Institute for Policy Studies
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Welcome. The Institute for Policy Studies turns Ideas into Action for Peace, Justice and the Environment. We strengthen social movements with independent research, visionary thinking, and links to the grassroots, scholars and elected officials. I.F. Stone once called IPS "the think tank for the rest of us." Since 1963, we have empowered people to build healthy and democratic societies in communities, the US, and the world. Click here to learn more, or read the latest below.


Peace

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
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.

Talking Points
U.S. Middle East Strategy Under New Pressure
July 24 - UFPJ Talking Points #60: Talks, at least about talking, take hold. By Phyllis Bennis.

Essay
The End of History: With a Period, Not a Question Mark
July 22 - A letter from Abu Dis, Occupied West Bank. By Phyllis Bennis, published in The Nation.

Justice

Report
Executive Excess 2008: How Average Taxpayers Subsidize Runaway Pay
August 25 - This 15th annual report calculates the annual cost of tax loopholes that encourage excessive executive pay. By the Global Economy project.

Op-Ed
Politicians Talk Tough About Obscene Executive Pay, But Where Are the Fixes?
August 25 - Obama and McCain are both taking whacks at overpaid CEOs, but their solutions fall short. By Sarah Anderson, published in AlterNet.

Op-Ed
Don't Let Corporations Off the Tax Hook
August 25 - Taxpayers shouldn't have to subsidize corporate tax dodgers or bloated CEO salaries. By Sarah Anderson and Chuck Collins, published in The Olympian.

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.

Op-Ed
Billions for War, Peanuts for Disaster
July 21 - Unfortunately, the U.S. government has not yet learned the lessons of Katrina. By Saul Landau, published in The Asheville Citizen-Times, The Bemidji Pioneer, The Middletown Press, The Reporter (Palos Heights, IL).

Environment

Op-Ed
Gore’s Challenge Puts the Heat On
August 16 - Gore's call for the United States to source all its electricity from clean, renewable energy within a decade is truly revolutionary. By Janet Redman, published in The Asheville Citizen-Times.

Magazine Article
The Waste-Pickers of Delhi
August 4 - The original Delhi recyclers have turned garbage into cash for decades. Now, a carbon-credit-generating incinerator may put them out of business. By Daphne Wysham, published in Mother Jones.

Magazine Article
Why Carbon Offsets Backfire
August 3 - With a city motto of "Exclusively Industrial," the town of Vernon was already a pollution magnet. Then offsets made it worse. By Daphne Wysham, published in Mother Jones.

Op-Ed
Will Illicit Crop Cultivation Decline Amid Rising Food Prices?
July 23 - Probably not. By Sanho Tree, published in Latin America Advisory.

Op-Ed
Missed Opportunity in Hokkaido
July 13 - G8 leaders' seclusion at the Lake Toyako resort was symbolic of their larger isolation from global public opinion on fighting global warming. By Janet Redman, published in Celsias.