Medea Benjamin

Medea Benjamin is the co-founder of CODEPINK and author of Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the US-Saudi Connection. Her new book is Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic.

Rural Teacher Pedro Castillo Poised to Write a New Chapter in Peru’s History

In a cliffhanger of an election with a huge urban-rural and class divide, it appears that the rural teacher, farmer and union leader is about to make history by defeating–by less than one percent–powerful far-right candidate Keiko Fujimori.

Medea Benjamin
Leonardo Flores
By Medea Benjamin
And Leonardo Flores
Pedro Castillo Feature photo

With his wide-brimmed peasant hat and oversized teacher’s pencil held high, Peru’s Pedro Castillo has been traveling the country exhorting voters to get behind a call that has been particularly urgent during this devastating pandemic: “No más pobres en un país rico” - No more poor people in a rich country. In a cliffhanger of an election with a

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Rinse and Repeat: Will Biden Make Normalizing Relations With Cuba a Priority?

Despite talk that his administration’s Cuba policy will be guided by human rights concerns, Biden seems more concerned about catering to right-wing Cuban Americans in southern Florida than changing the decades of entrenched American policy.

Medea Benjamin
By Medea Benjamin
Cuba Biden Feature photo

HAVANA -- Silvia from Miami, Eduardo from Hialeah, Abel from Lakeland. The names pour in on the donations page for “Syringes to Cuba” as Carlos Lazo promotes the campaign on his popular Facebook livestream. An energetic Cuban-American high school teacher in Seattle, Lazo created a group called Puentes de Amor, Bridges of Love, to unite Cuban

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The Squad & Co: Unite as a Block to Downsize Biden’s Military Budget

Now is the time for progressive congressional luminaries such as the Squad’s AOC, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Presley to unite with Congressional Progressive Caucus to put their feet down and stand as a block against a bloated military budget.

Medea Benjamin
Marcy Winograd
By Medea Benjamin
And Marcy Winograd
Congress US miltiary Feature photo

Imagine this scenario: A month before the vote on the federal budget, progressives in Congress declared, “We’ve studied President Biden’s proposed $753 billion military budget, an increase of $13 billion from Trump’s already inflated budget, and we can’t, in good conscience, support this.” Now that would be a show stopper, particularly if they

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The Hawks Who Want War With Iran Are Working Overtime

Israeli leaders, Christian fundamentalists, and hawkish Washington neocons are doing everything in their power to block a peaceful US return to the JCPOA.

Ariel Gold
Medea Benjamin
By Ariel Gold
And Medea Benjamin
Iran Israel JCPOA

WASHINGTON (Jacobin) -- Just as talks between the United States and Iran were taking place last week in Vienna, a cyberattack was carried out on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility. Reports are that the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, was behind the attack that blacked out the facility just one day after Tehran launched new advanced uranium

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What Planet Is NATO Living On?

Despite its recent failures in Afghanistan and Libya, NATO is turning its military madness toward two more formidable, nuclear-armed enemies: Russia and China.

Medea Benjamin
Nicolas Davies
By Medea Benjamin
And Nicolas Davies
NATO Feature photo

The February meeting of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Defense Ministers, the first since President Biden took power, revealed an antiquated, 75-year-old alliance that, despite its military failures in Afghanistan and Libya, is now turning its military madness toward two more formidable, nuclear-armed enemies: Russia and China. This

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A Pro-Cairo Lobby is Spending Big to Make Sure Biden Doesn’t Cut Aid to Egypt’s Dictatorship

President al-Sisi is afraid that his free rein to commit human rights abuses are over now that Trump is out of office, that’s why he hired Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck to the tune of $65,000 per month to whitewash his image and keep the American money flowing.

Medea Benjamin
Ariel Gold
By Medea Benjamin
And Ariel Gold
Egypt lobby Feature photo

Under Donald Trump’s presidency, Egypt, as well as Saudi Arabia, Israel, the UAE, and other repressive regimes, had virtually free reign to commit unchecked human rights abuses without worry that they might be chastised or lose U.S. diplomatic and financial support. But when Joe Biden won the 2020 election, President Sisi of Egypt started to worry.

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Robert Malley for Iran Envoy: A Test Case for Biden’s Commitment to Diplomacy

Biden’s response to the far-right uproar against Malley will be a test of his fortitude in standing up to the hawks and charting a new course for U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Medea Benjamin
Ariel Gold
By Medea Benjamin
And Ariel Gold
Robert Malley Feature photo

President Biden’s commitment to re-entering the Iran nuclear deal—formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA—is already facing backlash from a motley crew of warhawks both domestic and foreign. Right now, opponents of re-entering the deal are centering their vitriol on one of the nation’s foremost experts on both the Middle

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