IPS Portal: Institute for Policy Studies

PUBLIC WORKS
The Institute's Articles, Books, and Reports

Op-Ed
Still Waiting for a 'Post-Racial' America
DECEMBER 4 - Mulitcultural celebrations of Obama's victory show the U.S. is hungry for hope and change. But we are far from healing our racial wounds. By Joy Zarembka, published in The Asheville Citizen-Times.

Op-Ed
Obama's Agenda for Change and the 2009 Summit of the Americas
DECEMBER 2 - Barack Obama's electoral victory represents hope for a change in direction for U.S. relations with Latin America. By Rick Arnold and Manuel Pérez Rocha, published in Transnational Institute.

Op-Ed
Foreign Policy for Obama Should Be Approached with a Broad Vision
NOVEMBER 26 - Exercising too much caution, if it translates into maintaining the status quo, would be a profound mistake. By John Feffer, published in The Vernon County Broadcaster.

Report
Skewed Priorities
NOVEMBER 24 - The approximately $4.1 trillion that the United States and European governments have committed to bail out financial firms is 40 times the money they're spending to fight climate and poverty crises in the developing world. By Sarah Anderson, John Cavanagh, Janet Redman.

Commentary
Bailouts Dwarf Spending on Climate and Poverty Crises
NOVEMBER 24 - The approximately $4.1 trillion that the United States and Europe have committed to rescue financial firms is 40 times the money they're spending to fight climate and poverty crises in the developing world. By Sarah Anderson and John Cavanagh, published in AlterNet, Common Dreams, Dollars and Sense Magazine, Foreign Policy In Focus.

Commentary
Aiming for Middle Power Status?
NOVEMBER 24 - Political realignment in Japan is causing its leaders to rethink its relationship with the rest of the world. By John Feffer, published in Inter Press Service.

Magazine Article
Carbon Market Fundamentalism
NOVEMBER 22 - Carbon markets are undermining economic justice, sustainability, and climate stability goals. By Daphne Wysham, published in The Multinational Monitor.

IN THE MEDIA
Quotes and Interviews

Interview on the Real News Network
Pragmatism Trumps Change
DECEMBER 2 - "While Barack Obama campaigned on the claim that he would do things differently, that he campaigned on change, what people heard were those broad notions. They heard not only I will end the war, but I will end the mindset that led us to this war. The symbolism of this team that he's appointed for his foreign policy team…is not about change. It's about stability, it's about reassuring the world, but it's not all that different than what his actual policies were," said Phyllis Bennis.

Article in The New York Times
Putting a Value on a CEO
DECEMBER 2 - "Sarah Anderson, a director at the Institute for Policy Studies, is an advocate of aggressive pay curbs and isn't likely to buy into an eight-figure income, no matter what the performance.'I want taxpayers to feel confident that an unreasonable amount of money isn't ending up in their pockets,' Ms. Anderson said of the executives. 'This may be the time to inject some sanity into the pay system.'"

Article in the Hawkeye
Fable Doesn't Compute in Bailout Times
NOVEMBER 30 - "A study by the Washington-based Institute for Policy Studies found that the managers of the top 50 hedge funds and private equity funds averaged $588 million each in 2007 salary, benefits and bonuses."

Article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer blog
Clevelander Greg Miller Travels in Africa as Navy Reserve Officer to Win Allies
NOVEMBER 30 - "Emira Woods, the Liberia-born co-director of Foreign Policy In Focus, a project of the Institute for Policy Studies, described the new U.S. military interest in Africa as 'absolutely wrong-headed and irresponsible.' She wondered whether that interest mostly reflected a concern for African oil reserves and whether U.S. military aid would be used by political leaders to suppress opposition or, conversely, topple governments. She noted that the overthrowing of the first democratically elected Mauritanian president in August was staged by military units that had received U.S. military training."

Article in Truthout
Despite Agreement, U.S. Future in Iraq Unclear
NOVEMBER 28 - "Foreign Policy In Focus Fellow Erik Leaver sees a jarring disconnect between the processes of SOFA consideration in Iraq and in the U.S.'How ironic it is that a country we sought to bring democracy to is reading and debating the agreement, while in the U.S. there isn't even an official translation of the document for the public,' Leaver told Truthout."

