Articles by Kate Kizer
What Yemen Needs Now
National security. For insiders. By insiders. In December 2022, a Yemen war powers resolution was offered for consideration in the U.S. Senate. Bipartisan majorities in Congress supported similar legislation in 2019 but declined to advance the measure last year. What changed?
Did Anyone Notice the US Military Bombed Somalia?
“The United States is no longer at war,” President Joe Biden proudly declared to the UN General Assembly at the end of September 2022. It seems as if US boots on the ground is the threshold for the United States to admit to being at war. An administration lawyer might agree, thanks to Harold Koh, who argued that the 2011 US-led NATO airstrikes in Libya did not require congressional approval because there were no US troops there.
Officials still 'don't know' if US arms were used to kill Yemeni civilians
Amid President Biden’s controversial decision last week to soon meet with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman — a move that appears to be following the lead of prominent Middle East hawks — the Government Accountability Office released a new report finding that the State and Defense Departments failed to thoroughly investigate and “don’t know” whether the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen used American-made weapons in attacks that killed civilians.
National Security for Sale
I was not alone in my shock that the FBI seized electronic data allegedly revealing former four-star General John Allen as a foreign agent. He secretly lobbied on behalf of the monarchy in Qatar, and the public only found out about the FBI’s action after a journalist noticed a curious US government filing in a federal court case.
Congress begins effort to end US role in Yemen war
Amazingly, after nearly eight years of relentless war, the U.N.-negotiated ceasefire has held up in Yemen for the last two months. As the U.N. Special Envoy begins his effort to extend this temporary truce into a longer-term deescalation, Congress once again has the opportunity to retake its war powers authority and provide the president with a tool to end U.S. involvement. Today, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers, led by Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep.
Is it time to reexamine military approaches to political violence?
While most of Washington is focused on Ukraine, it risks ignoring or downplaying opportunities to resolve other crises that are also affecting millions of people. One such crisis is in the Sahel, and an opening may be emerging in Burkina Faso.
Deal or No (Iran) Deal
Few progressive foreign policy priorities have been proven more correct, visionary, and critical to global security than the Iran anti-nuclear deal. But, unfortunately, Donald Trump’s unilateral violation of the agreement in May 2018 and his advisors and others’ (looking at you, John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies) unstrategic (and failed) strong-arming of Iran has only made the country’s nuclear program more advanced.
Opinion | Washington Needs to Do Something About UAE Dirty Money
Opinion | Washington Needs to Do Something About UAE Dirty Money | Kate Kizer
Washington needs to do something about the UAE's dirty money
Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered a literal hunt by Global North nations for his and his cronies’ ill-gotten financial assets. It has pushed USAID to announce a new global anti-corruption program aimed at expanding the capacity of investigative journalists and civil society to pursue reforms, and sift through big data dumps that are increasingly a critical source of the financial flows and evidence both sanctions officials and bank regulators need.
American Fans of Putin
An imperial army invaded a neighboring state less than a week ago under the absurd farce of “denazification.” Ukraine’s actual “crime”? Its people leading two pro-democracy revolutions (in 2004 and in 2014), democratically electing a president committed to anti-corruption despite serious roadblocks, and a desire to chart its own future.
US foreign policy and the American savior trap
The Ukraine crisis has highlighted Washington’s desire to police the world based on its collective hawkish whims. From Israel to Yemen to China to Cuba, President Biden’s foreign policy has fallen flat with progressives and proponents of restraint more broadly with a continuation of some of former President Trump’s worst policy initiatives.
Biden’s Neo-Colonial Afghanistan Policy
What unites every single House Republican and 44 House Democrats? Opposition to simply studying the implications of the US government’s decision to pick the pockets of an entire nation, simply because they are being forced to live under the despotic militarily-occupation of an internationally-sanctioned armed supremacist group.
The U.S. Is Wrong on Yemen, Again
Kate Kizer Foreign Policy February 4, 2022 The devastating cycle of tit-for-tat attacks between Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Houthis will not end via diplomatic doublespeak. Read Full Article »
Is Congress ready (and willing) to fix the president's Yemen policy? – Responsible Statecraft
Democrats have been reluctant to challenge Biden on this issue but the situation is getting worse and time is running out. The Biden administration has come full circle on Yemen.
