Medea Benjamin is an anti-war activist and one of the co-founders of CODEPINK: Women for Peace. She’s spent decades fighting the American military-industrial complex, organizing protests against the invasion of Iraq in the early 2000s and interrupting speeches by both Barack Obama and Donald Trump. She’s also the co-author, with David Swanson, of NATO: What You Need to Know. She joined Current Affairs editor-in-chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss the ongoing push for war, from the Middle East to Venezuela, and how ordinary people can organize and stand against it.

🌸 CODEPINK: https://www.codepink.org/

🌸 Medea's Twitter: https://x.com/medeabenjamin

🌸 Medea's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/medea.benjamin

0:00-11:16 Why Disruptive Protest Works

11:16-14:23 Overcoming the Fear of Public Confrontation

14:23-18:36 Making the Human Cost of War Visible

18:36-22:52 The Rise and Limits of Today’s Antiwar Movement

22:52-25:49 The Myth of Trump as an “Anti-War” President

25:49-31:53 NATO’s Role in the Ukraine War

31:53-34:54 Is There a Real Anti-War Right?

34:54-37:56 Why Democrats Lag Public Anti-War Opinion

37:56-40:16 What Keeps People Fighting Back

40:16-47:33 Why Americans Must Confront Their Own Government’s Crimes

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🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/