Archive for the 'Video' Category

ABCTV News24 on Bin Laden and why resistance won’t die

Published on 3 May 2011 in General, Interviews and Video. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

I appeared tonight on ABCTV News’ The Drum (video here) talking about Osama Bin Laden’s murder and its ramifications, alongside Australian Financial Review journalist David Crowe, US Studies Centre Dr Pete Hatemi (formerly in the US military post 9/11) and former CNN correspondent Michael Ware (here’s partial video of the show, mainly featuring the intrepid Ware).

My main theme was highlighting the significance of Bin Laden’s death, and both his importance and irrelevance in 2011. The attacks on September 11 quickly ushered in a Western world obsessed with beefing up intelligence, military spending and foreign wars. The result? None of us are any safer, millions of people are dead and Western forces remain in many Muslim countries. The “war on terror” has been an unmitigated disaster that many in our political and media elites still embrace.

Bin Laden’s failures include a brutal methodology that understandably turned off most people (he killed scores of Muslims, after all). Today the strongest Islamic resistance movements are Hamas, Hizbollah and within the Islamic Republic, all with various roots in political and social sections of societies. Furthermore, the recent Arab uprisings have shown how unappealing was the ideology of Al-Qaeda. Millions of Arabs embraced change, some secular and some religious, and this was achieved despite Western wishes to maintain the status-quo and Bin Laden becoming almost irrelevant in this newfound and necessary resistance.

The celebration of Bin Laden’s death across America shows the infantile nature of mainstream US culture. We are good and They are Evil. I wish I was convinced this death will do anything to change this childish narrative.

I concluded on the program asking what kind of super-power (and its media courtiers) views a man, living in a luxury compound in Pakistan without phone or internet, as the most dangerous figure in the world?

Incidentally, after the show I was talking to Ware about his current projects. He has seen a number of Al-Qaeda videos, some of which have appeared on CNN, and he says they show the terrorist group is “more bureaucratic than the Nazis or the Khmer Rouge”, individuals obsessed with sending memos and following a strict code.

ABCTV News24 on human rights in China, Gitmo torture and Sri Lankan war crimes

Published on 28 April 2011 in General, Interviews and Video. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

I appeared last night on ABCTV News 24′s The Drum alongside ABC journalist Marius Benson and lobbyist Sue Cato (video here).

While China, we learn via Wikileaks, ignores Australia’s supposed concerns for human rights, I asked if Prime Minister Julia Gillard actually cared about human rights as there had been no public comments from her after this week’s Guantanamo Bay files on countless innocent prisoners tortured by the world’s super-power. US crimes are not abuses in the eyes of our political and media elites. The words “human rights” are used as a political weapon as opposed to being something to cherish. Gillard’s current trip to China is solely about trade and military ties. Can the media and politicians be honest about this, please?

We discussed the alleged medical experimentation in Guantanamo Bay and the doctors complicit in the process. Both David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib have accused the US of doing this to them and yet we still don’t take their allegations seriously; how much did the Australian government know?

Finally, the UN report on war crimes in Sri Lanka during the country’s civil war (the massive allegations have unsurprisingly been denied by Colombo). The fact that up to 40,000 innocents may have been murdered by Sri Lanka (and far less by the Tamil Tigers) requires a robust and international trial. I called on Australia and the global community to back a transparent inquiry (a position supported by a Guardian editorial). Like the Goldstone report into Israeli and Hamas crimes, this latest UN investigation warrants the most serious response, despite China, the US, the West and Australia all likely to not show much enthusiasm.

Sadly, Canberra is more concerned about working with Colombo to stop poor Tamils getting onto boats and coming to Australia. So much for our priority ever being human rights accountability.

Footage of my speech at Marrickville council on Palestine and BDS

Published on 22 April 2011 in Interviews, Israel and Video. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

Some background here and here.

SBS TV News story on Marrickville, BDS and Palestine

Published on 20 April 2011 in Interviews, Israel and Video. 3 Comments Tags: , , , .

I feature near the beginning, talking about how the West allows the Zionist state to get away with its occupying ways.

Background here and here.

ABC News24 on killing Afghan civilians, Assad and ignoring indigenous lessons

Published on 1 April 2011 in General, Interviews, Israel and Video. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Last night I was a guest on ABC TV News24′s The Drum to discuss issues of the day (video here).

Foreign issues were front and centre.

