The propaganda war on Syria now centres on Eastern Ghouta. In a rational world BBC coverage would be scorned by an intelligentsia priding itself on critical thinking. And in this one? It will be swallowed in its entirety, I fear, … Read More »
Two excellent offerings from OffGuardian this week. Yesterday was a video featuring Peter Ford, ambassador to Syria 2003-6, telling the “Imperialism on Trial” symposium in Derry that humanitarian invasion and sanctions are simply updated versions of the “White Man’s Burden” … Read More »
Two years ago, in a post on privatisation as a global phenomenon, I wrote: … whether or not the demonising of distant regimes has substance, and whether or not it is hypocritical, are secondary questions. In no case – cold war … Read More »
Here’s a thing. Following Turkey’s sudden but unsurprising move yesterday to attack Kurdish YPG forces in Syria, compare Guardian coverage with that of the centrist middle east outlet, al-Monitor. A little background. Before Daraa 2011, Erdogan used to call Assad … Read More »
Am I obsessed by Syria? I see egregious injustice done in our name to its people. I see risk of escalation in America’s refusal to leave a country it, unlike Russia, has not been invited into. I see corporate media … Read More »
this post also features on offguardian In today’s Guardian a Spotlight piece by Olivia Solon – her profile calls her “a senior technology reporter for Guardian US in San Francisco” – carries the header, How Syria’s White Helmets became victims … Read More »
This from the Pitchfork music site two weeks ago: In a recent press conference, Nick Cave explained his decision to play concerts in Tel Aviv … He said he “loves Israel”, noting that musicians performing there all “have to go through a public … Read More »
I’m worried about George. An admirer of many years standing of his excellent columns charting capitalism’s destruction of nature, I’m dismayed both by his stance on Syria and manner of defending it. His latest Guardian piece, yesterday – A lesson … Read More »