Frida Berrigan: All Publications, Events and Press

Losing the Moral High Ground

Erin Drankoski — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:47:00 -0400

On the eighth anniversary of the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, the spotlight is on the Obama administration's evolving war strategy in a nation long known as the "graveyard of empires."

The current discourse on what is now dubbed "Obama's War" focuses on the number and composition of troops, as well as the overarching strategy (counter-insurgency, rapid withdrawal, a mix of military and reconstruction operations).

Disarmament: The Long Road of Nuclear Hurdles, Hopes and Hard Work

Erin Drankoski — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:02:00 -0400

On the face of it, nuclear disarmament seems pretty straightforward--we have a bunch of things that we don't need any more, and let's get rid of them.

But, we can't just donate our old nuclear weapons to the Salvation Army for a tax write-off, or hand them down to our little sister like an old sweater set.

Aiding and Abetting War Crimes

Erin Drankoski — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 05:18:00 -0400

"You feel like a child playing around with a magnifying glass, burning up ants." That is how one Israeli soldier described Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli Defense Force's (IDF) invasion of the Gaza Strip, which began in December 2008.

His is one of 54 testimonies collected by the Israeli organization Breaking the Silence in a 110-page report that paints a disturbing picture of urban warfare in one of the world's most densely populated areas, where more than 1.5 million people occupy a narrow strip of land between Israel and the sea.

Afghanistan: War Trumps Elections

Erin Drankoski — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:17:00 -0400

The official results of Afghanistan's presidential elections won't be known for weeks. The ballots cast around the country need to be brought to Kabul--some by donkey and helicopter--and counted. Nevertheless, U.S. officials have rushed to celebrate the process, and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen heralded the elections as "a testimony to the determination of the Afghan people to build democracy." This, despite more than 75 reported incidents of violence throughout the

Obama to Bolster Nuclear Disarmament at UN | Inter Press Service

Cecille Isidro — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:06:00 -0400

Frida Berrigan, senior associate of the Arms and Security Initiative at the New America Foundation, says President Obama, in his historic Apr. 2009 speech ... and more »

A Roundtable Discussion on Disarmament | Democracy Now

Erin Drankoski — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:22:00 -0400

New America's Frida Berrigan interviewed with Democracy Now.

The Horror of Hiroshima Lives On

Cecille Isidro — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:12:00 -0400

I can't help myself. I still think it's worth bringing up, even for the 64th time. I'm talking, of course, about the atomic obliteration, at the end of a terrible, world-rending war, of two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, on August 6 and 9, 1945, whose anniversaries - if that's even the appropriate word for it - are once again upon us.

Despite Splits, US Still Arms Israel | United Press International

Cecille Isidro — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:20:00 -0400

According to Frida Berrigan of the New America Foundation's Arms and Security Initiative, sales in the first half of 2009 reached $27 billion and could hit ...

Weapons: Our #1 Export?

Cecille Isidro — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:29:00 -0400

The phrase "Obama has a lot on his plate" is the understatement of the year. The president has a to-do list a mile long, and every day a new crisis (like the coup in Honduras) gets added to the list. Can we really fault him if he sneaks the occasional smoke?

In Cyber War, Pentagon May Victimize Privacy | Press TV

Cecille Isidro — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 11:00:00 -0400

"If the Pentagon and the military services see cyberspace as a battlefield domain, then the lines protecting privacy and our civil liberties get blurred very, very quickly," peace activist Frida Berrigan - the daughter of renowned Vietnam War protester ...

Privacy May Be a Victim in Cyberdefense Plan | New York Times

Cecille Isidro — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:03:00 -0400

Frida Berrigan, a longtime peace activist who is a senior program associate at the New America Foundation’s arms and security initiative, expressed concerns about whether the Obama administration would be able to balance its promise to respect privacy in cyberspace even as it appeared to be militarizing cybersecurity.

Military Industrial Complex 2.0

Cecille Isidro — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 10:50:00 -0400

Once upon a time, soldiers did more than pick up a gun. They picked up trash. They cut hair and delivered mail. They fixed airplanes and inflated truck tires.

Not anymore. All of those tasks are now the responsibility of private military corporations. In the service of the Pentagon, their employees also man computers, write software code, create integrating systems, train technicians, manufacture and service high-tech weapons, market munitions, and interpret satellite images.

Cyberscares About Cyberwars Equal Cybermoney | Middle East Online

Cecille Isidro — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:06:00 -0400

Pentagon sees cyberspace as another battlefield terrain no different from the mountains of Afghanistan or the cities of Iraq (except that maybe on virtual battlefields we can actually win), notes Frida Berrigan. As though we don't have enough to be ...

Cyberscares About Cyberwars Equal Cybermoney

Cecille Isidro — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:57:00 -0400

As though we don't have enough to be afraid of already, what with armed lunatics mowing down military recruiters and doctors, the H1N1 flu virus, the collapse of bee populations, rising sea levels, failed and flailing states, North Korea being North Korea, al-Qaeda wannabes in New York State with terrorist aspirations, and who knows what else -- now cyberjihadis are evidently poised to steal our online identities, hack into our banks, take over our Flickr and Facebook accounts, and create havoc on the World Wide Web.

UN Big Powers World's Top Military Spenders | Inter Press Service

Cecille Isidro — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:20:00 -0400

"The only winners from increases in global military spending are (US) weapons manufacturers like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman," says Frida Berrigan, senior programme associate with the New America Foundation's Arms and Security Initiative...

The News on Nukes

Cecille Isidro — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:07:00 -0400

Pork in the Sky | Hartford Advocate

Cecille Isidro — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:06:00 -0400

But it's a lousy way to guide foreign policy, says Frida Berrigan, a military expert with the New America Foundation. "Not to say the Connecticut jobs aren't important, but we can't base our foreign policy on 2000 jobs in Connecticut and 6000 jobs in ...

Is the Next Defense Budget a Stimulus Package?

Cecille Isidro — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 07:36:00 -0400

"Shovel ready."

It's the magic incantation to fix our economic woes. Many states and federal agencies have already gone from scouring their budgets for things to cut to green- lighting construction projects. The Obama administration's $787 billion stimulus package is sure to muster many shovels in an effort to rouse a despondent economy and put Americans back to work.

Attack of the Killer Robots | In These Times

Cecille Isidro — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 06:12:00 -0500

Frida Berrigan, a senior program associate at the New America Foundation’s Arms and Security Initiative and In These Times contributing editor, ...

Hamas Fights on Uneven Battlefield | Inter Press Service

Cecille Isidro — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 18:53:00 -0500

Frida Berrigan, a senior research associate with the Arms Trade Resource Centre at the World Policy Institute, points out that the bulk of Israel's current ...