America’s Kill Team in Afghanistan – US troops murdering civilians for fun – is just the latest example of occupiers in inhospitable lands treating those they’re supposed to protect with contempt. It happened in Vietnam – calling Vietnamese gooks – and today in the Muslim world they’re named towelheads. Indeed, as I said, there are countless examples of American soldiers since 9/11 explaining – especially during the largely ignored Winter Soldier hearings in 2008 – what they did to Iraqis and Afghans; often dehumanising and smearing them.

Liberation, indeed.

In Syria, President Assad has tried to appease pro-democracy protesters by offering to “reform”. But Damascus isn’t a US client state so therefore far less able to be pressured by Washington. Furthermore, Israel would much rather Assad remain in power (Zionism always needs a bogeyman). I argued that anybody predicting the Middle East at the moment was a fool but it was clear real democracy in Syria would be most welcome. Of course, the West would create the Islamist monster to scare us all.

Finally, Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has called for a welfare to work plan that would force those on the lowest incomes to earn their keep. The issue here isn’t just that this is the easiest, tabloid-friendly policy – look, get those dole-bludgers to work! – but that it comes after similar plans were tried and failed in the Northern Territory intervention, a policy opposed by most indigenous leaders. I said that the best way to raise far more money by the state was to tax the rich on a much higher rate. They can afford it.

News Goo on Palestine and Wikileaks and our media’s cluelessness

Published on 23 March 2011 in General, Interviews, Israel and Video. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

Why does the mainstream media report as it does? Corporate pressure? Reporter laziness? Set narrative?

A few months ago a few of us here in Sydney discussed the idea of a Democracy Now! show in Australia, a progressive and critical look at the world, views so often ignored by the MSM.

Sydney University’s Jake Lynch took the lead and today the first edition of News Goo is released by New Matilda. It’s (hopefully) the first of many episodes. More original reporting will happen, slicker presentation etc but the idea is to challenge even the so-called liberal media and presenters (like the invaluable Medialens does in the UK) on their prejudices and blindness:

The program’s name comes from a rap by Polarity1, which contains the lines, “the more we watch, the less we know”. This is something we’ve all felt from time to time, sitting in front of a TV screen — but is it true? If so, how come? And how could it be different?

In the launch edition of News Goo, Jake interviews Julian Burnside QC, and the journalist, author and film-maker John Pilger, about the investigative journalism of Wikileaks. They ask why Australia’s media have been so slow to follow up on important leads from the Wikileaks disclosures, like the unmasking of Senator Mark Arbib as a US “protected source”.

It’s presented with the dry wit that NM readers have come to know from Jake’s regular columns. Features include the “elephant in the room” — complete with picture and sound effects — as the spotlight falls on obvious angles left persistently unreported. And Welsh crooner Tom Jones is on hand to remind us of the most neglected question in journalism: “Why, why why, Delilah?”

The program also takes a closer look at the ABC’s relaunched 7.30, with Leigh Sales and Chris Uhlmann, and its investigation of Australia’s rusting fleet of naval vessels. Interviewed in the studio, Dr Hannah Middleton of the Australian Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition, says it continues a pattern in ABC reporting, of nitpicking over the details of “defence” spending, while ignoring the case for reducing military budgets overall.

And Jake is joined by the author and journalist, Antony Loewenstein, to discuss Channel Ten’s 6PM with George Negus. A “pre-emptive buckle” prevents journalists from spelling out the facts about Israel and Palestine, Loewenstein says — which is why so many programs end up, like 6PM, rehashing the same set of clichéd angles and treatments — despite its claims to be “new and different”.

News Goo is produced by a team of experienced professionals, giving freely of their time and expertise. Like the rest of New Matilda’s coverage, it depends on YOUR SUPPORT! If you would like to see further episodes of News Goo in the future, please make your donation here.

Jake Lynch left his TV career to become Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Sydney Peace Foundation, which staged the Wikileaks event in Sydney Town Hall on Wednesday 16 March.

Channel 10 TV on playing global football in Palestine

Published on 16 March 2011 in Interviews, Israel and Video. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

This happened:

The Palestinian national soccer team faced Thailand on Wednesday in an Olympic qualifying match deep in symbolism: It’s the first time the Palestinians have hosted a competitive match at the international level, and for excited fans in this conflict-ridden area, it marks an important step in their struggle for independence.

