September 22. Central Criminal Court, London. Today, the prosecutors in the Julian Assange case did their show trial predecessors from other legal traditions proud. The ghosts of such figures as Soviet state prosecutor Andrey Vyshinsky, would have approved of the line of questioning taken by James Lewis QC: suggest that […]
Month: September 2020
The US Response To China’s Growing Might
In early September 2020, the Pentagon issued a report on the development of China’s military and security services. The report is destined for US Congress, where the US Defense Department has been sending such reports for the last 20 years. The beginning of the report states that the Chinese People’s […]
Assange’s Tenth Day At The Old Bailey: Bolting Horses, Death Penalties And Plots Of Eviction
September 21. Central Criminal Court, London. Today was one of reiteration and expansion. Computer scientist Christian Grothoff of the Bern University of Applied Sciences supplied the relevant chronology on what led to the publication of unredacted US State Department cables, the subject of such concern for the prosecution. This proved […]
The US’ Nuclear START Ultimatum To Russia Risks Provoking The Unthinkable
The previously unthinkable scenario of the US and Russia returning to nuclear brinkmanship with one another is once again on the cards after America’s START ultimatum to the Eurasian Great Power. What Could Be Worse Than The Cuban Missile Crisis? The Cuban Missile Crisis is universally considered to have been […]
Trump’s Mideast Mirage
The Trump administration, desperate for some good news, just manufactured its own news by confecting a ‘peace’ deal between Israel and a bunch of pipsqueak Arab monarchies – just in time for November US elections. The Gulf monarchies – the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain – that signed this agreement […]
Pompeo Threatens To Light The Fuse In Persian Gulf
The US Fifth Fleet announced on September 18 that a Carrier Strike Group comprising USS Nimitz passed through the Strait of Hormuz with the guided-missile cruisers USS Princeton and USS Philippine Sea and guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett. After a gap of some ten months, a US aircraft carrier is being […]
Dangerous Streamlining: Emergencies, Militarisation And Civil Liberties
Be wary of anyone insistent on using the word “streamline” in the context of policy and planning. It suggests a suspicion of sound procedure, due process and keen scrutiny. The streamliner hates accountability, attacks the world of red tape and suggests that barriers be removed. Cut the tape; free the […]
Sheep Dog Or Guard Dog?
In an issue of the Road to Emmaus journal I read a wonderful interview with Fr. Artemy Vladimirov, a priest in Moscow, in which he spoke at length about the sacrament of confession. In it he spoke of the well-intentioned but ultimately false and unhelpful zeal of some confessors who […]
The New Geopolitical Role Of The UAE
The United Arab Emirates has unexpectedly found itself the focus of global attention after signing an agreement with Israel on 13 August that covers a full normalisation of relations. The talks were mediated by the US. The UAE has therefore become the third Arab state to recognise Israel (after Egypt […]
The Sino-Russian Alliance Comes Of Age (II)
“I look for the land of the Poles that is lost to the Germans, for the moment at least. Nowadays the Germans have started searching for Poland with credits, Leicas, and compasses, with radar, divining rods, delegations, and moth-eaten provincial students’ associations in costume. Some carry Chopin in their hearts, […]
Trump’s Confession Of Assassinating Assad Is In Defiance Of US Executive Order 12333
President Donald Trump never ceases an opportunity to give provocative public statements that are against all the norms and values of the West. In his latest statement on Tuesday he again created an outrage and once again damaged the reputation of United States when he said he wanted to order […]
Assange’s Seventh Day At The Old Bailey: Diligent Redactions And Avoiding Harm
September 16. Central Criminal Court, London. Proceedings today at the Old Bailey regarding Julian Assange’s extradition returned to journalistic practice, redaction of source names and that ongoing obsession with alleged harm arising from WikiLeaks releases. John Goetz of Der Spiegel added his bit for the defence, making an effort to […]
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