Pluto authors appear in John Pilger film ‘The War You Don’t See’

John Pilger’s new documentary film is now showing at cinemas across the country. It asks the question: what role does the media play in war? Why aren’t journalists doing their job? To whom are journalists accountable – to the public or their paymasters? Do they challenge official power or do they act as an extension of the propaganda system?
The film begins with an examination of the concept of the ‘embedded journalist’ and their restrictions in reporting the truth of war. During World War I in a private conversation with CP Scott of the Guardian, Prime Minister Lloyd George told him, “If people really knew the truth, the war would be stopped tomorrow. But of course they don’t know and can’t know.” The public are the enemy and information about the true cost of war must be kept from them. The consequences of this deception are even more devastating today. In World War I 10% of all deaths were civilians. Almost 100 years later that statistic has been reversed – in the Iraq War it has been estimated that 90% of all deaths are civilian.

A number of Pluto authors feature in the film. Historian Mark Curtis reveals Britain’s true role in the world – espionage, supporting dictators, overthrowing democratically elected governments have all been standard procedure in British foreign policy throughout the 20th century, continuing to the present day. All this is rarely mentioned in the discourse of the mainstream media. Greg Philo of the Glasgow Media Group explains how the major news networks embrace the Israeli propaganda system, resulting in a distorted and incomplete picture of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. David Edwards of media watchdog website Medialens also worked on research for the film.
Pilger’s robust, pressing interviews with the likes of Fran Unsworth (BBC2′s head of newsgathering),  ITV news staff and other journalists, contributions from media experts and even an interview with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, all help to make this a powerful documentary. It was broadcast on ITV last night at 10.35pm – it should have been shown at prime time and given the attention it deserves. If future wars are to be avoided, the public needs to know the what’s really happening – journalists will have to step out of their comfort zone and speak truth to power.

NEWSPEAK in the 21st Century David Edwards and David Cromwell Exposé of pro-establishment bias in the news, including the so-called liberal media. “Not since Orwell and Chomsky has perceived reality been so skilfully revealed in the cause of truth.” – John Pilger “Regular critical analysis of the media, filling crucial gaps and correcting the distortions of ideological prisms, has never been more important. Media Lens has performed a major public service by carrying out this task with energy, insight, and care.” – Noam Chomsky £16.99 only £15 on the Pluto site

More Bad News From Israel Greg Philo and Mike Berry Large-scale examination of media coverage of the current conflict in the Middle East and the impact it has on public opinion. “This superb study … is extensive in scope, and scrupulously fair. It will be a landmark.” – Edward S. Herman, co-author (with Noam Chomsky) of Manufacturing Consent “[The book] covers a lot of ground in a clear and readable manner and is particularly good at airing different views about the Arab-Israeli conflict.” – Professor Avi Shlaim, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford £14.99 only £13 on the Pluto site

The Great Deception Anglo-American Power and World Order Mark Curtis An original and radically revised view of British and US foreign policy, exposing the extent to which Anglo-American interests have shaped and damaged the current world order. £22.99 only £20.69 on the Pluto site

Fire Fight at Yeonpyeong: The Manufacturing of Crisis

Korean brinkmanship, American strategic paralysis, and the road to war
Tim Beal

Summary of Pyongyang Report V12, N1, December 2010

The artillery clash between North and South Korea around the Island of Yeonpyeong on 23 November has been portrayed as an unprovoked attack by the North which involved indiscriminate fire on a civilian area. The reality is very different,. This reality can only be reached through a careful reading of the public reports combined with an understanding of the context.

The public record shows that far from being unexpected and unprovoked, the North had issued a number of warnings, including a telephone call to the local commander, saying that the proposed live fire exercise would be considered an intolerable provocation because the shells would fall in the North’s territorial waters, and that they would launch ‘a resolute physical counter-strike’ if it went ahead. The warnings were disregarded and the North shelled the large marine base on the island, killing two soldiers and injuring several. Two civilians were also killed and has been reported that there were working on a construction site on the base. It is not known how many were killed or wounded in the South’s counter-offensive on the North.

