I’ve felt deeply touched by Johan Grimonprez’ brilliant and frightening documentary “Shadow World” which is based on Andrew Feinstein’s book with the same name. I want to share it with my readers and here is all about the book and the movie. It was shown in November 2016 by Swedish Television with Swedish text but is due to be taken down a couple of month later. It will … Continue reading “Shadow World” – on your tax money
Hillary Rodham Clinton was nominated last night by the Democratic Party as its candidate for the U.S. Presidency. She may well win on November 8.
What a tragedy for Western democracy that the leader of what is still called the free, democratic world cannot produce better candidates than Trump and Clinton through a disgustingly commercialized and corrupt political process where candidates like Jill Stein – did you ever hear of that candidate? – doesn’t have a chance because she cannot mobilize the funds.
As a European intellectual with a life-long commitment to peace and democracy, I find little reason to celebrate.
And why the total focus on a few individuals at the top but not the structures that will run them both, such as the Military-Industrial-Media-Academic Complex (MIMAC); the cancer in many societies, including Russia, that President Eisenhower warned the world about in his farewell speech already in 1961?
How short the media memory! Hillary Clinton’s nomination celebrated all over the mainstream press as a victory for the party – preventing it from splitting – and for all women.
But how can people – women in particular – really believe in such genderism: that she will be a better president for the US and the world because she’s a woman? Hasn’t the world learnt anything from the inverse racism:that Obama would be a great presidentbecause he is black?
How blind the media to militarism, war and other violence: Not one media focuses on the Clinton’s well-documented fascination with violence and war.
It’s time to refresh the memory of the Clintons:
Bill Clinton’s record
From 1994 BC broke all promises made by his predecessors and other Western politician to Gorbachev about “not expanding NATO an inch”. He started out in Tblisi, Georgia. I happened to be there, spoke with the U.S. representative to the country and got a sense what was coming. Later too in Yugoslavia.
There is a straight line from that fatal arrogance to today’s Second Cold War in Europe, Ukraine having – predictably – to be the this-far-and-no-longer country of that mindless and reckless expansion that should never have happened.
Continue reading “The Clintons celebrated – but likely disastrous for the world”Here is my take on the July 15 coup in Turkey – why it happened the way it did and what is the least unlikely hypothesis – followed by some examples of regional and international consequences this coup is bound to have. And it ends: NATO comes across as a very tired alliance that should have been closed down or re-invented itself 25 years ago … Continue reading Turkey’s coup – Another example of the West’s disintegration
Commenting on PressTv on July 22, 2016 after yet another tragedy in the Mediterranean. But how much did the media cover that in comparison with the Nice tragedy – and Hollande’s killing of 120 innocent civilians as revenge for Nice (which at the time was not known to have any connections to ISIS or similar). Continue reading EU’s so-called refugee crisis – and what should and must be done
Jan Oberg comments on Iranian PressTV (July 19, 2016) some 11 minutes into this program. “The War On Terror is history’s most stupid and counterproductive. If the terrorism problem has increased about 80 times since 2001 we should be intellectual and decent enough to ask ourselves: What are we doing wrong? Nobody asks this question and it will end us up in hell.” Continue reading The horror in Nice and elsewhere
Comment on Russia Today, July 16, 2016 Continue reading Turkey coup as one more problem for NATO
In an open letter – hardly mentioned by the Western mainstream press, a group of high-level and rather “Realpolitik” US diplomats, scholars, military and politicians urge President Obama to take concrete steps to intensify the co-operation with Iran. There are obviously concerned that the U.S. shall be perceived as an obstacles for the implementation of the JCPOA, or the Iran Nuclear Deal that, on Thursday the 14th, … Continue reading Obama is urged to make closer ties with Iran
Published on July 8, 2016, the day of the NATO Summit in Warsaw. It’s the 5th in the TFF Series “The New Cold War” Russia and NATO have offensive capacities and MIMACs (Military-Industrial-Media-Academic Complex) but NATO’s is a much larger potential threat to Russia than the other way around Why does an alliance with such an overwhelming superiority shout and scream and see ghosts on … Continue reading Fearology and militarism – But the real enemy is us
The West leaves, a multi-polar world comes Jan Øberg – Video lecture – Part 1/3 Continue reading “Peace, Conflict, Democracy”
The World Humanitarian Summit held in Istanbul, May 23-24, 2016 failed to achieve its fund-raising goals. No one from the richest countries – except Angela Merkel – or of the UN Security Council attended – writes eminent observer Baher Kamal for InterPress Service, IPS. The richest and most powerful, the most militarized and the most greedy on earth of course stayed away. In addition, they … Continue reading The Western moral decay
For instance EU and other Western mainstream media. But we are getting out! The European Union is about to sign an agreement with non-EU Turkey to get rid of a large part of its refugees – by paying around € 6 bn to Turkey. Amnesty International and many others have pointed out – in strong words – that this agreement violates basic provisions of international … Continue reading If the EU becomes a criminal Union some don’t want you to know
Something is rotten in the State of Denmark and the world will increasingly see it. It’s an unpleasant combination of Islamophobia, militarism and a peculiar ethical and intellectual self-destructive obedience to US/NATO all wrapped up in a pseudo-humanitarian flag. It’s important that intellectuals criticise the policies of their native country and not only and politically correctly criticise that of others. In the case of Danish … Continue reading Denmark to attack in Syria – too
Commenting on NATO S-G Jens Stoltenberg’s wish for dialogue with Russia – a bit odd after all the other provocative initiatives he has spearheaded the last good year or so. I felt like saying something more general about this outdated paradigm – and why it is dangerous for us all – referring also to the Russell-Einstein Manifesto of 1955. You may also see it as … Continue reading NATO outdated – Abolish war
Don’t underestimate him, count him out or think he is crazy.
NBC’s “Meet the Press” half-hour interview with Donald Trump is interesting. He has passion and a very fast mind, he seems to have integrity in the sense that he cannot be bought for money by others and he doesn’t mind having standpoints that conservative republicans find odd or surprising.
He is clearly eclectic and pragmatic rather than a theoretician, ideology-bent politician – and seems to build a lot on his entrepreneur experience and sense of reading people.
His vision – “making America great again!” – may be frightening and wrong and it is based on strength, on military but even more on economic strength.
The interesting thing is that he is much more realistic about the internal and external weaknesses of today’s U.S. than the rest of the political elites and decision-makers in Washington who seem all to be in denial of the empire’s relative decline.
Continue reading “Don’t underestimate Donald Trump”With the breaking news on the nuclear deal announced today – undoubtedly a piece of world history – I wrote up TFF PressInfo # 329 with the above title. It’s written, as others before it on this issue, with an emphasis on the characteristics of this conflict that is both obvious and never mentioned: the a-symmetry of it all, the de factor relations and the … Continue reading “Congratulations and thank you, Iran!”
My comments to Iran’s PressTV in the morning of July 14, before the nuclear deal with Iran was announced. This is a taped interview with a summary text: “This is a triumph for talks, for diplomacy, for dialogue instead of warfare and it is an important movement for the world not only for Iran or for the Middle East, or for Europe, it is for … Continue reading Iran nuclear achievement “victory for civilization”
It would be good if we could address the reasons why refugees come from Africa to Europe. It’s difficult to do anything serious about the problems – and avoid terrible human suffering like those we have just witnessed – if nobody bothers to talk about root causes and believe that the solution is just to allocate more money to deal with symptoms and “repair” work. … Continue reading Behind every refugee stands an arms trader
TFF PressInfo # 317 – My introduction to four important articles by TFF Associates on the conflict and violence in Yemen. Continue reading Yemen – the mainstream narrative is grossly misleading
It’s our wars, stupid!A short interview on Russia Today about Europe’s woefully inadequate understanding of why refugees come here.Towards a solution: Deal with conflicts early and by peaceful means, criminalise arms trade and abolish war and you’ve solved most of the world’s refugee problems!Interview on YouTube with RT International (700 million viewers worldwide and to be broadcast repeatedly on April 20, 2015). Continue reading The links between refugees and war
