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Europe’s latest illiberal democracy: Greece! – New Statesman

https://www.yanisvaroufakis.eu/2023/03/24/europes-latest-illiberal-democracy-gr…
Created
Fri, 24/03/2023 - 18:32

“Like lambs to the slaughter” was how an elderly neighbour described the deaths of youngsters travelling on Intercity 62 which, on the night of 28 February, crashed head-on with a freight train in Greece killing 57 people. Many of the dead were students returning after a long weekend from Athens to their universities in Thessaloniki. […]

The post Europe’s latest illiberal democracy: Greece! – New Statesman appeared first on Yanis Varoufakis.

The Pot and the Kettle: the Iraq War.

http://aussiemagpie.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-pot-and-kettle-iraq-war.html
Created
Thu, 23/03/2023 - 19:35

People living in Western liberal democracies have short memories. That makes them self-righteous. Perhaps a stroll down memory lane is due.

This week was the twentieth anniversary of the Iraqi War. Use your memory, my friend.



Twenty years ago your TV screen was showing that or something very much like it.

As a consequence of that war, the whole Arab world, from the Tigris River in the east, to the Atlantic Ocean in the west, was destabilised. Already poor countries lost valuable infrastructure. Millions of people were displaced or left disabled, orphaned or destitute.

Iraq War 20 Years: Ray McGovern—The Uses and Abuses of National Intelligence Estimates

https://scheerpost.com/2023/03/20/iraq-war-20-years-ray-mcgovern-the-uses-and-a…
Created
Tue, 21/03/2023 - 04:15

The case to invade Iraq on March 19, 2003 was based on an NIE that was prepared not to determine the truth, but rather to “justify” preemptive war, when there was nothing to preempt.

The post Iraq War 20 Years: Ray McGovern—The Uses and Abuses of National Intelligence Estimates appeared first on scheerpost.com.

US Media’s Iraq War Pushers 20 Years On: Where Are They Now? Rich and Influential

https://scheerpost.com/2023/03/20/us-medias-iraq-war-pushers-20-years-on-where-…
Created
Tue, 21/03/2023 - 00:41

It’s not just that media figures who sold the most devastating war crime of the 21st century never faced any professional consequences—they’re more powerful and influential now than ever.

The post US Media’s Iraq War Pushers 20 Years On: Where Are They Now? Rich and Influential appeared first on scheerpost.com.

55 Years Ago: My Lai.

http://aussiemagpie.blogspot.com/2023/03/55-years-ago.html
Created
Thu, 16/03/2023 - 19:15

I’m sure experts can say many deep things about war crimes. Alas, I’m no expert. And yet, that caveat in place, I think I’ve noticed two things about war crimes. It’s up to you to judge how interesting they are.

The first thing I can say about war crimes is that for years we hear next to nothing about them, even during wartime. It’s almost like wars became civilised affairs.

Then, suddenly, news reports are full of alleged war crimes.

That’s what happened since February 2022, when the Russian Federation invaded the Ukraine: the term “war crime” became almost as frequent on our TV screens as the daily appearances of the Ukrainian President.

The second thing I’ve noticed is that current news coverage of war crimes is inevitably framed within a cosmic good versus evil conflict – sorry – Western liberal democracies versus autocratic regimes narrative. In this story war crimes are the preserve of the Other: autocratic regimes (aka, the bad guys). Western liberal democracies (We), the immaculately good guys, abhor such things. Living under the rule of law, We promote an “international rules-based order”.
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