Following a 1-0 loss in the first leg in Bangkok, the Palestinian team needs to score at least two goals at Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium in the West Bank town of Al-Ram to advance to the next round in regulation. The Palestinians scored the first goal Wednesday just before halftime.

The game means much more to the home team than merely wins and losses.

“The world now will see Palestine in different eyes, in sports eyes,” said Jibril Rajoub, a former West Bank strongman who now heads the Palestinian soccer union. “This is a new launch for the Palestinian people toward freedom and independence.”

Last night I was interviewed on Channel 10 TV’s Sports Tonight (yes, my first appearance on a sports show about anything!) talking about the importance of the game but reminding people that Palestine was still occupied by Israel.

TehelkaTV interview on Israel/Palestine and changing Jewish views

Published on 28 February 2011 in Interviews, Israel and Video. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

During my recent appearance at the Jaipur Literature Festival in India I was interviewed by TehelkaTV, one of the country’s leading current affairs magazines (my recent article with them about the Egyptian uprising is here).

We talked about the Middle East, why the Tunisian revolution would spread and the rise of dissenting Jewish voices:

PressTV interview on Australian aid to the Middle East

Published on 28 February 2011 in General, Interviews, Israel and Video. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Why is it acceptable for Australians to donate money (and receive tax deductions) to illegal settlements in the West Bank but the Australian government isn’t able to openly provide aid to citizens living under the rule of Hamas and Hizbollah? The corruption of international aid by politics. Here’s an interesting report on PressTV and my interview:

Talking to Finkel, Anderson and Stewart in India on occupation

Published on 22 February 2011 in General, Interviews and Video. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

I recently attended the Jaipur Literature Festival in India and moderated a session with three men who know something about war and conflict. Brit Rory Stewart, New Yorker’s Jon Lee Anderson and the Washington Post’s David Finkel.

The video of the event is now online (the sound and picture aren’t perfectly in sync but you’ll get the idea).

ABCTV News 24 on Egypt and Wikileaks

Published on 15 February 2011 in General, Interviews and Video. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

I was a guest on last night’s ABCTV News 24′s The Drum alongside Sue Cato and the Daily Telegraph’s Joe Hilderbrand (video here).

One of the main areas of discussion was the Egyptian revolution and just how good it felt. I argued that it was vital for us in the West to understand that Egypt’s “stability” was simply about repressing its own people, assisting Israel in its occupation of the Palestinians and maintaining the illegal siege on Gaza. So much for “moderation”. Furthermore, Washington isn’t seen as a neutral broker, of course; they’re complicit in decades of violence.

Islamism must not be so feared. Not every Islamist is an al-Qaeda member. Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood should be engaged. One of the great failings of Western policy post 9/11 has been its unwillingness to see political Islam as anything other than a threat. The result is the lessening of American influence in the Middle East by so slavishly following Israel’s racism towards the Arabs. This is something I welcome but these facts need to be stated over and over again.

I also stressed that Australia had no right to speak about the rule of rule when it’s now clear that Australian citizen Mamdouh Habib was tortured in Egypt, by Mubarak’s thugs including Omar Suleiman, in the years after 9/11. Is there anything Canberra won’t do to please Washington?

Finally, the reporter behind last night’s Wikileaks/Bradley Manning story on ABC TV’s 4 Corners talked about the complex web of intrigue around the case, highlighting the fact that Manning should be seen as a true hero, if he was indeed the one who leaked all this information (that’s my view, not the one expressed by the journalist on air).

Al Jazeera’s Listening Post on Egypt’s revolution

Published on 13 February 2011 in General, Interviews and Video. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

The biggest story in the world right now is the ramifications of the Egyptian uprisings.

Al-Jazeera English has been a beacon of reporting and insights over the last weeks (and indeed, leaves every other global news network for dead because it understands the world isn’t simply about what London or Washington thinks or wants).

I was asked to comment for its Listening Post program – my last appearance was in October on Wikileaks – on the media war being waged in Egypt and the importance of social media and satellite TV (I’m on at 8:13):

ABCTV News24 on US violence and Israeli apartheid

Published on 11 January 2011 in General, Interviews, Israel and Video. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

I appeared on ABC TV News 24′s The Drum last night (video here) with host Tim Palmer, and panelists NSW Liberal politician Pru Goward and ABC journalist Conor Duffy.