The Yeonpyeong clash happened at the time South Korea, with American support, was carrying out yet another huge military exercise practising war against the North, including marine amphibious assaults. These military exercises, which have been a feature of the Korean peninsula for decades, have been growing in strength and scope this year, and are part of conservative South Korea President Lee Myung-bak’s strategy of precipitating a crisis that will bring about the collapse of North Korea and its takeover by the South. To counter this, the North has a ‘zero-tolerance’ strategy whereby any attack (such as the frequently discussed bombing of their nuclear reactor at Yongbyon) or any premeditated infringement of their territory, would be met with fierce retaliation.

Yeonpyeong is situated in the vicinity of the Northern limited Line (NLL), a maritime boundary to the west of the peninsula, unilaterally drawn by the United States and rejected by North Korea. In 2007 the leaders of North and South agreed to set up a special zone to do away with this area of friction, but that agreement was overturned by Lee Myung-bak when he assumed the presidency in 2008.

The South has announced that it will restart, and expand, its military exercises around the NLL, and this will inevitably trigger a Northern retaliation. The South has threatened to escalate any clash with air strikes and there is an increasing danger of the situation spiralling into war. South Korea and the United States have rejected calls by China, echoed by North Korea, for negotiation but have, instead, launched further war exercises led by the giant nuclear-powered, and nuclear capable, aircraft carrier the UUS Washington. This is happened despite protests from China which fears that the show of strength is really directed at her. A second Korea war would inevitably involved the United States and would probably turn into a Sino-American war with incalculable consequences for the peninsula, the region and the world.

The full essay is available in various formats at the Pyongyang Report

North Korea The Struggle Against American Power Tim Beal This book demystifies North Korea by looking beyond the ‘axis of evil’ label. £21.99 only £19.50 on the Pluto site

How Wikileaks undermines US Empire

On the surface, the US embassy cables that Wikileaks have released have not revealed anything of great surprise or significance to those who are familiar with US imperialism. As embarrassing as they are for the US government, they haven’t shown anything overtly scandalous or resulted in any major rift between the White House and its allies. Some have even argued that they have in fact been beneficial to US power interests, validating the aggressive actions of client states such as Israel and Saudi Arabia, while further demonising official enemies like Iran and North Korea. While this is certainly true, it overlooks the cumulative effect these leaks (along with the Afghan and Iraq War Logs) have on the Empire’s ability to function and exert its control globally.

In stating the fundamental objectives of Wikileaks, Julian Assange has emphasized the secretive nature of the US Empire and how important it is to undermine the links which keep this ‘conspiracy’ functioning:

“If total conspiratorial power is zero, then clearly there is no information flow between the conspirators and hence no conspiracy. A substantial increase or decrease in total conspiratorial power almost always means what we expect it to mean; an increase or decrease in the ability of the conspiracy to think, act and adapt…An authoritarian conspiracy that cannot think is powerless to preserve itself against the opponents it induces.”

The US Empire functions on its ability to hide information from the public by a network of ‘conspirators’ (politicians, CIA, diplomats, military command, etc). When the connections in this network are weakened due to an overbearing sense of mistrust and restrictive behavior brought about by massive information leaks, the whole system is effected. In exposing the hidden details of US foreign policy, Wikileaks aims to hinder this global network of dominance. This can only be a good thing when the social, political, environmental and economic consequences of the US Empire have been disastrous for much of the world’s population.

War and Empire The American Way of Life Paul L. Atwood A study of US imperialism that argues America’s leaders have chosen to go to war for influence and power ever since the declaration of independence. “Masterful … [Paul Atwood] gives us a panoramic view of American expansion, beginning with the first invasions of the continent and continuing to the present wars in the Middle East. He does this with a rich command of history, and at every stage measures the pretensions of the state against the real motives of power and profit.” – Howard Zinn “A clear-headed and compelling account of the development of the American empire, an invaluable corrective to standard myth-making accounts and one that should be read by all students of America’s past.” – Marilyn Young, Professor of History, New York University £18.99 only £17 on the Pluto site

The Crimes of Empire Rogue Superpower and World Domination Carl Boggs. Foreword by Peter McLaren A history of US imperialism that uncovers the ever present exploitation, violence and media control that have marked the last two decades of empire. “Distinguished scholar Carl Boggs’s brilliant historical survey of US empire-building highlights the centrality of violence, lawlessness, and self-serving ‘humanitarian’ ideology, from colonial times to the current wars in Asia.” – James Petras, Bartle Professor Emeritus, Binghamton University “Carl Boggs’s investigation is relentless, unflinching, and irrefutable. This book performs a genuine service for truth and democracy, an education for every American.” – Michael Parenti, author of Against Empire and To Kill a Nation £18.99 only £17 on the Pluto site

