Posts Tagged ‘syria’

Speech to UN height of hypocrisy

Written By: - Date published: 7:52 am, October 3rd, 2015 - 34 comments

Key’s little lecture to the UN would have been delivered with a lot more moral authority if it wasn’t built on the heights of hypocrisy.

In Our Back Yard – Manus Island and Nauru

Written By: - Date published: 12:04 pm, September 9th, 2015 - 12 comments

As the photo claims, refugees are human beings. We can tell this from general expressions of resignation, desperation and misery.

But what about our own expressions of humanity?

Syria and Internationalism

Written By: - Date published: 4:02 pm, September 6th, 2015 - 90 comments

I wonder if the current public outpouring of sympathy for Syrian refugees is nought but a ‘fashion’, or whether it’s the beginnings of a renaissance for internationalism.

Heroes and Villains

Written By: - Date published: 10:41 am, March 15th, 2015 - 9 comments

Thinking authorities in the west have yet discover the difference between their arse and their elbow…

A Bright Spark Burning…

Written By: - Date published: 1:39 pm, March 11th, 2015 - 40 comments

A further piece on the peoples’ revolution within Northern Syria.

NRT: Climate change: The first climate war

Written By: - Date published: 3:10 pm, March 3rd, 2015 - 41 comments

One of the predictions about climate change is that climate change-induced drought and famine will lead to more wars. Sadly, it turns out that what is happening in Syria is one of those wars.

ISIS. Crowdsourcing a solution.

Written By: - Date published: 11:15 am, February 24th, 2015 - 172 comments

So, we’re off to Iraq. If the answer to ISIS isn’t sending Kiwi troops, what do Standardistas think practical alternatives might be?

EDIT: Key announces 143 troops to go to Iraq and support staff.

Revolutionary Spain, Revolutionary Syria, and the Bastards We Vote For.

Written By: - Date published: 3:36 pm, February 11th, 2015 - 63 comments

It seems that just as the 30’s offered the chance to turn dreams into reality, Syria is offering that chance up to ‘the left’ today. Suddenly, for me, the recent travel bans and the passport confiscation laws etc make sense since we are potentially looking at an international influx of non-nutters and non- psychopaths as happened during the Spanish Revolution of the 30s.

Sarin

Written By: - Date published: 12:06 pm, September 2nd, 2013 - 128 comments

On the one hand, there is the building propaganda blitz to justify military action in Syria, and on the other…

Obama and the UK

Written By: - Date published: 2:10 pm, September 1st, 2013 - 26 comments

So Barack Obama is going to adhere to the US constitution this time around ( unlike as was the case with Libya) and await the potential green light of Congress before commencing with any military action in Syria.

Syria et al.

Written By: - Date published: 5:09 pm, August 29th, 2013 - 311 comments

Sometimes the most complicated and complex situation becomes clear when viewed from a simple and obvious perspective.

Sunday Reading

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, September 23rd, 2012 - 11 comments

My regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. This week: taxes and growth, foreign wars and the quality of MPs.  And the Ig Nobels.

Sunday Reading

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, July 29th, 2012 - 1 comment

My regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere (no linkwhoring).  This week: hiding tax, growing up neo-liberal and Syria.

End game in Syria?

Written By: - Date published: 10:44 am, July 20th, 2012 - 190 comments

In the dictatorship game, you know that you’re in trouble when you’re shelling your own capital. That’s what Syria’s Assad has been reduced to as the rebellion rolls on. Initially, it appeared the fighting in Damascus could have been a repeat of Homs – drawing the rebels into a head to head fight and giving them a pasting. But, now, it looks different.

After Homs

Written By: - Date published: 11:04 am, March 5th, 2012 - 39 comments

In my previous post I laid out the reasons why a NATO/US intervention in Syria is unlikely, even though the alternative will almost certainly be defeat of the freedom fighters and even more mass murder by the regime. There’s no strategic gain from the Right’s perspective and many on the Left would rather see a massacre than US military action. Homs has fallen. So, what next for the rebels?

Saleh gone?

Written By: - Date published: 12:55 pm, June 7th, 2011 - 2 comments

The Arab Spring has become an increasingly bloody Arab Summer as dictators unleash their security forces to try to stop the wave of protests and revolutions sweeping the Arab world. Yemen’s dictator, wounded in the fighting, left for treatment in Saudi Arabia and seems unlikely to return.

Arab revolt update: Syria rising

Written By: - Date published: 2:30 pm, March 26th, 2011 - 20 comments

The revolts around the Middle East are still heating up. The coalitions air strikes are dealing havoc to Gaddifi’s heavy weapons, giving the rebels a fighting chance. In Bahrain, the Shi’ites are brooding as the country remains under de facto Saudi occupation, Saleh looks gone in Yemen, while violence is escalating in Syria and Jordan.

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.