UN Yemen envoy Jamal Benomar resigns amid crisis – Al Jazeera English How conspicuous that Benomar – whom I happen to know a little bit – is choosing this moment to resign. It’s only a two days after the UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo on the Houthis but coming out in de facto support of the Saudi-led coalition bombing of Yemen by not … Continue reading The UN Yemen mediator resigns – conspicuously
Iran says nuclear deal depends on lifting of sanctions | Reuters This is a timely reminder to those who believe the Iran nuclear deal can be reduced to and hinges upon the deal between Congress and Obama. Says Iranian President Rouhani: “We are in talks with the major powers and not with the Congress,” Rouhani said. I draw three conclusions: 1. If there will be … Continue reading If so, let the U.S. isolate itself
Today Charles Krauhammer – a well-known extreme rightist usually advocating war – writes in the Washington Post under the headline “The Iran deal: The anatomy of a disaster”. My comments under the article goes: The day Mr. Krauthammer will write about• sanctions on Israel for its nuclear weapons and international law violations;• anytime/anywhere inspections in all nuclear weapons countries including Israel (does he really believe … Continue reading Comments to Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
Israel’s defence minister Moshe Ya’alon writes in Washington Post under the headline “Current Iran framework will make war more likely”When I wrote my comment there were already more than 1100 comments – so here it is: “Israel’s defence minister is an echo of PM Netanyahu. Nothing new, Israel’s official views are well-known, beamed out a thousand times more effectively than Iran’s to the world, not … Continue reading Comment to Israel’s defence minister in Washington Post
Medialens tells us that the Zionist lobby does it again! Are we surprised?Oh yes, when was it last all Western leaders praised freedom of expression by walking through Paris? Will even one of them now stand up and demand that this conference be held anyhow? What is it the West’s academic community boats about in comparison with other cultures – isn’t it freedom of our … Continue reading Yet another attack by Zionists on academic freedom
Jan Oberg commenting on Iranian President Rouhani: “Tehran abides by commitments, if P5 1 fulfills promises” – YouTube/PressTV http://ow.ly/LbX3d In spite of the deal’s negative sides, Iran has chosen peace to the benefit of the world. In that perspective it is much more than a nuclear deal, it’s – potentially – a road to peace. Continue reading Iran nuclear deal – a road to peace
► Lite om utställningen & praktisk infoMänniskor och miljön från Islam, som västvärlden ständigt är i konflikt med. Jag gjorde fact-finding i Irak 2002 och 2003 och redan före kriget var människorna hårt drabbade av omänskliga ekonomiska sanktioner.Jag arbetar med fred och foto i Iran varje år sedan 2012. Somaliland besökte jag 2014 (och 1977-81) och Marrakech-bilderna är från januari 2015. Det är bilder av … Continue reading “People Of Islam” – Ny udstilling
War with Iran is probably our best option – The Washington PostBy Joshua Muravchik – one of the extremist neo-cons influencing U.S. foreign policy. Hardly one argument backed up by facts here. The professor advocates a series of violations of international law. He thinks it is fine to kill people and cause regime change. Two simple points: Why does Washington Post publish such crap? Answer: … Continue reading Like we use Islamism – why not USism
NATO military exercises begin in Black Sea – BBC NewsIs this professional, impartial journalism? Let’s look at the words: NATO “reassures”, Russia “accuses” and “warns” and is – stated as an objective fact – “increasingly unpredictable”. Here is how this news story could also be written: “Simultaneous with a series of other military execises, NATO has begun one today in the Black Sea. Russia – … Continue reading BBC’s non-professional reporting – and how it could also be written
Senator Cotton – behind the Letter of 47 – has been promoted by pro-Israeli RJC’s Singer and Adelson • LobeLog Instructive reading for anyone who thinks – because they are manipulated by Western mainstream media – that economic corruption in politics and oligarchs are only found in Russia and China and not in the so-called democracy of the United States. It seems that not only … Continue reading And who funded Sen Tom Cotton’s and 46 other Senators’ mean, condescending letter?
