News Item Archive - 2018

After appearing in a recent IPA news release, Manuel Pérez-Rocha, an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, was quoted in the article “Trump and Mexico’s New Leader, Both Headstrong, Begin With a ‘Good Conversation’.”

From the article: “Manuel Pérez-Rocha said Mr. López Obrador believed that failed economic policies championed by the United States but also Mexican elites were one of the main causes of Mexicans being pushed off farms and on the path to immigration to the United States.

“’He really doesn’t want to criticize Nafta too much, because that would put him at odds with the business community and investors,’ Mr. Pérez-Rocha said. ‘But what he’s all about is strengthening the internal economy to focus on Mexico’s jobs and the countryside.’”

Manuel studied International Relations at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), has a diploma on European Studies from the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM) and holds a M.A. on Development Studies from the Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in The Hague, Netherlands. Some of his last publications include op-eds in The Nation and The New York Times.

After appearing on an IPA press release, Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, was interviewed by Democracy Now! today to discuss the significance surrounding Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s announcement of an unconditional ceasefire with the Taliban.

War, Journalism and Whistleblowers: Thomas Drake, Katharine Gun, and other key 21st century whistle blowers featured in a special panel discussion sponsored last week by the Institute for Public Accuracy, on the radio program “Flashpoints,” 15 years after Katherine Gun blew the whistle on U.S. dirty tricks to try influence the UN on the invasion of Iraq.  ExposeFacts is a project of the Institute for Public Accuracy.

After appearing on an IPA news release, Pat Elder, author of Military Recruiting in the United States and director of National Coalition to Protect Student Privacy, @studentprivacy (studentprivacy.org) was interviewed this morning on Democracy Now! He spoke about the role of JROTC and the NRA in U.S. Schools, including the one that trained the Parkland Shooter, Nikolas Cruz.

Robert Parry, a tenacious investigative reporter and author who exposed details of the Reagan administration’s secret support for Nicaraguan rebels in the 1980s, died on Saturday in Arlington, Va. He was 68.

The cause was pancreatic cancer, said his wife, Diane Duston.

Mr. Parry won the George Polk Award for national reporting in 1984 for his disclosures that the Central Intelligence Agency had provided an assassination manual to the so-called contras, the right-wing insurgents who were seeking to topple the socialist government in Nicaragua. Mr. Parry was part of an Associated Press investigative team based in Washington when he broke the story.

For that reporting, he was also named a finalist for the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting.

In 1985, Mr. Parry broke news of the involvement of Lt. Col. Oliver L. North, a deputy director of the National Security Council, in a covert operation to support the contras with proceeds from clandestine arms sales to Iran. Congress had banned such support. The weapons had been sold to Iran to speed the release of American hostages in Lebanon.

See full piece at The New York Times

Following an appearance on a recent IPA press release, Christine Ahn, Founder of Women Cross DMZ, was interviewed by Aaron Maté on “The Real News.” In the interview, Ahn discussed raised hopes of de-escalating tensions between North and South Korea in face of the upcoming Winter Olympics.

“It’s extraordinarily heartening and probably the most important single action that would avert a war on the Korean Peninsula that is being potentially waged by the Trump administration. As you may know, in the New Year’s address, Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, basically in his New Year’s speech, extended an olive branch where he offered to send North Korean athletes to the South Korean Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. South Korean Moon Jae-in, he quickly seized that window of opportunity, and he quickly responded. And on January 9th they had the first high-level talks in over two years.” Later in the interview, Ahn described the importance of organizing women for the deescalation of conflicts when she said “… it was really a meeting of movements led by women because we know that when women are at the table, there is a greater chance of there being a peace agreement.”

Following an appearance on a recent IPA news release, Thomas Drake, whistleblower and former senior official of the National Security Agency (NSA), discussed in an interview for The Real News how the new FISA law expands warrantless surveillance of American citizens.

“For me, it’s the emperor, let’s just say the emperor here has no clothes. And it’s important that Americans and others wake up to the fact that this is simply a continuation of what has been in place now since shortly after 9/11 under “legal means.” And I’ve heard the argument, Aaron, I’ve heard the argument, “Well, hey. If you’ve done nothing wrong, you’ve said nothing wrong, you’ve not committed any crimes, you have nothing to worry about.” Did you know that under this reauthorization act, there is an extraordinary irony that an actual criminal, let’s say targeted legitimately, doing actually, probable cause of criminal activity, actually has more rights than an American would under this reauthorization bill.”