Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Dr Ramzy Baroud
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Xi vs. Trudeau: How China is rewriting history with the colonial West
Though brief, the exchange between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia on 16 November has become a social media sensation. Xi, assertive if not domineering, lectured the visibly apprehensive Trudeau about the etiquette of diplomacy. This...
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Symbolic but significant, the decision to investigate Abu Akleh’s murder is unprecedented
The recent decision by the US Department of Justice to open an investigation into the killing in May of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is not a game-changer, but it is important and worthy of reflection, nonetheless. Based on the long trajectory of US military and political support...
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Liberating Africa from poverty requires changing power relations with the West
Soon after arriving in Oslo, my taxi zigzagged through the city’s well-organised streets and state-of-the-art infrastructure. Large billboards advertised the world’s leading brands in fashion, cars and perfumes. Amid all the expressions of wealth and plenty, an electronic sign by a bus stop flashed the images of poor looking...
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Palestinians are Native Americans, not ‘Red Indians’: it’s time to liberate our language
At a recent conference in Istanbul that brought many Palestinian scholars and activists together to discuss the search for a common narrative, a member of the audience declared at the end of a brief, but fiery intervention, “We are not Red Indians”. The reference was a relatively old one....
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If Lula’s victory in Brazil is to mean anything, the Palestinians need a unified foreign policy
Palestinians and their supporters are justified in celebrating the victory of the leftist candidate Luis Inacio Lula da Silva in the runoff for Brazil’s presidential election on 30 October. However, Lula’s victory is incomplete and could ultimately prove ineffectual if not followed by a concrete and centralised Palestinian strategy....
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The ‘principal threat’: Time to talk about the Palestinian class struggle
On Monday, 31 October, Palestinians in the town of Al-Eizariya, east of occupied East Jerusalem, observed a general strike. The strike was declared part of the community’s mourning of 49-year-old Barakat Moussa Odeh, who was killed by Israeli forces in Jericho a day earlier. This is not an isolated...
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Chasing a mirage: How Israel Arab parties validate Israeli Apartheid
Regardless of the outcome of the latest Israeli elections, Arab parties will not reap meaningful political benefits, even if they collectively achieve their highest representation ever. The reason is not about the parties themselves, but in Israel’s skewed political system which is predicated on racism and marginalisation of non-Jews....
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‘Nothing works’: Europe must stop blaming others for its own crises
The European Union’s Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell is not particularly perceived by the EU’s political elite or mainstream media as a right-wing ideologue or warmonger. But seen through a different, non-western prism, it is hard not to mistake him for one. Borrell’s recent comments that “Europe is a garden” and...
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In revoking its stance on Jerusalem, Australia isolates Israel, not the Palestinians
Former US President Donald Trump’s so-called “Deal of the Century” was meant to be a finality of sorts, an event reminiscent of Francis Fukuyama’s premature declaration of the “End of History” and the uncontested supremacy of western capitalism. In effect, Trump’s deal was a declaration that “we” — the...
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Difficult months ahead: Why Israel is afraid of the Lions' Den
This headline in the Israeli newspaper, the Jerusalem Post, only tells part of the story: “The Lions’ Den, Other Palestinian Groups are Endless Headache for Israel, PA.” It is true that both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority are equally worried about the prospect of a widespread armed...
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The other Russia-West war: Why some African countries are abandoning Paris and joining Moscow
The moment that Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was ousted by his former military colleague, Captain Ibrahim Traore, pro-coup crowds filled the streets. Some burned French flags; others carried Russian flags. This scene alone represents the current tussle underway throughout the African continent. A few years ago, the discussion regarding...
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Strangers behind the trees: On the death of Rayyan Suleiman and his fear of monsters
Children of my Gaza refugee camp were rarely afraid of monsters but of Israeli soldiers. This is all that we talked about before going to bed. Unlike imaginary monsters in the closet or under the bed, Israeli soldiers are real, and they could show up any minute – at...
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Lapid is not serious about a Palestinian state
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid threw a spanner into the works recently when he told the UN General Assembly that, “An agreement with the Palestinians, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel’s security, for Israel’s economy and for the future of our children.”...
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'Well of solutions’ or problems: Why reforming the UN is critical
The 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly was, in many ways, similar to the 76th session and many other previous sessions: at best, a stage for rosy rhetoric that is rarely followed by tangible action or, at worse, a mere opportunity for some world leaders to score...
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Whose side is the PA on?
The arrest of a couple of prominent Palestinian activists, one of whom was Musab Shtayyeh, by Palestinian Authority police on 20 September was not the first time that the notorious Preventive Security Service (PSS) has arrested someone who is wanted by Israel. The PSS is largely linked to the...
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From Exodus to Marvel: A brief history of Hollywood’s justification of Israeli war crimes
The introduction of an Israeli Mossad agent as the latest Marvel movie character crosses the line, even by Hollywood’s poor moral standards. However, the Israeli superhero, Sabra, must be understood within the rational progression of the Israelification of Hollywood, a phenomenon that is surprisingly new. Sabra is a relatively...
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Will the United Nations finally deliver justice for Palestine?
In his anticipated speech at the United Nations General Assembly on 23 September, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is expected to, once more, make a passionate plea for the recognition of Palestine as a full member. Abbas’ ‘landmark speech’ would not be the first time that the President of the...
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‘Leading from behind’: Is Washington at war with Moscow?
Though Washington insists that it is not interested in a direct military conflict with Moscow, the latter claims that the US is, in fact, directly involved. But who is telling the truth? On 8 September, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken appeared in Kyiv on an unannounced visit. He...
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The lesson of Sabra and Shatila is far-reaching
The 40th anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila massacre falls on 16 September. Around 3,000 Palestinian refugees were killed at the hands of Lebanon’s Phalangist militias operating under the command of the Israeli army. Four decades have passed, yet no measure of justice has been received by the survivors...
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The ‘painful march for freedom’ reveals the triumphant legacy of Palestinian prisoners
“As soon as I left prison, I went to Nael’s grave. It is adorned with the colours of the Palestinian flag and verses from the Holy Qur’an. I told my little brother how much I loved and appreciated him, and that, one day, we would meet again in paradise.”...
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The road to fascism: How the war in Ukraine is changing Europe
As soon as I landed in Rome, I discovered that I was no longer able to access any Russian media whatsoever. Unfortunately, threats by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that Europe should sever all links with “Russia’s propaganda machine” were taken seriously by the Italian government. As...
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Investigating the victim exposes the depravity of Israeli propaganda
“There was no Massacre in Jenin” was the headline of a Haaretz editorial on 19 April, 2002, one week after Israel ended its deadly onslaught on the besieged Palestinian refugee camp in the northern West Bank. This unwarranted conclusion by the Israeli daily, other Israeli media and, ultimately, numerous...
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Deliberate misrepresentation: Western media bias makes Israeli war on Palestinians possible
While US and western mainstream and corporate media remain biased in favour of Israel, they often behave as if they are a third, neutral party. This is simply not the case. Take the New York Times coverage of the latest Israeli war on Gaza as an example. Its article...
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Will the idea of the ‘West’ survive the scourge of the Russia-Ukraine war?
The “West” is not just a term, it is also a concept that acquires new meanings with time. To its advocates, it can be analogous to civilisation and benevolent power; to its detractors, mostly in the “East” and “South”, it is associated with colonialism, unhinged violence and underserved wealth....