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A word on Ukrainian history
The events immediately preceding Russia’s entry into Ukraine have been the subject of furious debate (not in my country, true enough, where any scepticism regarding the dominant narrative is fiercely cancelled.) I think those events have been made sufficiently clear, by now, for us to understand what happened and why it happened. What has not…
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Just a question – or rather three
The Munich Security Conference, held annually, is allegedly the world’s leading forum for debating – guess what – international security. In other words, it is not the opera and it is not open to the public. I add for the record that it makes no headway safeguarding international security, but that is another matter. Its…
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Prisons and prisoners
That Julia Navalnaya is furious is, of course, only as it should be. That the late prisoner’s mother is distraught, likewise. That those who care for Navalny are deeply upset is, to say the least, more than natural. For my part, I am, however, more concerned about the conditions endured by other prisoners in Russia.…
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Military escalation
On 2 February less than a handful of Norwegian dailies briefly reported the signing of an agreement between the USA and the Norwegian government, according to which Norway grants the USA 8 new military bases, in addition to the four granted in 2021. All the dailies used the same wording, including the non-word “omforent”, which…
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Complicity
I have fantasies of Netanyahu and his co-thugs finding themselves in a modern version of Dante’s purgatory – Gaza, to be precise – alive, it is true, but injured: broken bones, burns, cuts and bruises, but no doctors, no pain killers, no food, no water, no clean clothes, no toilets, … Netanyahu and his cut-throats…
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Overstory
Things are not looking good for Ukraine, but at least the country seems able to strike Russian oil depots and refineries, thus in effect striking the rest of us. All our efforts day after day – yours and mine – to reduce our carbon footprints are derisory compared to the output of a few hours’…
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Whitherto
Where are we heading? I wonder. When the USA and the UK and Israel (attacks against Palestine, Lebanon and Syria) go around bombing countries they dislike, there is reason to fear anarchy in the worst sense of that word. For one thing: If they can do it, why can’t anyone else? One or more of…
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Not the first time
Many people in Europe are wondering why the Biden administration has not long since arrested Israel’s sadistic excesses in Palestine. The US propaganda machine has been running full speed since Eisenhower’s days, and we have all, in the USA and in Europe, been inculcated with a number of assumptions that simply don’t add up. Today,…
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Cartel
What’s the matter with those people? Running around the world shooting and killing as though they were a drug cartel…! The cartel barons in Washington take it into their heads to go off and bomb Jemen, and since self-gratification is Law for cartel barons, there is nothing to stop them from doing just that: bombing…
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Hail South Africa
Where I live, winter has been unusually severe so far. Temperatures have dropped to 24 below zero (centigrade), and dog walkers like me have had to wade in knee-deep snow. Yet, South Africa’s powerful response to the Israeli genocide and in defence of innocent Palestinian civilians, has warmed every last one of my frozen bones.…