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.

The Trump Administration’s Parting Outrage Against Cuba

In a parting gift to the Cuban exile community for their loyalty to Trump, the US declared Cuba a “state sponsor of terror.”

Medea Benjamin
Leonardo Flores
By Medea Benjamin
And Leonardo Flores
Cuba Trump Feature photo

On January 11, in his final days before leaving office, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added one parting blow to the series of bludgeons his administration has inflicted on Cuba for four years: putting the island on the list of “state sponsors of terror” that includes only Iran, North Korea and Syria. The designation drew swift condemnation from

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Why Senators Must Reject Avril Haines for Intelligence

This unassuming spy may look and sound like your favorite college professor, but that facade masks a ruthless wolf in sheep’s clothing who enabled murder by remote control and wielded a thick black pen to cover-up CIA torture.

Medea Benjamin
Marcy Winograd
By Medea Benjamin
And Marcy Winograd
Avril Haines Feature photo

Even before President-elect Joe Biden sets foot in the White House, the Senate Intelligence Committee may start hearings on his nomination of Avril Haines as Director of National Intelligence. Barack Obama’s top lawyer on the National Security Council from 2010 to 2013 followed by CIA Deputy Director from 2013 to 2015, Haines is the proverbial

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No, Joe, Don’t Roll out the Red Carpet for Torture Enablers

President-elect Biden is considering some of the most prolific enablers of the Bush-era CIA torture programs to posts that would give them even more power as America’s top intelligence officials.

Medea Benjamin
Marcy Winograd
By Medea Benjamin
And Marcy Winograd
Jo Biden Cabinet Feature photo

It was painful enough to live through the U.S invasion of Iraq that caused untold devastation and human misery for no justifiable reason. Now we are again reminded of the grim Bush legacy with President-elect Biden’s nomination of Avril Haines for Director of National Intelligence. Haines, who has an inside-the-beltway reputation for being nice

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Gorgon Stare: A “Persistent Eye in the Sky” May Be Coming to a City Near You

The military and the drone manufacturers, principally General Atomics, are arguing that the technology has advanced far enough that flying 79-ft. wingspan, six-ton drones over populated areas and alongside commercial air traffic is safe.

Medea Benjamin
By Medea Benjamin
US Drones Feature photo

Gorgon Stare will be looking at a whole city, so there will be no way for the adversary to know what we're looking at, and we can see everything. That same persistent eye in the sky may soon be deployed over U.S. cities. At the time he made that comment about surveillance drones over Afghanistan, Maj. General James Poss was the Air Force's top

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Biden Urged to Adopt a Good Neighbor Policy Toward Latin America

Over 100 organizations that work on issues related to Latin America and the Caribbean sent a letter calling for the next administration to adopt a new Good Neighbor Policy toward the region based on non-intervention, cooperation and mutual respect.

Leonardo Flores
Medea Benjamin
By Leonardo Flores
And Medea Benjamin
Joe Biden Latin America Feature photo

Election season is a difficult time to develop good policies towards Latin America, since both Democrats and Republicans cater to the small, but organized, conservative factions of the Latinx community in Florida, vying for their votes. But if Biden wins the White House, there is a chance to reverse the Trump administration policies that have been

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Don’t be Hoodwinked by Trump’s UAE-Israel “Peace Deal”

The normalization of relations between the UAE and Israel, facilitated by the U.S., serves to prop up three repressive leaders — Trump, Netanyahu, and bin Zayed — and will cause further harm to Palestinians. It is both a shame and a sham.

Medea Benjamin
Ariel Gold
By Medea Benjamin
And Ariel Gold
UAE Israel Peace Deal Feature photo

HUGE breakthrough today,” crowed Donald Trump on Twitter as he announced the new peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The deal makes the UAE the first Gulf Arab state and the third Arab nation, after Egypt and Jordan, to have diplomatic ties with Israel. But the new Israel-UAE partnership should fool no one. Though it will

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10 Reasons Why Defunding Police Should Lead to Defunding War

Much as unaccountable police in riot gear are a danger to our communities, so, too, an unaccountable military, armed to the teeth and functioning largely in secret, is a danger to the world. 

Medea Benjamin
Zoltán Grossman
By Medea Benjamin
And Zoltán Grossman
Minneapolis Riot Police

Since George Floyd was murdered, we have seen an increasing convergence of the “war at home” against Black and brown people with the “wars abroad” that the U.S. has waged against people in other countries. Army and National Guard troops have been deployed in U.S. cities, as militarized police treat our cities as occupied war zones. In response to

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