PRESS ROOM

"This focus on values and effectiveness would be a deeply needed correction to the current trajectory of U.S. security cooperation, which has largely failed to weigh the human rights and security risks of assistance to foreign security forces. For far too long, America’s security cooperation enterprise has prioritized short-term and tactical goals over longer-term diplomatic and human rights aims. "

By not holding the UAE accountable for illegally meddling in American politics, the U.S. is sending a clear message to other would-be malign foreign actors: you can secretly undermine the U.S. political system without fear of reprisal.

"[The UAE] has also spent tens of millions lobbying American officials in recent years. The UAE even has the distinct honor of being the dictatorship that donates the most money to American think tanks, according to the Center for International Policy."

Our Ben Freeman, Director of FITI, was quoted extensively in this article about UAE's role in shaping Trump's foreign policy. "It pains me to admit it a little bit, but the UAE was fantastically successful in moving Trump to their side. It's hard to find an issue during the Trump administration that the UAE was pushing for that they weren't at least partially successful in accomplishing."

"The best approach for assuring U.S. and global security is for the U.S. and China is to cooperate on urgent challenges like curbing climate change. America should nurture its own domestic economy, infrastructure, and technology base—not necessarily as a “competition” with China, but because it is valuable in its own right."

"Cooperation with China on issues like climate change and preventing pandemics should take precedence over spinning out war scenarios or preparing for a military confrontation. The overwhelming emphasis on Beijing as the ultimate threat to the United States is misguided and is more likely to undermine US security than it is to enhance it."

The indictment against Thomas Barrack, who is accused of spying for the UAE, did not lead to much fanfare inside the United States, and is not an isolated incident. This time, the UAE targeted the president of the United States himself to influence him, so the question now is the following: If this happened in countries like Russia, China or Iran, what would the reaction be?

As America begins to re-open, we can’t allow a shift from one deadly pandemic back to another. Now is the time for a reckoning of the United States' approach to gun violence. More importantly, now is the time to ask ourselves what “national security” really means.

Whether Ben & Jerry’s truly stands behind its progressive values is yet to be seen, but if they remain steadfast in their values and do not allow for the false claims of antisemitism to pressure them into reversing their decision, then they are advancing not only the BDS movement but the cold, sweet truth: That critiquing Israel is not an act of antisemitism but an act of justice and protection of human rights. It symbolically places activism for Palestinian rights right where it belongs, among the suite of causes a progressive company like Ben & Jerry’s should champion. And, importantly, it represents yet another crack in Israel’s apartheid wall.

Given the ongoing suffering caused by the war, Yemen can’t wait any longer for immediate, forceful U.S. action to end the war. If the Biden administration won’t act promptly, Congress should.

Our Danny Sjursen takes aim at powerful Washingtonian hawks who are trying to push the U.S. back for a third time into Afghanistan.

Despite aid and other commitments, democracy is backsliding among some key US-partners. Though the actions on January 6th in the U.S. Capitol highlighted the U.S.’s continued struggles with democracy at home, the United States can still be a champion for democracy abroad while mending its own democratic rift at home. To revitalize democracy in the 21st century, pressure must be put on authoritarians and forever presidents who seek to undermine democracy.