Power, Profit and Prestige A History of American Imperial Expansion Philip S. Golub Shows how an embedded culture of force, expansion and US primacy has shaped American foreign policy and prevented democratic transformation. “Philip Golub brilliantly depicts the long American journey to global ascendancy that is now being eroded by decline, and challenged by emergent rivals, especially China. This sophisticated, deeply informed, and beautifully constructed book is essential reading for all wishing an understanding of world politics in the early 21st century.” – Richard Falk “[Golub] lends realism to his historical interpretation of the rise of America’s global empire during the past century and the crisis of its apparent decline during recent decades. … The insightful book is an abundant resource for serious reflective thinking on the trajectory of world politics today.” – Robert W. Cox £17.99 only £16 on the Pluto site

The reality of ‘corruption’ in the ‘mafia state’: Russia beyond Wikileaks and hyperbole

Patricia Rawlinson cuts through the hype to explain the reality of the ‘corrupt mafia state’.

The latest revelations by Wikileaks on Russia as a ‘virtual mafia state’, so described by Spanish Prosecutor Jose Gonzalez in his briefing to US officials earlier this year, is stirring the pot of gangster hyperbole. We’ve been here before. Yeltsin declared his chaotic dominion to be a ‘mafia state’ back in 1993. Corruption was a huge problem then, had been under Soviet communism and continues to flourish even more so under his successors. Let’s not forget however that corruption (that word of many definitions), being the oxygen of organized crime (another term of multiple definitions), is a two-way process. It involves the giving as well as accepting of bribes and favours. The Russian people are used to paying a second ‘tax’ for practically every service the state provides. The private sector too demands extra income, off the books, to get almost anything done. It is, as one Professor in Moscow recently told me, so normal as to hardly warrant the name ‘corruption’. Many outside of Russia would furtively agree. Ask any foreign businessman (or woman) about operating in this ‘mafia state’ and corruption is an implicit part of the deal, with bribe giving factored into costs under a number of different headings. Everyone is on the give, as well as the take. Which means according to the logic of these ‘revelations’ pretty much every foreign business involved with Russia is complicit with the mafia, a complicity that also extends to Western politicians meeting with ‘godfathers’ such as Putin.

The ‘dysfunctional’ links between Moscow’s ruling elite and organized crime, as described by John Beryle, US ambassador to Russia, has done little to deter the UK’s Business Secretary Vince Cable from encouraging increased investment in the capital and Russia as a whole (currently £11 billion annually). Companies such as Rio Tinto and Rolls Royce are queuing up to ‘strengthen ties’ between the dirty sheets of Russian business and politics. Cadbury’s (of Quaker origin) and Marks and Spencer (not to be confused with Marx and Engels) are also tucked up nicely in bed with these ‘mafiosi’.

To stop the tango of corruption one partner needs to leave the dance floor of sleaze and encourage other partners to do the same. If the pursuit of profit at any cost does not allow this, then let’s drop the labels of ‘corruption’ and ‘mafia-state’ and call the former ‘business’ and the latter ‘Russia plc’. That would be a real revelation.

From Fear to Fraternity A Russian Tale of Crime, Economy and Modernity Patricia Rawlinson A unique and globally framed analysis of the development of Russian organised crime arguing that it is a barometer of economic well-being. “This fascinating book is a must for those interested in transitional societies, the shift from state communism to varieties of capitalism in the former Soviet Union and in Russia, the discourse on “organized crime’ and the symbiotic role of such crime in relation to the state and economic enterprises. Rawlinson’s intriguing and even chilling analysis is presented in a highly readable and lively style making this an impressive piece of work that is accessible to a wide audience.” – Dr Maurice Punch, Visiting Professor, London School of Economics and King’s College London “This book challenges the orthodox understandings of Russian organised crime and tears away the political agendas that misrepresent Russia’s experience of capitalism and socialism. Rawlinson exposes the real dangers that threaten the values both of Russia and the West. The sovietization of the West goes on at increasing speed, making a mockery of Fukuyama’s image of an end of History.” – Boris Kashnikov, Professor at the Moscow Higher School of Economics £17.99 only £16 on the Pluto site