Author: Mark Salter

Long, utterly brilliant Lena Sundström interview with Edward Snowden in today’s Dagens Nyheter. (Available in Swedish & English). Covers all the main issues raised by Snowden’s intelligence revelations in depth. Here’s a sample quote: “The drone program creates more terrorists than it kills. There was no Islamic State until we started bombing these states. The biggest threat we [the US] face in the region was born from our own policies.” Powereful, intelligent, and consistently thought-provoking. Snowden remains a brave – and much misunderstood – man. Truly essential reading! Here’s the English version: DN Fokus DN meets Edward Snowden Five hours… More

Some good photos and a brief report (in Tamil) by Sarawanan Nadarasa from Monday’s  launch at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Oslo for To End a Civil War: Norway’s Peace Engagement with Sri Lanka. Anne Julie Semb, Professor, University of Oslo Iselin Frydenlund, Senior researcher, PRIO Erik Solheim (former Norwegian Development Minister and Special Envoy to Sri Lanka) Mark Salter (Author) and Erik Solheim Erik Solheim, Iselin Frydenlund and Moderator Henrik Syse (Senior Researcher, PRIO) ————————————— இன்று ஒஸ்லோவில் வெளியிடப்பட்ட “To End a Civil War: Norway’s Peace Engagement with Sri Lanka” என்கிற நூல் ஒரு முக்கியமான நூல். 550பக்கங்களைக் கொண்ட பல தகவல்களை உள்ளடக்கிய இந்த… More

Here are a few shots from yesterday’s Norwegian book launch at the Oslo Peace Research Institute (PRIO). Good discusssion at a well-attended event – and once again, we could have sold double the number of books available…. Note to the best-seller lists: here we (don’t) come . . . .  

Here’s a piece from the weekend edition of The Island, also reprinted in the Sri Lankan Guardian. The reporting of Erik Solheim’s speech is surprisingly accurate. And he, of course, is very much in the limelight. More of this to come, I suspect . . . . ‘MR was prepared to give self-rule to Tamils within Sri Lankan state’ — Solheim Without calling for elections in the region The Island, October 31, 2015 From left: Mark Salter, Erick Soheim, Vidar Helgersan, Suthaharan Nadaraja and Prof. Michael Hutt (Chair at the meeting) By Sujeeva Nivunhella in London Former Norwegian Norwegian Development… More

Here’s an in-depth Sri Lanka book interview I did with Nihal at BBC Asian Network yesterday. First part of his programme is on a rather different topic. But if you want to get to the Sri Lanka bit scroll to c. 2hr 15 mins into the programme…. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06kbwz3

Book launch at SOAS, London this evening. Well-attended, good discussion – and copies of the book even completely sold out! Hopefully a good sign of things to come . . . . (And here FYI is the publisher’s link to the book  . . ) http://www.hurstpublishers.com/

28 October 2015: Tonight’s The Night: Two Salters Clash inna London Stylee! Starting with me at SOAS . . . : http://www.cisd.soas.ac.uk/event/book-launch-to-end-a-civil-war-norways-peace-engagement-with-sri-lanka,29177493 And ending up with my brother Tom’s fab band The Peatbog Faeries at Dingwalls! http://www.dingwalls.com/listings/events/28-oct-15-peatbog-faeries-dingwalls/ Peatbog Faeries  Dingwalls, London Wednesday 28 October  19:00 £15 Adv   Entry Requirements: 18+

So this, my friends, is the closest Tony Blair has yet come to some form of apology for his decision to support . and participate – in the UK Iraq intervention. A truly amazing feature of this ‘apology’ is the fact that he focuses  on what he calls wrong’ intelligence over Saddam’s nuclear capability – in other words precisely the thing over which his government exercised most control: the production and dissemination of ‘intelligence’ justifying the UK decision to go to war. Now it’s my turn to ‘apologise’ to you too Tony. For calling this claim what is: low, deceitful… More

  Saturday morning inspiration. That man: that voice; that number . . .  A reminder of the power of great sounds to lift the spirit inna higher places. Jah Bless you Andy Horace! https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=horace+andy+do+you+love+my+music

  Here are (bilingual) details (English below) for the Stockholm launch of my new book, which will be held at Södra Teatern on Thursday 19 November. Further event info at: http://sodrateatern.com/bokrelease-to-end-a-civil-war/ Den 28e okt i London lanseras min nya bok To End A Civil War: Norway’s Peace Engagement in Sri Lanka utgiven av brittiska förlaget Hurst. I samband med bokens release i London och Oslo (2e nov) anordnas även på Södra Teatern i Stockholm på torsdag 19 nov ett panelsamtal om omvärldens försök att mäkla fred i Sri Lanka. (Mer information om bokens innehåll finns nedan): I panelen medverkar: –… More