The United States' Yemen Policy Is Still Wrong
Last week, Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East, boiled down the millions suffering in Yemen into a false binary in which Washington has done everything it can for peace. He claimed that the Houthi rebels in Yemen are to blame for the continuation of this seven-year conflict that has become the largest humanitarian crisis in the world.
Humanitarian assistance doesn't give militarism a free pass – Responsible Statecraft
The United States has often helped create — and missed opportunities to prevent — circumstances that require emergency aid. The United States is the largest single donor of humanitarian aid to… .” Googling that phrase brings up results for a litany of countries: Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Syria, Yemen.
Will we finally accept that 'precision airstrikes' don't exist?
A New York Times exposé revealing a "system of impunity" at the Pentagon regarding civilian casualties should be a catalyst for change, writes Kate Kizer. A Yemeni boy walks past a mural encapsulating the terror and tragedy wrought by US air wars in the Middle East.
drone warfare
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Will we finally accept that 'precision airstrikes' don't exist? – Responsible Statecraft
A Times exposé revealing a ‘system of impunity’ at the Pentagon regarding civilian casualties should be a catalyst for change. “Strive.” “Lawfulness.” “An honest mistake.” “Unintended consequences.” “Access to classified intelligence.” These are words that come up repeatedly in U.S. justifications of “regrettable” civilian casualties caused by U.S. or U.S. supported military operations.
It’s Time to Talk About US Illiberalism
This column is free to everyone. To receive more in depth analysis of US foreign policy and international affairs, sign up for Foreign Exchanges’ email list today! Better yet, please consider subscribing to support the newsletter and help it continue to grow: As I transition out of the direct policymaking world, I’ve finally had the time to read full articles and reports, not just the executive summaries. So far it’s been an eye-opening experience.
Opinion | The US Military Can't Be Trusted to Investigate Civilian Casualties
Opinion | The US Military Can't Be Trusted to Investigate Civilian Casualties | Kate Kizer
We can't trust the US military to investigate civilian casualties – Responsible Statecraft
As the Biden administration appears to be ramping up airstrikes in Syria, Congress needs to do a full review of the American role in the country’s decade-long civil war. U.S. Central Command reported late on Friday a U.S. drone strike in Idlib, Syria against a senior member of al-Qaida, rather than against a member of the self-described Islamic State — the ostensible legal justification the United States is even in Syria.
With the Iraq Withdrawal, U.S. Wars Expand
From all appearances, President Biden is making good on his campaign promise to “end the forever wars.” He’s removing U.S. troops from Afghanistan, there’s been a reported decrease in U.S. drone strikes, and the president and Iraqi prime minister announced this week that the U.S. combat mission will end in Iraq by the end of the year.
'American Exceptionalism' for the 21st Century
This blog originally appeared on Foreign Exchanges, which, like Discourse Blog, is a member of the Discontents media collective. Discourse Blog readers can save 25% on their first year at Foreign Exchanges by subscribing today using this link.
"American Exceptionalism" for the 21st Century
This column is free to everyone.
The Blob is Back
Hey everybody, Derek here. I’m thrilled today to publish Kate Kizer’s first piece as a Foreign Exchanges contributor! Here Kate assesses the Biden administration’s foreign policy performance thus far and finds it wanting even by Biden’s own standard. If you missed Kate’s intro earlier this month you can check that out here. Foreign Exchanges can continue to thrive and grow thanks to the support of our subscribers.
Introducing Kate Kizer
Hello everybody, it’s Derek. I’m so excited to be able to announce that Kate Kizer is joining the Foreign Exchanges team as a new contributor. Kate is the Policy Director at Win Without War, a coalition of organizations working to advance progressive national security ideas in Washington. She’s previously served as the Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Yemen Peace Project and as US Advocacy Officer for Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain.
Biden’s Choice on Yemen
After declaring he would make Saudi Arabia “the pariah state they are” on the campaign trail, President Joe Biden’s recent steps on Yemen — announcing an end to US military support for to-be defined offensive operations, the removal of harmful terror designations, his appointment of a US Special Envoy, and his administration’s diplomatic entreaties to de-escalate the conflict — are a good start. Incremental changes, however, are not enough to undo the harms of the past and move forward.
How a Fairer Housing Act Could End LGBT Homelessness and Housing Discrimination
Recently, my colleague Richard Kahlenberg wrote an extensive report on how shocking amounts of racial segregation and socioeconomic discrimination exist in the housing market despite the Fair Housing Act. Kahlenberg suggests that the Fair Housing Act can be updated to better serve all Americans, particularly low-income Americans who are priced out of housing due to exclusionary zoning policies.
Dismantling White Supremacist Infiltration of the Military and Law Enforcement
The coordinated attacks on the U.S. Capitol as well as state houses and capitol buildings on January 6 came as a shock to many Americans, as did the widespread presence of members of hate groups among the rioters. But perhaps no aspect proved more troubling to the public than news that active-duty military and members of law enforcement participated in the attempted coup. To those who have long tracked white supremacist groups in the United States, however, this news came as no surprise.
Syria’s Human Security Is Inseparable from Its Environmental Health
Syrians are mourning one of the most tragic episodes in the country’s rich history: a revolution that began peacefully in 2011 only to end in all-out war. This “dirty war” has had devastating impacts on the country and its population. Approximately 600,000 people have been killed, and 12 million (more than half of the prewar population) forced out of their homes.
How Biden can curtail corrupt influences on US foreign policy – Responsible Statecraft
Despite laughable claims otherwise, Joe Biden has unequivocally won the White House. He now faces the already complex task of staffing a new administration that reflects the vibrance of the nation, with the added complication of Trump loyalists being placed throughout the government in an attempt to corrupt the civil service. To say that there has been a lack of accountability in the national security sector is a gross understatement.
The Case for a Post-9/11 Truth Commission
19 years ago today, George W. Bush signed the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) into law. 19 years later, the United States military is still fighting an endless war in Afghanistan, as well as at least 7 other countries around the world.
The Ugly History of Single-Family Zoning Resurfaces
The two political party conventions are now behind us, and the candidates have set out to bring their cases to the nation. But one one particularly vivid moment from the conventions lingers: the presentation by Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the White gun-brandishing couple from St. Louis, at the Republican National Convention. The McCloskeys, who have been charged with pointing guns at Black Lives Matter demonstrators, spoke in support of gun rights and the police, which was predictable.
The UAE’s Dominant Role in Trump-Era Foreign Policy
This week, the House Oversight Committee revealed new depths of Gulf influence in the Trump administration: The United Arab Emirates had the chance to edit Trump's campaign speeches. That bombshell story comes days after the president vetoed resolutions blocking weapons sales to the UAE and Saudi Arabia over the objections of bipartisan majorities in Congress.
America Is Ready for Human Security - Is Congress?
On the Senate floor last week, Senator Bernie Sanders posed a timely question about how our nation builds security. Is it through $740 billion per year Pentagon budgets, Sanders wondered, or could it be that “[m]aybe what makes us safer is when we break down the fears and the hatred that exists between peoples all over the world?
Why The Korean War Was Never Formally Ended
Editor's Note: As the world commemorates the 70th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, the Center for the National Interest’s Korean Studies team decided to ask dozens of the world’s top experts a simple question: Do you believe that the Korean War will finally come to an end before its next major anniversary in 2025? The below piece is an answer to that question. Please click here to see even more perspectives on this important topic.
US Hegemony Relies on Dehumanization and White Supremacy
When I began writing this column, Black Hawk helicopters were still circling over Washington, DC, flying low to intimidate and disperse protestors demanding justice for yet another murder of an unarmed Black person, this time George Floyd by Minneapolis police. While the spread of popular uprisings against police brutality across the United States feels like an unprecedented tipping point, the impunity with which police and military forces operate is not new.
Will the Pandemic Kill Arab Print Journalism?
The bell tolls for Arabic print news. As the COVID-19 pandemic washes over the Middle East, Arab daily newspapers suffer curfews, collapsing ad income, and bans on print publication. For newspapers that were already struggling for relevance in a media landscape shaped by authoritarian rule and rapid digitalization, the pandemic may prove the last straw.