Column in Tom Dispatch
Who Rules the Pentagon?
NOVEMBER 25 - "The good news is that the Obama administration won't have to figure it all out alone. The contributors to Foreign Policy In Focus's new Unified Security Budget have done a lot of the heavy lifting to demonstrate that some of the choices that need to be made really aren't so tough."

Article in Inter-Press Service
Will Any Crumbs Remain After Bankers' Feast?
NOVEMBER 25 - "According to researchers at the Washington-based Institute for Policy Studies, which released the study's findings Monday, governments of the rich industrialized countries are very likely to use the cost of their financial sector bailouts as an excuse to backtrack on global aid for poverty and climate change financing commitments.The study comes as the United Nations is preparing to hold two major international meetings to advance its agenda on environment and development."

Article in Reuters
RPT-Exec Pay at Citigroup Draws Scrutiny Amid Rescue
NOVEMBER 24 - "The public wants 'strict limits on executive pay,' said Sarah Anderson, a pay expert at the Institute for Policy Studies, which has pressed for executive pay curbs.'We've been told for so long that these guys are such geniuses that we have to pay them this kind of money or these companies will collapse,' she said. 'Now these companies are collapsing and they are still telling us these guys are geniuses who need to make this amount of money.'"

Panel Discussion at the Independent Media Center
Breathing Life Back Into the Anti-Globalization Movement
NOVEMBER 24 - "Activist Manuel Perez Rocha, an Associate Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and member of the Mexican Action Network, tried to answer the question by reflecting back on the experience the Zapastistas mass action against the passing of NAFTA. He said that the effective action 'did not come out of nowhere,' but started at the onset of the neo-liberalist policies of the 1980s. This not only shows the importance of organization, he said, but also shows how there is never a single issue or particular oppressed group that defines the alter-globalization movement."

Interview with Uprising Radio
Iraq Could Be Extended for Three More Years
NOVEMBER 20 - "I think one of the aspects we have to look at [with the Iraq SOFA agreement] is whether or not, with this accord, the U.S. has any intention of being bound by the terms at all...The notion that this is simply a SOFA agreement like the agreement the U.S. has with Germany or Italy is simply nonsense. The question is how far the U.S. will go in demanding gratification," said Phyllis Bennis.

Segment on Al Jazeera's "Inside Story"
Iraq Security Pact
NOVEMBER 17 - "I think that one of the big questions about this agreement is what it actually says. We have not yet seen the text; we have heard a lot of discussion about it. But for example, whether the language says that all 150,000 troops must be withdrawn is there, or that combat troops must be withdrawn. The language about the final withdrawal is not clear. That's huge, because if it specifies combat troops that would mean leaving behind 80,000 troops…I don't think that's what the U.S. people want, 70% of whom are against the war, [and] it's not what the Iraqis want, 80% of whom say they want the war to end quickly," said Phyllis Bennis.

IDEAS INTO ACTION
Institutional Action and Progress

Ideas for Change

"I will open the doors of government and ask you to be involved in your own democracy again."
- President-elect Barack Obama

With a new administration in the wings, it seems that everyone in Washington is trying to get the ear of President-elect Obama. At IPS, we've thrown our hat into the ring with our forthcoming book, Mandate for Change (January 2009).

But we know we don't have a monopoly on good ideas - we want to hear from you! We've joined with the folks at Change.org to launch Ideas for Change in America - a citizen-driven project that aims to identify and create momentum around the best ideas for how the Obama administration and 111th Congress can turn the broad call for "change" across the country into specific policies.

Anyone can submit an idea and comment and vote on others. The top 10 rated ideas will be presented to the Obama administration on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009, as the "Top 10 Ideas for America."

Along with IPS and its other nonprofit partners, Change.org will then launch national campaigns behind each idea and mobilize citizens to ensure that each winning idea gets the full consideration of the Obama administration and members of Congress.

So help strengthen the democracy of ideas - submit your own ideas and vote on others today.

...
More news is always available on our website

Dear Friend,

As we celebrate the many victories of November 4, IPS is helping progressives adapt to the new opportunities of thinking big, and creating the citizen pressure that will pull the debate and the government in a more progressive direction. We think that there are great opportunities for a bigger and greener stimulus, a quicker end to the war, a more just climate deal, and real cuts in the military budget, but each will require a lot of good ideas and popular mobilization.

