Stephen Kinzer
Encyclopedia
Stephen Kinzer is a United States
author
and newspaper
reporter. He is a veteran New York Times correspondent who has reported from more than fifty countries on five continents. During the 1980s he covered revolution and social upheaval in Central America
. In 1990, he was promoted to bureau chief of the Berlin
bureau and covered the growth of Eastern and Central Europe
as they emerged from Soviet rule. He was also New York Times bureau chief in Istanbul
(Turkey
) from 1996 to 2000. He currently teaches journalism and United States foreign policy at Boston University
.
Kinzer has written several non-fiction
books about Turkey
, Central America, Iran
, the US overthrow of foreign governments from the late 19th century to the present and, most recently, about Rwanda
's recovery from genocide
. He has spoken out widely against a potential U.S. attack on Iran
, warning that it would destroy the pro-US sentiment that has become widespread among the Iranian populace under the repressive Islamic regime. He is a fierce opponent of US foreign policy toward Latin America. In a 2010 interview with Imagineer Magazine, he stated:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
reporter. He is a veteran New York Times correspondent who has reported from more than fifty countries on five continents. During the 1980s he covered revolution and social upheaval in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. In 1990, he was promoted to bureau chief of the Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
bureau and covered the growth of Eastern and Central Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as they emerged from Soviet rule. He was also New York Times bureau chief in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
(Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
) from 1996 to 2000. He currently teaches journalism and United States foreign policy at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
.
Kinzer has written several non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
books about Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Central America, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, the US overthrow of foreign governments from the late 19th century to the present and, most recently, about Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
's recovery from genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
. He has spoken out widely against a potential U.S. attack on Iran
Opposition to military action against Iran
Organised opposition to a possible future military attack against Iran by the United States and/or Israel is known to have started during 2005-2006. Beginning in early 2005, journalists, activists and academics such as Seymour Hersh, Scott Ritter, Joseph Cirincione and Jorge E...
, warning that it would destroy the pro-US sentiment that has become widespread among the Iranian populace under the repressive Islamic regime. He is a fierce opponent of US foreign policy toward Latin America. In a 2010 interview with Imagineer Magazine, he stated:
The effects of U.S. intervention in Latin America have been overwhelming negative. They have had the effect of reinforcing brutal and unjust social systems and crushing people who are fighting for what we would actually call “American values.” In many cases, if you take Chile, Guatemala, or Honduras for examples, we actually overthrew governments that had principles similar to ours and replaced those democratic, quasi-democratic, or nationalist leaders with people who detest everything the United States stands for.
See also
- Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change From Hawaii to IraqOverthrow (book)Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq is a book published in 2006 by award-winning New York Times foreign correspondent and author Stephen Kinzer about the United States's involvement in the overthrow of foreign governments from the late 19th century to the present...
Article about Kinzer's book - Covert United States foreign regime change actions
- Timeline of United States military operations
- Killing HopeKilling HopeKilling Hope: U.S. Military and C.I.A. Interventions since World War II is a history book on covert CIA operations and U.S. military interventions during the second half of the 20th century. It was written by former State Department employee William Blum...
Article about a book on U.S. Military and C.I.A. Interventions since World War by William BlumWilliam BlumWilliam Blum is an American author, historian, and critic of United States foreign policy. He studied accounting in college. Later he had a low-level computer-related position at the United States Department of State in the mid-1960s. Initially an anti-communist with dreams of becoming a foreign...
External links
- Stephen Kinzer's personal website, July 2008 (videos, articles, pictures, bio, book info, upcoming events)
- Interview about the United States and Iran, Democracy Now!Democracy Now!Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
, March 3, 2008 (video, audio, and print transcript) - Interview with Kinzer for Guernica MagazineGuernica MagazineGuernica / A Magazine of Art and Politics is a biweekly online site that publishes art and photography, fiction, and poetry, from around the world, along with nonfiction such as letters from abroad, investigative pieces and opinion pieces on international affairs and U.S. domestic policy...
- "Empirical Evidence", on WNYC'sWNYCWNYC is a set of call letters shared by a pair of co-owned, non-profit, public radio stations located in New York City.WNYC broadcasts on the AM band at 820 kHz, and WNYC-FM is at 93.9 MHz. Both stations are members of National Public Radio and carry distinct, but similar news/talk programs...
The Brian Lehrer Show, April 26, 2006 - "Author Kinzer Charts 'Century of Regime Change'" on NPR'sNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
Fresh AirFresh AirFresh Air is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States. The show is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its longtime host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to 450 stations and claimed 4.5 million listeners. The show...
, April 5, 2006 - Part 1: Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq, Democracy Now!, April 21, 2006 (video, audio, and print transcript)
- Part 2: Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq, Democracy Now!, May 8, 2006 (video, audio, and print transcript)
- Interview with Stephen Kinzer and Martha Cardenas (mp3) February 10, 2008
- Interview with Stephen Kinzer in Imagineer Magazine on Latin American foreign policy
- Stephen Kinzer: "Reset: Iran, Turkey, and America’s Future" - video interview
- Stephen Kinzer on the History of BP/British Petroleum and Its Role in the 1953 Iran Coup