Incrementalism Won’t Save Us, Bold Internationalism Will
A few weeks ago, most Americans were going about their day-to-day lives, largely unaware of the looming security crisis we now find ourselves in. The fundamental threat to human security posed by the novel coronavirus is matched perhaps only by the existential challenges of nuclear war and the climate crisis. Yet neither of these threats is tangible or present enough in everyday life to spark a fundamental rethinking of the way we envision security.
BuT hOw WiLl We PaY fOr It? — No one asks how we'll offset corporate bailouts and more Pentagon spending - Responsible Statecraft
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, then-House Speaker Paul Ryan, President Trump and Vice President Pence celebrate passing a massive tax cut without spending offsets. December 2017 (Photo: White House) The dramatic, global spread of the novel coronavirus has revealed deep vulnerabilities in the international community’s preparedness for global crises. Global missteps have been exacerbated here at home by the Trump administration’s denial of the crisis and slow, insufficient response.
Ilhan Omar Turns Progressive Foreign-Policy Principles Into Action
If you were to judge solely by the headlines, you might be forgiven for thinking that the progressive foreign-policy agenda is defined only by what it opposes: against starting new wars, against the U.S. policing the entire world, but never for anything. As I’ve written elsewhere, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The progressive movement has a bold vision for a more just, peaceful, and prosperous world.
Why House Democrats Passed Bills Reining in Trump’s War Machine - Responsible Statecraft
In 2016, the New York Times’ Maureen Dowd wrote a now infamous column arguing that Donald Trump would be more dovish on foreign policy than Hillary Clinton. Dowd was right on one front: Clinton, a supporter of the invasion of Iraq, was no anti-war champion.
Congress's Work to Prevent War With Iran has Only Just Begun
No sooner than the dust had settled on Iran's limited military retaliation for the assassination of Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani did pundits claim it was a “win” for Trump.
Congress's Work to Prevent War With Iran has Only Just Begun - Responsible Statecraft
No sooner than the dust had settled on Iran’s limited military retaliation for the assassination of Major General Qassem Soleimani did pundits claim it was a “win” for Trump.
Candidates Take an Anti-Status Quo Stance on Defense
Recent surveys of potential Democratic nominees ahead of tomorrow’s debate show that many agree on a perspective long treated as a taboo in Washington: We spend too much money on the Pentagon. This perspective is a departure from the oft-cited scapegoat of “waste, fraud, and abuse” that has received bipartisan lashings but allowed the Pentagon to continue to grow.
The UAE’s Dominant Role in Trump-Era Foreign Policy
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Abu Dhabi's crown prince, Mohammed bin Zayed, in the White House. This week, the House Oversight Committee revealed new depths of Gulf influence in the Trump administration: The United Arab Emirates had the chance to edit Trump’s campaign speeches. That bombshell story comes days after the president vetoed resolutions blocking weapons sales to the UAE and Saudi Arabia over the objections of bipartisan majorities in Congress.
On Preventing War with Iran, Congress Finally Listens to the American People
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons) by Kate Kizer In Washington, there’s a common refrain that regular Americans don’t care about foreign policy. Yet a flurry of activity in the House of Representatives, during debate over the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), may prove otherwise, particularly on matters of war and peace. Last week, the House of Representatives voted on and passed some of the most progressive foreign policy measures in years.
A Return to American Restraint Begins in Syria
This report is part of an ongoing TCF series that offers progressive policy proposals for America’s most pressing international priorities. U.S. troops remain in Syria—with diminishing strategic returns and obsolete legal justification—long after fulfilling their original mandate to destroy the territorial caliphate of the Islamic State.
Are You There McMaster? It's Me, the American People.
Words: Kate Kizer Pictures: Pablo Heimplatz Date: May 14th, 2019 H.R. McMaster, are you there? It’s me, the American people. I know we don’t talk much, with US foreign policy being decided by a bunch of mostly older, white elites and all. But I felt the need to speak up thanks to your recent comments about how millennial Americans think about the US role in the world.
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