As we work hard to shift the government from bailing out Wall Street to investing in Main Street, you can help by setting up teach-ins in your area. Check out our talking points on the crisis, the global call to action that IPS helped to draft, and our analysis on the summit of leaders that Bush convened.

And check out our website on Monday for the new study IPS will release to compare the Wall Street bailouts with the pressing needs that Washington is not funding.

Sincerely,
John Cavanagh
IPS Director

PUBLIC WORKS
The Institute's Articles, Books, and Reports

Op-Ed
Reprocessing Spent Nuclear Fuel Too Risky
NOVEMBER 17 - Nuclear energy is not the right alternative for the United States. By Robert Alvarez, published in The Columbus Dispatch.

Op-Ed
Keep Secretary Gates? This Simple Test Should Decide
NOVEMBER 17 - The idea of letting the current Defense Secretary keep his job is a hotly debated topic these days. Here's an easy way to decide. By Miriam Pemberton, published in Common Dreams and Foreign Policy In Focus.

Declaration
Towards an Economic System that Works for People and the Planet
NOVEMBER 14 - A civil society statement on the G20 summit from IPS Director John Cavanagh and coalition members. By John Cavanagh.

Op-Ed
Swear Off 'Market Fundamentalism'
NOVEMBER 14 - As long as U.S. officials continue to refuse to face the reality of a post-market fundamentalist world, they will further contribute to the crisis. By Robin Broad and John Cavanagh, published in Common Dreams and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Op-Ed
The North Korean Conundrum
NOVEMBER 13 - Change you can believe in or policy status quo? By John Feffer, published in Al Jazeera, Altercation, Common Dreams, Middle East Online, Mother Jones, TomDispatch.

Commentary
Response to Poverty and Empire: Denial
NOVEMBER 13 - The presidential campaign demonstrated the contemporary versions of institutionalized denial. By Saul Landau, published in Progreso Weekly.

Op-Ed
Remembering a Black Radical in a Barack Obama America
NOVEMBER 12 - Remembering the legacy of Kwame Ture in light of the historical election of Barack Obama. By Dedrick Muhammad and Bokar Ture, published in Counterpunch.

Commentary
Obama's Victory
NOVEMBER 8 - Four experts discuss the significance of Obama's presidential win and some of the challenges that lie ahead for U.S. progressive movements. By John Cavanagh, Steve Cobble, Karen Dolan, Bill Fletcher, Jr.

Interview (Audio)
'World Service' Interview: Plan Colombia
NOVEMBER 6 - Sanho Tree was interviewed by the BBC's "World Service" about a new U.S. government report about Plan Colombia.

Op-Ed
Make the Speculators Pay
NOVEMBER 3 - Funds for the economic recovery should come from the Wall Street gamblers and the wealthy CEOs who profited from the casino economy. By Chuck Collins, distributed by Minuteman Media.

IN THE MEDIA
Quotes and Interviews

Article from Inter-Press Service
Politics-Angola: A Tradition of Strong Women
NOVEMBER 18 - "Netfa Freeman, of the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC, links Angola's respect for powerful women to the legendary Queen Jinga Mbandi, who resisted the Portuguese invasion in the 17th century. Tradition entwined with socialist ideas. 'In the liberation movement, not just in Angola but all over Africa, you saw a new recognition of the need for equality between men and women,' said Freeman."

Council on Foreign Relations backgrounder
Defense Spending During Economic Crisis
NOVEMBER 18 - "To defray [high] costs, some analysts say the corps should divert funding from the controversial V-22 Osprey, a troubled tilt-rotor aircraft, and instead fund the purchase of new H-92 and CH-53 helicopters. Doing so could save the Marines more than $10 billion over the next five years, says a 2007 budget assessment (PDF) prepared by the Institute for Policy Studies. Critics have also called for the cancellation of the troubled Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle program."

Article by Katrina vanden Heuvel in The Nation
Smart Defense
NOVEMBER 18 - "In 'A Unified Security Budget for the United States, FY 2009,' research fellow Miriam Pemberton of the Institute for Policy Studies, and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense Lawrence Korb, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, outline not only cuts that need to be made to implement a sane defense budget, but also the shift in priorities required to confront the real security challenges of the 21st century…In a recent Defense News op-ed, Pemberton and Korb write: 'The balance between our spending on military forces and other security tools - like diplomacy, nonproliferation, foreign aid and homeland security - needs to change.'"