Saudi Arabia recalled envoy to Sweden amid diplomatic row – YouTube video with Iranian PressTV. I comment on the Sweden-Saudi Aabia conflict, points out that it is good that Sweden introduces some ethical consideration but that it lacks a positive vision in Swedish foreign policy. Certainly Saudi Arabia – now the world’s largest arms importer – doesn’t need more weapons. It is wrong to cut … Continue reading The Saudi Arabia – Sweden row
Syrian Rebels in Aleppo Reject UN Peace Effort Perhaps understandable but tragic. When all this began in Syria some of us – a clear minority and without any media interest – suggested an arms embargo on all sides and involvement of the UN. But “Friends of Syria”, hot-headed politicians and media people knew that arming the opposition and never talk with Al-Assad was the only … Continue reading Gun in hand – less motivated to negotiate
Iran’s FM Zarif: “Any deal with P5 1 would cover all issues”I agree with the foreign minister and point out how a-symmetric this conflict is. I believe also that historic mistrust should have been dealt with before technicalitites.Then I ask how on earth it could be better for Israel if there is no deal than if there is one – as PM Netanyuahu argues and … Continue reading About the nuclear negotiations with Iran
What the War on Terror Has Wrought: More TerrorismMy text for TFF PressInfo re-prited in CounterPunch – a “popular political sources in America, with a keen following in Washington” (The Observer). I’m proud to be re-printed there!TFF PressInfos are spread all over the place. You can get them by e-mail: write to PressInfo@transnational.org Continue reading What the War on Terror Has Wrought: More terrorism
Mossad contradicted Netanyahu on Iran nuclear programme – Al Jazeera PM Netanyahu repeatedly speaks and acts in bad faith with the aim of getting some kind of war started on Iran. A leader of a nuclear weapons state suffering from obsession and having such bad aims and political judgement is a threat to us all. With a population roughly 10 times bigger than Israel’s, the … Continue reading Help Netanyahu to come to his senses
TFF PressInfo # 310: Terrorism – small dot in a larger pictureWhat is terrorism? Why do we talk much more about that than other types of deaths? Why is the word misused?What has nuclear weapons – that politicians and media hardly ever talk about – got to do with terror?Why should we all be careful not to exaggerate the phenomenon of terror? Continue reading TFF PressInfo # 310: Terrorism – small dot in a larger picture
My short open letter concerning the horrific attacks in Copenhagen in the weekend and the official reaction to them.http://ow.ly/JdIgI – Share if you find it meaningful.Thanks! Continue reading I am not a Dane: Short open letter
Just out! TFF PressInfo # 309Learn conflict and peace in 20 minutes11.000 people around the world just got it in their mailbox. If you did not, write to press@transnational.org Continue reading TFF PressInfo # 309: Learn conflict and peace in 20 minutes
When I watch this documentary, Iraq: Shattered Heritage, I cannot but ask myself: Who are the barbarians of our time? What is the mote and what is the beam in this world? Who tells Russia that “big countries shall not bully smaller countries”? Isn’t it time for the Western world to acknowledge its own dark sides and stop projecting them on everybody else? I am … Continue reading Who are the barbarians of our time?
Freedom of expression fundamentalism – or what happened to Charlie?Four main reasons you need to be wise – and not make New Atheism your new creed! This is TFF PressInfo # 304. You can get these fast-growing PressInfos winging into you e-box too. Just write to pressinfo@transnational.org Continue reading Wisdom of expression
Eleven points as a reflection on the terror in Paris and – not the least – the reactions to it*:
1. What was this an attack on?
Was that attack an attack on freedom of speech as such, on democracy, even on the whole Western culture and lifestyle, as was maintained throughout? Or was it, more limited, a revenge directed at one weekly magazine for what some perceive as blasphemy?
2. Is freedom of expression practised or curtailed for various reasons?
How real is that freedom in the West? Just a couple of days before the Paris massacre PEN in the U.S. published a report – Global Chilling – finding that about 75% of writers report that they are influenced by the NSA listening and abstain from taking up certain subjects or perspectives? Self-censorship, in other words. Finally, most of the political leaders marching in Paris on Sunday January 11 have clamped down on media, such as Turkey and Egypt.
I must admit that I have experienced limitations in the practise of that freedom in my work with Western media and it is decades ago I draw the conclusion that things like political correctness, ownership, commercial/market considerations and journalists’ need for good relations with power – e.g. to obtain interviews – play a role.
I’ve been on the ground in conflict zones and returning home to see reports so biased to tell very little of what I’ve seen myself. And we’ve recently seen lots of cases from the U.S. academic world where there’s been a clampdown on certain views, pulications, courses and professors – not the least in relation to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Or, you look at the proportions between government fund available for peace research and military research in virtually every Western society; free research is a vital element in the self-understanding of the West. But how much of do we have?
3. Freedom doesn’t mean duty.
Is freedom of expression really 100% irrespective of how much the practise of that freedom is hurtful, offending, humiliating or discriminatory against other peoples, religions and cultures? Even if you can express your opinions freely it is not always what we should do.
Or, rather, of violence against violence + terrorism against terrorism. Among the marchers against terrorism and for freedom of expression we find leaders from France, Denmark, Egypt, Italy, Turkey, Russia, the U.S., Israel, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Bahrein and Ukraine. What do they have in common? A deep belief in violence – violence of various types: 9-10 of them presently fighting foreign wars (mostly against or … Continue reading Depiction of the Spiral of Violence
I believe this is going to be an iconic image of something that will be a turning point in Europe and, likely too, the generalised West. Is this the 9/11 moment for Europe? Whether intended or not, the government leaders marching in Paris today will tomorrow begin a special ‘war on terror’ in Europe – clamping down on all of us, curtailing freedoms – including … Continue reading Europe’s 9/11 moment ?
En beslægtet version på engelsk hér:
Blandt verdens mange voldelige handlinger, krige og terrorhandlinger vælger Danmarks Radio at afholde en partilederdebat om netop denne terroraktion, der – så tragisk og afskyelig som den er – kostede 12 mennesker livet på et lille ugeblad i Paris. Den skal, hedder det – og tages uden videre som udgangspunkt for hele debatten – handle om ytringsfrihed og demokrati. Her en video fra debatten.
Spørgsmål 1:
Hvad er kriterierne for hvornår der gøres så meget ud af en international begivenhed at der hasteindkaldes til en times partilederdebat direkte efter TV-Avisen? Jeg kan ikke huske det skete under f.eks. Jugoslavienkrigene, besættelsen af Irak, Libyen eller Israels angreb for nogle måneder siden på Gaza hvor over 2000 blev dræbt.
Spørgsmål 2:
Hvordan ser forbindelseskæden ud mellem drabene i Paris og det, der af DR og alle politikere forstås (uden diskussion) som et angreb, ikke på et bestemt medie men på hele “vores” demokrati og ytringsfrihed? Hvad der således tages for givet er altid interessant – og vigtigt for demokratiet og ytringsfriheden – at stille spørgsmålstegn ved. Det være hermed gjort fordi det er svært at tro at nogen fundamentalist eller forstyrret person skulle forestille sig at ét angreb på et lille ugeblad og 12 dræbte kan true hele den vestlige verden i sin grundvold.
De 8 politkere er helt enige om – og det er rigtigt og vigtigt at få sagt til alle i Danmark – at alle muslimer ikke slås i hartkorn med de formodentligt muslimske ekstremister som begik denne massakre.
Desværre bliver de også lynhurtigt enige – under ledelse af statsministeren – at det skete ikke har årsager, der har noget som helst med vor egen politik, holdninger, krige etc. at gøre. Jeg tager i parantes hatten af for de to udspørgere, Kim Bildsøe Lassen og Ask Rostrup, der flere gange forsøgte men blev afvist af alle otte. Een partileder mente endog at man ikke skulle analysere sig ihjel.
Nej, de to eneste argumenter vi fik
Continue reading “Partilederdebatten om attentatet på Charlie Hebdo”Get TFF PressInfoLet it wing into you e-mail inbox!A rapidly growing peace politics e-mail service. It’s topical, for peace, and well-researched and sometimes provocative. Points you don’t often get in the media.It is free and you can unsub anytime with a click. Why not try it now?Sign up here… Continue reading TFF PressInfo! Let it wing into your e-mail inbox
TFF PressInfo 282 Instead of bombing ISIS – Concrete proposals (Part B) Lots of proposals, doable and much more efficient than war. Please SHARE, thanks. The alternative to war is not to do nothing, it is to do something else! Continue reading ► ► TFF PressInfo 282: Instead of bombing IS (Part B)
TFF PressInfo 281: Instead of bombing IS (Part A) – Please SHARE It’s easy to be pro-war. It is easy to be anti-war. But we need alternatives to war! The first of two comprehensive pro-peace analyses containing no less than 27 proposals as alternatives to war. This one contains principles, tomorrow’s Part B offers concrete proposals. YOU can get TFF PressInfos too winging into your … Continue reading ► ► New TFF PressInfo 281: Instead of bombing IS (Part A)