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FPIF in the News

Jun 18, 2009
David Alan Harris's dance therapy work for child soldiers in Africa (article here) was featured in an interview on the Marc Steiner Show.

The Conventional Arms Control Challenge
Nuclear disarmament requires movement forward on controlling conventional weapons, argues columnist Frida Berrigan. And the best hope for conventional arms control might be linking it to nuclear abolition.

Call the White House: Say No to the Surge

From Monday, November 23 to Wednesday, November 25, people from all over the country will be calling the White House, telling Obama to bring our troops home from Afghanistan. FPIF analysts say the surge will fail.

The decision the president makes will have a dramatic impact on the future of Afghanistan and the stability of the region. It will have a tremendous impact on our country as well: Will billions of more dollars be spent sinking us deeper into this war, or will we have the money needed for health care, education, job creation and so much more here at home?
 
This is the moment when we can have an impact. Call the White House Monday through Wednesday at 202-456-1111.

More information and a script can be found here.

Strategic Focus: South Asia

Boats in Bangladesh. Photo credit: Ahron de Leeuw.

Home to well over one-fifth of the population, South Asia continues to be a hotbed of conflict and upheaval. Human rights abuses, the war in Afghanistan, and climate change all present critical challenges to the region and to U.S. foreign policy. In our new focus, FPIF contributors examine current obstacles and future solutions in South Asia.

Robert Naiman, in 'Legitimacy' in Afghanistan, points out that escalation has just brought more death and destruction. More escalation could close off opportunities for a political solution.

Much of the Afghanistan debate has been centered in the U.S. But what do Afghans think? Gabriela Campos interviews Mariam Nawabi in Underlying Causes of Security in Afghanistan.

A new report gives the impression that the opium trade is the main reason why the Taliban are gaining in strength, absolving the United States and NATO of their own responsibility in fomenting the insurgency. Julien Mercille annotates the report in UN Report Misleading on Afghanistan's Drug Problem.

A Call for Clarity on the Afghanistan War: As Obama waffles on how to continue the war, says Sonali Kolhatkar, progressives are waffling on how to end it.

Zia Mian notes that while Pakistani support for al-Qaeda is falling, so is support for U.S. policy. He outlines paths for the future in United States, Pakistan: The Decade Ahead.

New Report: What Defense Contractors Don't Want You to Know

A new study shows that military hardware we don't need isn't as great for job creation as advertised.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst found that $1 billion will buy you fewer jobs in defense than it will in health care, clean energy, and education. "You'd create more jobs not just next year, but in the next 10 years," said coauthor Robert Pollin.

The study, The U.S. Employment Effects of Domestic and Military Spending Priorities: An Updated Analysis, was commissioned by FPIF and Women's Action for New Directions, with help from the Colombe Foundation.

Fiesta!

Pranksters Fixing the World: With a new film, the Yes Men carry forth their gonzo brand of anti-corporate activism.

Frances Payne Adler, "Dear Legislators": Where to find the funds for health care reform? Sometimes the answer can be found in a poem.

John Perra, in From Killing Field to Field of Dreams, writes about Joe Cook's vision: Build a field in Cambodia and they will come.

"When I was Torn by War": Sinan Antoon, in this poem, reflects on the repercussions of conflict.

Youth and Activism

A grand alliance of religious groups and secular progressives can help realize the vision of Obama's Cairo speech, writes Rabbi Arthur Waskow in Toward an Abrahamic Peace.

Young people everywhere refuse to ignore the deadliest conflict since WWII, writes Kwaku Osei in Fighting the Forgotten War: Students' Activism for the Congo.

Postcard From...Tawang
Saransh Sehgal
Nov 25, 2009

Confronting the Financial Crisis

The global financial crisis is emptying the pockets of people in rich, poor, and middle-income nations alike. In its wake, FPIF offers new solutions to the crisis and innovative alternatives to the now officially defunct “Washington Consensus.”

Strategic Focus: Empire

Is the Obama administration winding down our empire or simply trying to implement a kinder, gentler version?

The Food Crisis

Food prices are up all over the world. Is the current food crisis a temporary problem or a sign of something more serious?

U.S. Military Footprint

The United States maintains more than 700 bases around the world and is pushing to set up even more. What are these bases doing, how is the Pentagon rethinking their functions, and how can we reduce this military footprint?

Religion and Foreign Policy

A look at the role of religion in global affairs. Read about missionaries, monks, and the intersection of monotheism and modernity.

China Focus

With China emerging as the new global go-to guy, FPIF assesses this growing influence and its impact on U.S. foreign policy.