Segment on NPR's "News and Notes"
Africa Update: Somali Pirates Take Supertanker
NOVEMBER 18 - "The critical thing here, Farai, is that the Somali economy is essentially in shambles. People don't have access to jobs that can pay a meaningful wage, and so what you have in the midst of this, again, lawlessness because of the crisis in Somalia over lack of a government, you have people now trying to find whatever means they can to survive. So this is actually one of according to Al Jazeera 63 ships that have been captured this year alone, and I think it is a sign that the desperation is intensifying, and more and more people are looking to a much less legal means, let's say, Farai, to try to make a living," said Emira Woods.

Article in New Europe
Schwarzenegger Could Pump up Obama's Energy Plan
NOVEMBER 17 - "'In the context within the U.S., California has been a leader. You have to keep in mind that the US under the Bush administration has been in the Stone Age, so the kind of progress that we are seeing in California looks good compared to what is coming out of the White House, but we could do better,' [Daphne] Wysham said, calling for energy that doesn't rely on carbon. Obama has promised a USD 150 billion undertaking over 10 years to 'green' the country's use of energy and create millions of new jobs."

Article in Green Left Online (Australia)
The New Shape of U.S. Politics
NOVEMBER 14 - "Rather than implement a major redistribution of the wealth, he simply wants to let Bush's tax cuts expire and increase the top income tax rate from 35 to 39.6%. But as Chuck Collins of the Institute for Policy Studies points out, Obama's proposal is far friendlier to the rich than those of the 1950s Republican president, Dwight Eisenhower."

Interview with TomDispatch
Phone Interview with John Feffer
NOVEMBER 12 - "I propose…economic engagement that supports change already taking place in North Korea…The government is in a situation where it's trying to implement capitalism without capital; in other words, it simply doesn't have any money coming into the country to rehabilitate the country…the United States can actually lead the way, not so much in providing the bulk of the money through bilateral relations, but through targeted investments and by basically giving a seal of approval to the economic reforms that have taken place, which would encourage the private sector and other countries to provide development assistance to North Korea. By so doing, we would encourage the government to change itself and reduce the importance of the nuclear program [as] far more important would be its relationship with the international community," said John Feffer.

Article in Counterpunch
Patrick Bond: Against Volcker
NOVEMBER 12 - "Can AfricaAction, the Institute for Policy Studies, the American Friends Service Committee, Jubilee USA, ActionAid and other genuine advocates for the continent get a word in edgewise, between fits of cackling from the corporate liberals who think they own Obama?...Probably not. So it is vital for Africans to wake up to the danger that the likes of Volcker and Summers represent."

Article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Election 2008: The Challenge of Change
NOVEMBER 9 - "Obama got massive support in the United States because he said he would end the war. The problem is his actual policy does not call for ending the war. Leaving behind as many as 80,000 troops indefinitely -- that is not a recipe for ending the war. You can make the argument that if you withdraw the 'official combat troops' you're no longer fighting a war. But it you leave behind counterinsurgency troops, what are you doing? They're not there to build schools, they're there to fight. …We can't make good on our commitments to the people of Iraq until we end the occupation, close the bases, stop trying to control Iraqi oil," said Phyllis Bennis.

IDEAS INTO ACTION
Organize a Town Hall Meeting or Teach-In on the Economic Meltdown

During the week of December 8th, organizations across the country will organize town-hall meetings and "teach-ins" to educate the community about the impact of the economic crisis. This is an important time to engage about the rapidly changing economy. It's also a key moment to hold congressional leaders accountable to implement the "unfinished business" in response to the economic crisis.

The $700 billion congressional bailout of Wall Street has touched a popular nerve and people are eager to learn more about the causes of the economic crisis and how to advance a program to help our communities.IPS has crucial resources to help with event planning, public outreach, and can assist in securing speakers for your event.

For more information contact:
Karen Dolan, Institute for Policy Studies, Washington, DC
Email: kdolan@igc.org; Telephone: 202-234-9382 x228

Andree Zaleska, Institute for Policy Studies, Northeast Office