Chris Hedges’ recent resignation from the PEN American Center, once a non-partisan organization dedicated to journalists and writers defending freedom of speech and human rights globally, is a reminder of the large impact that small individual acts of courage can make. The reason for his departure from the organization is PEN’s appointment of former Assistant Deputy of State for International Affairs under Hillary Clinton, Suzanne Nossel, as its new executive director. Nossel's association with Clinton should make Hedges' opposition and decision to leave PEN obvious. As Nossel’s former boss, Hillary Clinton proved herself repeatedly to be a neocon disguised as a faux liberal serving corporate interests masquerading as democratic foreign policy. Her legacy of increasing tensions and violent conflicts in the Middle East, Africa and Asia has left a sordid legacy that will take years to mend and heal. History books will certainly not remember our former Secretary of State as a heroine emboldened by ethical principles of human rights, peaceful diplomacy, freedom of expression and contributing to more a equitable and sustainable world. Hedges’ understands this all too well having personally experienced America’s militaristic agenda in many war zones. He has the insight to recognize that a Nossel leadership will divert PEN’s agenda and mission to the right-center of the corporate Democrats thereby better serving Wall Street and the military industrial complex.
PEN’s website claims it champions “freedom of expression and defended writers of conscience.” Among its contributions is its role in crafting an article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It has a rich tradition of lobbying for journalists and writers who have been persecuted, imprisoned and murdered for exposing truth to power. At one time, PEN represented a worthy tradition, abiding by true progressive ethics to promote freedom of speech, which earned it the privilege of having true journalists, such as Chris Hedges, within its membership. The Executive Director appointment of a corporate Democrat like Suzanne Nossel is a blatant betrayal of PEN’s legacy. Why such a person would be appointed to lead an organization dedicated to human rights requires deeper investigation into the hidden dealings of the Obama administration and the faux Democrats who are intent to steal truth by any means to fuel their self-righteousness.
But there is lesson here beyond PEN. We must dispel illusions that Barak Obama, as the first African American president, speaks on behalf of all Blacks and minorities. We must speak out against the myth that Hillary Clinton, because she is a woman in a position of power and influence, speaks on behalf of all women and their struggles for equality in our patriarchal culture. We must reject that Suzanne Nossels, because she is now leading a distinguished journalist organization, will represent PEN’s legacy of upholding the values of human rights and justice. Instead, we must side with Hedges that PEN has appointed a wolf in sheep’s clothing who is more likely to serve the masters who have repeatedly acted against PEN’s professed values.
Therefore we commend Chris Hedges for his courage to publicly challenge PEN’s promotion of Nossel. His resignation should serve as an example for other journalists to similarly quit the organization in protest of the betrayal of PEN’s 22-year heritage of fostering the best journalism has to offer in challenging the rulers of a world dominated by power, money, corporate influence and political ideologists.
Statement from Chris Hedges:
I will not be participating as a speaker in the PEN World Voices Festival in May. I will not participate because of your decision to select Suzanne Nossel as Executive Director of the PEN American Center. This appointment makes a mockery of PEN as a human rights organization and belittles the values PEN purports to defend. I spent seven years in the Middle East, most of them as the Middle East Bureau Chief of The New York Times. The suffering of the Palestinians under Israeli occupation and the plight of those caught up in our imperial wars in countries such as Iraq are not abstractions to me. Nossel’s relentless championing of preemptive war—which under international law is illegal—as a State Department official along with her callous disregard for Israeli mistreatment of the Palestinians and her refusal as a government official to denounce the use of torture and use of extra-judicial killings, makes her utterly unfit to lead any human rights organization, especially one that has global concerns. PEN American Center, by appointing Nossel, has unwittingly highlighted its own failure to defend and speak out for our dissidents, especially Bradley Manning. I hereby resign from PEN. I will wait until the organization returns to its original mandate to defend those who are persecuted, including those within the United States, before returning to the organization.
Sincerely,
Chris Hedges