Monthly Archives: June 2012

Syria: Into the Vortex

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Matt

Tomorrow in Geneva, international crisis talks are due to be held on the deteriorating situation in Syria, under the auspices of the UN-Arab League Peace Envoy Kofi Annan.  In addition to Foreign Ministers from the five permanent members of the Security … Continue reading →

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The Unbearable Lightness of Being Tony Blair

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Matt

Our peace envoy in the Middle East has just told his starry-eyed acolyte Patrick Wintour in the Guardian that he wouldn’t mind being PM again. I thought I’d link to a longish piece I wrote back in 2009 for Dissident … Continue reading →

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Even the Rain

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Matt

I’ve just seen Spanish director Iciar Bollain’s remarkable  También la Lluvia (Even the Rain).    Some critics have compared it to Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo,  with its theme of  monomaniacal obsession and vainglory in a Latin American context.  But Even the Rain … Continue reading →

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We All Hate Julian Assange

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Matt

I have to admit a certain ambivalence towards Julian Assange.  On the one hand I admire what he and Wikileaks have done.  At least from a distance however,   he comes over as somewhat egocentric, grandiose and reckless,  with an … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Militarism | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments