Nèdeem Elmahjoub's blog

Human beings may respond to the appeals of leaders, the socialisation of education and the media and the global illusions of their time. They may believe, at least in part and for some of the time, what they hear, even if, once they have abandoned these beliefs, they deny that this was ever the case.  —Fred Halliday,  The Middle East in International Relations , 2005, p. 220

‘Be honest’, Dimon said, ‘He [Trump] was kind of right about NATO, kind of right on immigration. He grew the economy quite well. Trade. Tax reform worked. He was right about some of China.’ —Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JP Morgan In other words, classic liberal-capitalist policies,  à l’américaine . This is why  Trump continues to be a problem and not just a calamity .”

A free ebook by Ilan Pappe

A book review.  The full text is subject to subscription, but what is available is enough I think to encourage us to explore the book.  Photography, War and the Media in Vietnam and Iraq

 

"Because we cannot save ourselves without contesting oligarchic control, the fight for democracy and justice and the fight against environmental breakdown are  one and the same . Do not allow those who have caused this crisis to define the limits of political action. Do not allow those whose magical thinking got us into this mess to tell us what can and cannot be done." "The earth is in a death spiral" See also how Neoliberalism has conned us into fighting climate change as individuals

Syria: on academic freedom and responsibility

Turkey Inside the Islamic Cult Whose Leader is Embraced by Israeli Figures

Ahed Tamimi عهد تميمي Western governments are not interested in marketing her!

Imaginary friends An underground amusement park in Syria

Bare life in Aleppo and in the Mediterranean and "Demystifying the Syrian Conflict" At the time Erdogan receives a Syrian child who got out of Aleppo ...

"The Syrians who are fighting their state are indefensible. Too bearded to be trusted, fratricidal on top of that, they are defying the laws of geopolitics in the Middle East, and could very well provoke World War III. Syrians, then, must not be defended. But what can be done faced with the spectacle of indignity streamed almost live from Syria since 2011? This spectacle is unprecedented. Never before in history has a crime against humanity been filmed day by day, turned int o a spectacle with the cooperation of both victims and executioners, broadcast by the big television networks and streamed on social media, intercut with ad breaks, consumed by the general public, and commodified by the art market. At the time of Auschwitz, only God was supposed to see what happened in the showers. It was only after the liberation of the camps that accredited filmmakers could capture evidence of the crimes, which were recognized as such by the legal authorities. Those images, however, were co...

Of course refugee children should face dental  tests – we need to make sure we’re getting the ones we ordered and British hospitality

The Great Libya War Fraud

"How the refugee crisis became invisible"

That media of "our liberal democratic society" Sounds of Blairite Silence

Poppies, patriots and pro-Brexit propaganda: Revisiting the myths of Britain's past

" A careful assessment of the  Bolivarian Revolution  reveals that Chávez’s socialism only ever manifested itself rhetorically: real gains like income redistribution proved compatible with the global capitalist order." Why Twenty-First Century Socialism Failed

The report is written by a liberal institution. Contrary to the report, in my opinion the Guardian and the Daily Mirror , are not left-wing (itself a loose term). The Guardian , for example, gives voice to some left-wingers, but it is generally liberal. The last few decades has made anyone who is not (neo)liberal, a left-winger. The dominant press of the 5 families have redefined what a left-winger is.  Journalistic Representation of Jeremy Corbyn in the British Press

New Media and the Arab Spring