Siege of Aleppo: many truths to tell? Syrian Army on the streets of Aleppo, 5 December 2016. Getty Robert Fisk, iconoclastic as ever: this time on Syria. Some of his argument here – that the rebels in Aleppo include a large number of radical jihadi slamists, that they have killed civilians and committed other heinous crimes during the city’s seige – seem uncontroversial. Even if his contention that reporting of these in international media has been knowingly circumscribed in deference to Western political agendas seems a bit far-fetched. What’s really missing, however, is any sense of proportion. Syrian forces and… More

Colombia Needs Help to Make Peace Last President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia at the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo on Dec. 11. Vegard Grott/European Pressphoto Agency Here’s a strong appeal to the international community from the US special envoy to the country to help make Colombia’s final peace agreement work in practice. Not least because it’s possibly the most far-reaching such agreement ever to be reached in Latin America – and even, perhaps, beyond the continent. Colombia Needs Help to Make Peace Last Bernard Aronson, New York Times, 13 Dec. 2016 OSLO — On Nov. 29, a… More

The crisis of multilateralism and the future of humanitarian action ‘Destruction’, fourth in a five-painting series, “The Course of Empire”, by American artist Thomas Cole (1836). Via Wikimedia Commons. Vigorous think piece by one of the authors of the forthcoming ‘Planning from the Future‘ report. Strong on diagnosis of the weaknesses of the current system, even if correspondingly a little weak on positive suggestions/alternatives. All in all, well worth a read. The crisis of multilateralism and the future of humanitarian action Antonio Donini, IRIN News 30 Nov. 2016 “The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and… More

Advice for Young Muslims Pakistani schoolgirls. Here’s an excellent excerpt from a new book of letters to his son by a senior UAE diplomant. Sane and compassionate, amounting to nothing less than a call for a humanistic revival within Islam. Reccommended. Published in this month’s issue of Foreign Affairs. Advice for Young Muslims How to Survive in an Age of Extremism and Islamophobia By Omar Saif Ghobash Saif, the elder of my two sons, was born in December 2000. In the summer of 2001, my wife and I brought him with us on a visit to New York City. I… More

‘Hail Trump!’ Alt. Right leader Milo Yiannopoulos “Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!” The audience’s Nazi salutes grabbed the headlines, but just listen carefully to self-proclaimed ‘Alt. Right’ leader Richard Spencer’s speech to the 19 November annual conference of The National Policy Institute, held at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington D.C. It is truly chilling. ‘Hail Trump!’: White Nationalists Salute the President Elect Video of an alt-right conference in Washington, D.C., where Trump’s victory was met with cheers and Nazi salutes. Daniel Lombroso and Yoni Appelbaum, The Atlantic, Nov 21, 2016 “Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!”… More

Messing up on Mahinda Mahinda Rajapaksa meets the people during the 2015 Sri Lankan predsidential campaign It feels a little odd to be sharing my latest Sri Lanka thinkpiece, published this morning, on a day when focus is very much on the other side of the planet. But here it is in any case. Messing Up On Mahinda: Michael Roberts On Eelam War IV Colombo Telegraph, 9 November 2016 As a commentator on Sri Lanka’s civil war Michael Roberts has proved himself as productive and tirelessly self-referential as he is frequently misguided. The latest example comes in his article ‘From… More

An ugly victory Jubilant: President-elect Trump. John Locher AP/Press Association Image This is not a moment when considered analysis or reaction comes easily. But this piece makes a pretty good stab at attempting to understand the phenomenon that is Donald Trump. As Liam Kennedy suggests below: ‘Trump embodies that most American of American archetypes: the huckster or “confidence man”, a figure with a long history in American culture, dating from at least the early 19th century. He is a charlatan whose schemes invariably fail. In the end he skips town, leaving those he has scammed to learn their lesson….. Right… More

Here’s my latest column for The Indian Economist: Was Brexit An Emotional Decision? Has the Brexit referendum only been successful in unleashing rage and violence against different communities in the UK, making everyone including Brits insecure? A recent visit to Britain produced plenty to think about. Over four months since the referendum that delivered a narrow vote in favour of the UK leaving the European Union (EU), the outcome remains a, if not the dominant topic of political discussion. This is hardly surprising given that both the modalities and wider implications of the ‘Brexit’ vote are still being worked out. Mirroring… More

War is peace: on bombing Syria aid convoys The scene the morning after a convoy delivering aid was hit by a deadly airstrike in Syria. Photograph: Omar Haj Kadour/AFP/Getty Images Sovietspeak is still alive and well, it seems. The Russian Foreign Ministry is claiming that the nearly 20 Aleppo aid convoy trucks reportedly hit by airstrikes outside Aleppo yesterday (see below) weren’t in fact: they claim, they simply ‘caught fire’. Brezhnev – and indeed Stalin – would have been proud of that line. At the same time, I’ve just digested this take on the latest developments in Syra from a… More

Norway and Sri Lanka’s Peace Process: Towards an honest assessment The debate on Norway’s role in Sri Lanka’s utimately failed peace process continues. My latest contribution is in today’s issue of The Island newspaper. The Island, September 18, 2016 After the brickbats of recent exchanges on the subject, it is refreshing to see Izeth Hussain’s considered assessment (The Island, 6 Sept.) of Norway’s role in the Sri Lankan peace process. In sum, Hussain contends that the Norwegians carried out their mandate as official peace facilitators in a serious, honourable and responsible manner. It is particularly salient to hear such sentiments… More