Following this week’s decision in a Victorian magistrate’s court that found protestors had the right to oppose Israeli chocolate shop Max Brenner in public, now comes the inevitable whinging from the political elites. It’s not fair, they say, that citizens can speak out against wonderful democratic Israel. It’s unfair that people say nasty things about…
Breaking news; CIA is fairly clueless in Syria (and that’s fine, by the way)
This Washington Post story is written with sadness. If only the CIA had any clue about the reality inside Syria, it implies, they could do what they do in many nations around the world and meddle in internal affairs: Sixteen months into… the uprising in Syria, the United States is struggling to develop a clear understanding…
New Yorker editor on writing profiles
David Remnick, just out with this stunning piece on Bruce Springsteen, talks about profile writing: STORYBOARD: The Art of the Profile with David Remnick of ‘The New Yorker’ from Tumblr on Vimeo.
What everybody has done to Afghanistan (screw it up)
The legacy of 30 years of war in Afghanistan is profound. A recently released report of atrocities during the Soviet era highlights individuals currently in high positions of government. So much for accountability and thank you Western nations for ignoring such things when enabling these forces. And if you think the US-led occupation is coming…
How do we define terrorism? Anybody who’s opposed to us
Medialens ask the questions most in the media aren’t: When is an act of terrorism not terrorism? When the victims are officially sanctioned state enemies. This was clear from the political and media response to the assassinations of senior ministers of the Syrian ”˜regime’. On 18 July, a… bomb attack… on the national security headquarters in Damascus…
Why the Max Brenner case in Australia is victory for free speech over Palestine
A farcical case against activists who dared protest an Israeli company that backs the IDF. A Zionist community that remains in denial and believes they have the right, with politicians and many pundits, to silence serious public opposition to Israel. Even yesterday, the Israel lobby remained in denial, an authoritarian streak alive and well. A…
“After Zionism” on Radio Adelaide
I was interviewed this morning on Radio Adelaide about my just released book: Nobody likes conflict, but it is ever-present in our world. The conflict between Zionism and Palestine is still burning after a century, and it seems too late for a two-state solution. “After Zionism” is a new book that brings together some of…
What is tearing Syria apart
The horrors inside Syria are increasingly clear. This is both a civil war and a proxy war with various powers determined to oppose and isolate Iran. Here’s a very powerful piece in today’s New York Times by Janine di Giovanni that highlights the chaos of Assad’s Syria: What does it feel like when a war…
