all the troops home. By Erik Leaver, published in YES! Magazine.

Magazine Article
Respecting Our Neighbors to the South
May 31 - For years, the U.S. imposed authoritarian leaders and corporate-friendly policies on Latin American countries. Now they are setting their own path. By Nadia Martinez, published in YES! Magazine.

Essay
Turkey: Uniter or Divider
May 30 - Can Turkey bridge the gap between Islam and the West? By John Feffer, published in Turkey Policy Quarterly.

Commentary
Wenchuan as Eco-City
May 30 - China can make a virtue out of necessity by transforming the epicenter of the earthquake into a model Green city. By John Feffer and Emanuel Pastreich, published in Foreign Policy In Focus and The Asia Times.

Op-Ed
Getting Iraq to Pay More Is Not the Answer
May 14 - Congress should stop blaming the Iraqi government for our economic woes. By Raed Jarrar and Erik Leaver, published in The Athens Banner-Herald, The Belleville News-Democrat, The Modesto Bee, The Times Union.

Commentary
A Climate Change Industrial Policy
May 14 - It’s time to change our budget priorities and create a new climate industrial complex. By Miriam Pemberton, published in Common Dreams, Foreign Policy In Focus, The Asia Times.

Commentary
The Iraq Supplemental: A Three Ring Circus
May 8 - A complicated picture has emerged for the latest Iraq spending bill. By Erik Leaver, published in AlterNet, Common Dreams, Foreign Policy In Focus.

Commentary
Cuba: The Struggle Continues
May 7 - Cubans are trying to preserve the gains of the revolution in the face of U.S. hostility. By Saul Landau, published in Foreign Policy In Focus.

Book Excerpt
Lessons From Iraq: Avoiding the Next War
May 6 - The first step to avoid repeating the current war is to learn its lessons. By Miriam Pemberton, published in Foreign Policy In Focus.

Commentary
Postcard from...Sarajevo
May 5 - A new monument in Sarajevo playfully bites the hand that fed the city during the Bosnian war. By John Feffer, published in Foreign Policy In Focus.

Talking Points
Mission Accomplished, Five Years Later
May 1 - Five years after President George W. Bush declared "Mission Accomplished," little has changed. By Erik Leaver, published in Foreign Policy In Focus.

Commentary
Postcard from...Ljubljana
April 25 - After 16 years, Slovenes may finally be coming to terms with the "erased." By John Feffer, published in Foreign Policy In Focus.

Op-Ed
What Lee Can Learn From Bush?
April 15 - The new South Korean President threatens to undo all the hard work of reconciliation with North Korea of the last decade. By John Feffer, published in The Korea Times.

Op-Ed
Talking Peace, Preparing for War
April 14 - Northeast Asia heaved a sigh of relief at the latest news of a breakthrough in the nuclear negotiations with North Korea. By John Feffer, published in Inter Press Service.

Magazine Article
Shape Up and Ship Out
April 2 - How the Pentagon can cut the military budget and still keep us safe. By John Cavanagh, Anita Dancs, Miriam Pemberton, published in In These Times.

Interview
Zimbabwe Elections, News from Somalia
April 1 - National Public Radio’s News & Notes. By Emira Woods, published in National Public Radio.

Interview
Mugabe's Role in Zimbabwe's Downfall
March 29 - National Public Radio’s Weekend All Things Considered By Emira Woods, published in National Public Radio.

Op-Ed
Obama Race Speech Analysis
March 20 - With his speech on race, Barack Obama has already brought about one much-needed change: people across the United States are examining our personal, systemic, and deeply entrenched racism By Emira Woods, published in The Black Commentator.

Commentary
Memorializing Iraq
March 19 - Joseph DeLappe isn't waiting for the end of the Iraq War to start building a monument to the Iraqi civilians who have died. By John Feffer, published in Foreign Policy In Focus.

Report
The Iraq War: The Costs to States
March 17 - Facts and Figures of the Costs of the Iraq War to U.S. States By the Foreign Policy In Focus project.

Op-Ed
The Pacific and Not-So-Pacific Oceans
March 7 - Caught between countering threats and promoting maritime cooperation, Japan and the United States have worked together to build regional approaches to terrorism and piracy. By John Feffer, published in Inter Press Service.

Policy Report
The Iraq Quagmire
March 4 - Facts and figures on the mounting human and fiscal costs of the Iraq War to the United States and Iraq. By Erik Leaver and Jenny Shin, published in Foreign Policy In Focus.

Commentary
Postcard from...Brussels
February 28 - The Belgian peace movement resists intervention in Afghanistan. By John Feffer, published in Foreign Policy In Focus.

