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 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

Read Full Article

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

Read Full Article

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

Read Full Article

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.

Read Full Article

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

Read Full Article

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

Read Full Article

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

Read Full Article