We discussed the horrific killings in the US and the heated political and media rhetoric that may have created an atmosphere of hate. Commentators may not be directly responsible but who can question the possibility when shock-jocks talk openly about forming militias to protect the country from “socialist” Barack Obama? The language of war and conflict – for example, “collateral damage” for the murder of civilians – has become common. America is one sick country.

Another major subject of debate was the latest Israeli crimes in East Jerusalem and the non-existent “peace process”. The world has been playing a cruel and deadly game for decades while Zionist colonisation continues. Ironically, Israeli actions have killed the two-state solution, leaving only one likely outcome; the end of the Jewish state.

ABC TV News 24 on refugees and government failures

Published on 21 December 2010 in General, Interviews and Video. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

I was invited back on ABC TV News24′s The Drum tonight with host Waleed Aly and guests Jo Stella and ABC journalist Gillian Bradford (video here).

We talked mostly about domestic politics especially asylum seekers and the parlous state of refugee policy on both major sides of parliament. I argued that Labor has spent the last years jumping at the shadow of the Liberal Party, petrified of doing anything humane that could be classed as compassionate.

With roughly 1000 children now in immigration detention, the government is seemingly incapable of managing the issue. Last week’s tragedy off Christmas Island should be a catalyst for a more sensible policy that understands why people are coming in the first place – Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran are all in turmoil, in case you were wondering – and families want to be reunited. There aren’t that many people coming here so let’s welcome them and stop the hysteria.

If only it was that simple.

There was also discussion about the impending NSW election. Rather than simply discussing who will probably win, I urged a public debate about what would likely be privatised. Did the public agree? What did the major parties think? Bring on the discussion.

Australia’s Channel 10 TV News on Sydney Wikileaks protest

Published on 11 December 2010 in General, Interviews and Video. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Russia Today TV on Wikileaks

Published on 11 December 2010 in General, Interviews and Video. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

I was interviewed by the Russian satellite TV channel RT about Wikleaks this week. We talked about the significance of the leaks on democracy, the Australian government’s woeful response and the responsibility of journalists to step up and challenge establishment power.

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ABCTV News24 on Wikileaks cablegate

Published on 4 December 2010 in General, Interviews and Video. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

Following my analysis on ABC this week about the Wikileaks story (353 comments and counting) I was invited onto ABC TV News24′s The Drum on Thursday to discuss my criticism of the media’s coverage. Alongside ABC’s Leigh Sales and Annabel Crabb and The Daily Telegraph’s Joe Hilderbrand (video here for two weeks) I argued that many in the corporate media were too keen to focus on government embarrassment over the cables.

The panelists didn’t share my skepticism and felt that the press was just doing its job by reporting official anger over the documents. But why then were so many commentators and journalists (with notable exceptions) always framing their stories around the establishment view?

Government anger is a given with these stories but the key points are far more important; how the US routinely pressures allies and foes to bend to its will. And now we have the documents to prove it.

America as the “indispensable nation”?

Speaking on ABC News24 about gay marriage, politics and refugees

Published on 23 November 2010 in General, Interviews and Video. 0 Comments Tags: , .

I was again invited onto ABC TV News24′s The Drum last night (video here for two weeks and my previous appearance is here.) The guests were New South Wales Liberal politician Pru Goward and lobbyist Simon Banks.

We discussed a range of issues including the imposition of a detention centre in a small South Australian town (and people wonder why there’s resentment), the need to not privatise the national broadband network, and the Pope’s barely-there acknowledgment that condoms, sex and homosexuality actually exist.

Near the end of the show, during a debate about the role of the new federal parliament, I said; “wouldn’t it be great if journalists walked away from politicians who didn’t answer their questions [after asking them the same question a number of times]?” An empty studio, with the clock ticking, would certainly reveal to the public who is avoiding accountability.

Speaking to Norman Finkelstein about viability of two-state solution

Published on 18 November 2010 in Interviews, Israel and Video. 2 Comments Tags: , , , .

I recently interviewed leading American Jewish dissident and writer Norman Finkelstein at an inter-faith event in Sydney organised by Father Dave:

Interview in Indonesia with Australian writer Christos Tsiolkas

Published on 5 November 2010 in General and Video. 0 Comments Tags: .

During my recent visit to the Ubud Writers Festival in Bali, Indonesia, I interviewed successful Australian writer Christos Tsiolkas. It was a robust conversation and we covered vulgarity, politics, gender relations and offending readers.