Op-Ed
The Grinch Who Stole Our Future
February 25 - Bush's budget seeks to militarize youth and slash education funding. By Saif Rahman, published in The Nation and Wiretap.

Op-Ed
Hardliners Target Detente with North Korea
February 21 - The opponents of engagement with North Korea are sharpening their knives. By John Feffer and Suzy Kim, published in Japan Focus and NAPSNet.

Commentary
Bush's Out-of-Tune AIDS Plan
February 18 - On his tour of Africa, President Bush promotes an album with serious lyrical flaws that illustrate the ineffectiveness of the U.S. response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. By Michael Swigert and Sena Tsikata, published in Foreign Policy In Focus.

Column
Asia's Hidden Arms Race
February 12 - Six countries talk peace while preparing for war. By John Feffer, published in Common Dreams and TomDispatch.

Magazine Article
The Big Yam
February 8 - A review of Brand New China: Advertising, Media, and Commercial Culture by Jing Wang. By John Feffer, published in The Nation.

Policy Report
Bush Budget Adds to Military, Cuts Prevention
February 6 - Voters—Republicans and Democrats alike—are telling pollsters they want, not a modest course correction, not a turned page, but a whole new book. By Anita Dancs and Miriam Pemberton, published in Foreign Policy In Focus, National Public Radio, Spero News.

Op-Ed
Modern-Day Slavery and the Big Game
February 3 - Most viewers watching the Super Bowl will be oblivious to the abuses of one of its key sponsors. By Emira Woods, published in AlterNet.

Report
Military vs. Climate Security
January 31 - The Budgets Compared. By the Foreign Policy In Focus project.

Commentary
Iraq Outlook 2008
January 9 - The "surge" has been crafted on a foundation that can topple at any moment, leaving its "success" in doubt. By Erik Leaver, published in Foreign Policy In Focus.

Op-Ed
A Green Bulldozer?
January 8 - President Lee Myung-Bak can turn South Korea into the first sustainable Green economy in the world. By John Feffer, published in The Korea Times.

Letter to Editor
Defense Dollars
January 1 - It's time for the United States to stop running a post-Cold War empire. By Miriam Pemberton, published in Foreign Affairs.

Commentary
Music to Save the World
December 31 - Foreign Policy In Focus recommends the best activist albums of 2007. By Saif Rahman, published in Foreign Policy In Focus.

Interview
The Poetics of Botero's Abu Ghraib Paintings
December 31 - Fernando Botero has created a powerful series of paintings about torture. An interview with two poets on this groundbreaking work. By E. Ethelbert Miller, published in Foreign Policy In Focus.

Op-Ed
Midwest City Fights Back Against Iran War-Mongering
December 14 - Congress may buy into unchecked aggression, but not the city of Gary, Indiana. By Erik Leaver, published in AlterNet.

Magazine Article
A Return to Diversity in the Balkans?
December 13 - The failure of multi-party talks over Kosovo's independence has many bracing for further conflict in southeastern Europe. But the region is finding ways to negotiate conflict without violence. By John Feffer, published in The American Prospect.

Magazine Article
A Return to Diversity in the Balkans?
December 13 - The failure of multi-party talks over Kosovo's independence has many bracing for further conflict in southeastern Europe. But the region is finding ways to negotiate conflict without violence. By John Feffer, published in The American Prospect.

Magazine Article
Big Red Checkbook
November 5 - China is simply doing what the United States did during the cold war: cozying up to the powerful, extracting resources, and buying influence By John Feffer, published in The Nation.

Op-Ed
Summit Signals New Regional Order
October 5 - North and South Korea's relationships with China and the United States are changing By John Feffer, published in The Korea Times.

Op-Ed
Listen To The World A Minute, Please
July 12 - A majority of Americans and the world want a change in Bush's failed foreign policy. By Miriam Pemberton, published in The Newtown Bee.

Op-Ed
To improve security, follow the money
July 5 - A unified security budget is the first step towards fixing our nation's distorted security priorities. By Lawrence Korb and Miriam Pemberton, published in The Boston Globe.

Report
Just Security
June 19 - An Alternative Foreign Policy Framework By the Foreign Policy In Focus project.

Report
A Unified Security Budget for the United States, FY 2008
April 26 - As Congress works to balance the budget and find a solution to the Iraq crisis it must also focus on a different kind of budget balancing. By the Foreign Policy In Focus project.

Op-Ed
The Plane That Won't Die...Or Fly
April 26 - Fixing a broken budget to repair a broken foreign policy. By Miriam Pemberton, published in TomPaine.com.

Commentary
Five Reasons Why I'll March on Jan. 27 (and You Should Too)
January 18 - Why you should come to the January 27 United for Peace and Justice protest against the Iraq War. By Saif Rahman, published in AlterNet, Common Dreams, Truthout.