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Institute for Policy Studies: Erik Leaver
Institute for Policy Studies

Biography

Erik is a Research Fellow with the peace and security program and serves as the Policy Outreach director for the Foreign Policy In Focus project. His current work includes conducting education and outreach on issues surrounding Iraq and multilateral institutions. In the last year he has been interviewed on numerous radio stations, done appearances on TV shows including MSNBC and ABC, and quoted in publications ranging from The Nation and The Washington Post to Al-Ahram (Egypt).

Erik holds an MA in Latin American Studies from the University of New Mexico. He worked with the Interhemispheric Resource Center in New Mexico on Foreign Policy In Focus before moving to Washington to continue his work at IPS in April 1999.

Click to download Erik Leaver’s photo in press quality

Erik Leaver

Research Fellow
Foreign Policy In Focus


erik@ips-dc.org


Recent Work

Interview
Anti-War Soldier: An Interview with Jonathan Hutto
June 6 - Iraq Veterans Against the War, with their Winter Soldier hearings, have brought their stories to the public. Along with IVAW, the Appeal for Redress is organizing where no one else is--inside the military itself. What began on October 23, 2006 with 65 active-duty soldiers has now swelled to over 2,000. Documenting the history of this movement as well as telling his own personal story of how he became an “Anti-War Soldier” is one of the leaders of the movement, Jonathan Hutto. By Erik Leaver, published in Foreign Policy In Focus.

Magazine Article
Candidates for Congress Show the Way Out
June 1 - How-to-leave-Iraq plans have proliferated over the past five years. Most of the plans proposed by Democrats have brimmed with rhetoric aimed at scoring points against President George W. Bush rather than working out the messy details of how to end the occupation and what to do in its aftermath. Ten Democratic candidates for Congress have just changed that with the announcement of a plan that sets forth a strategic vision both to bring the Iraq War to an end and to prevent future “Iraqs.” By Erik Leaver, published in YES! Magazine.

Op-Ed
Getting Iraq to Pay More Is Not the Answer
May 14 - Congress should stop blaming the Iraqi government for our economic woes. As our economy sputters to a halt and Congress is set to spend an additional $160 billion on the war, U.S. lawmakers are openly criticizing the Iraqi government for not paying the bills. By Raed Jarrar and Erik Leaver, published in The Athens Banner-Herald, The Belleville News-Democrat, The Modesto Bee, The Times Union.