Of People and Publications

Finding understanding through grounded analysis

Published: 2024-01-04

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Introduction

In a regular 'Interesting Articles' episode a summary of each publication is provided to assist the reader selecting a publication to read or watch.

In this episode, the focus will be on the people themselves, and for some, the publishing organisation or show. The selected pieces are chose to highlight at least one person and/or organisation to provide maximal subject matter with a small number of pieces.

The motivation for this different style is to inform why this newsletter selects these people or publishers/shows rather than others for your consideration.

People

Each commentator has a motivation and a history. These colour their view of the world and how they approach each topic, how they present it. For any, if one understands this native bias so that one can let it sit in the background as one reads or listens to their words the question is how informative is their work? Are they choosing topics which one also sees as important? Are they presenting them towards a greater understanding of the world? Thus, do they provide a useful contribution to a current geopolitical understanding?

Publications

For a publication one is assessing the editor. How interesting are the collections of publications over a period of time? What common qualities does one find in the differing commentators being published? What is the essence of the publication, and thus should one visit it regularly?

Interesting Articles

Soleimani Geopolitics, Pepe Escobar, Unz Review, 2024-01-03

Pepe Escobar is a veteran world traveler and journalist who has nurtured his sources for the decades he has spent documenting political developments, particularly in central Asia. He is multi-lingual and by experience multi-cultural. In his work one will see referred a very broad range of backgrounds and influences from eastern philosophy to western literary traditions.

He is one of the few authors for whom the author of this newsletter reads every single publication. This commitment is for both the joy of reading Pepe's work and following his analysis of the moving world.

Just as Pepe was an outsider as a Brazilian entering Europe, he has also been an outsider as a European entering the "east". He is, however, very well read on the philosophical traditions of both, and combines the vision of an outsider with a cultural understanding based on being there and having read the philosophy. He is unique as a broadly philosophically studied, culturally aware, international journalist and geopolitical analyst, even before one includes his collection of inside sources.

The Unz Review is an interesting project by Ron Unz who made his money in software in the US. The Review publishes or republishes alternative views, or those outside of the mainstream. Some of them are strident, provide rather one sided and not very revealing analysis. Others are better. However, Ron Unz's work is excellent. It is thoroughly researched and well argued.

I Don't Care What Religion The Genocidal Child Murderers Are, Caitlin Johnstone, Caitlin's Newsletter, 2024-01-02

Caitlin Johnstone intuits the zeitgeist. She has a unique ability to read through the narrative of the moment, connect with her sense of justice, and produce a commentary which resonates both widely and deeply.

She, a year or so ago, published an article describing her journey through her own trauma. While that publication revealed a level of courage not often found, it also spoke of her humility and compassion. In transcending her own trauma she has developed a keen sense of reality and an ability to lay bare the fabricated narrative issued by the MSM acting as the courtiers of Western power brokers.

Scott Ritter： LIVE from Moscow, Russia - Russians on Putin., Napolitano interviews Ritter and Alexander, Judging Freedom, 2024-01-02

To understand Ritter one must take two episodes of his past and hold them in one's mind. Firstly, he worked in Russia on ensuring the USSR's compliance the Intermediate Nuclear Forces treaty. He is a child of the middle of the Cold War and acutely feels the risk of nuclear war. While in Russia he developed one of the most important understandings that a trained member for any member of a national military; that we are all human and "breathe the same air", to quote JFK. The second episode is his work with UNSCOM, the UN organisation ensuring Iraqi compliance with their stated commitment to destroy their chemical weapons. Ritter strenuously attempted to engage with anybody and everybody in Washington to avert the 2003 war with Iraq instigated by his US on pretenses he knew to be false. He is thus an intelligent, compassionate, informed person who loathes the threat to us all posed by any type of weapon of mass death.

In this episode of Judging Freedom he is joined by a Russian friend. He brings Alexander onto the program so that his countrymen can understand how Russians feel about this bullshit animosity run by the old Cold Warriors and neo-cons. How they hold no animosity to the people of the US but must guard against threats delivered against them. Alexander's explanation of the Russian response to the Banderite movement in Ukraine is consistent with that of many other Russia voices I've heard, as is the rest of his commentary. It is humanist and compassionate. Ritter brings Alexander to Judging Freedom so that we can hear this message. This is what Ritter is about; humanity, and understanding the threats posed by psychopathic death-mongers holding the triggers of weapons of mass death.

NY Times’ Hamas Rape Hoax Exposed, Ray McGovern, Ray McGovern, 2024-01-01

Ray McGovern is another gem. He has the Irish gift of the gab and a brilliant memory for dates. This combined with his response to JFK's call to not ask what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. He signed up for the US military and trained as an intelligence officer just before the Cuban Missile Crisis. He, though older than Ritter, comes with a similar understanding of the horror of nuclear weapons.

This is the background to his extreme frustration with the politicization of the CIA's analytic branch. He worked as a CIA analyst, and through it to achieved with Ritter one of the most far-reaching and astonishing achievements of the Cold War -- the implementation of the INF treaty which amounted to the destruction to an entire class of nuclear weapons.

Ray obviously has a love for his family and a connection with his church. He is a compassionate loving man. Embedded in his head is a very detailed understanding of the last half of the 20th century. How I would love to convene a symposium with McGovern and a collection of historians, like Peter Kuznick, for example. They could speak of the achievements in adversity, of hope and the creativity of humanity, of determination and belief.

Ray puts his body on the line.

One of his rallying calls it to others "with gray hair". He has proclaimed that this is a special thing. One can attend protests and the forces of state approved violence feel a little sheepish about man-handling the gray haired old people. But, they have, and he has the bruises and videos to show it. One of his most subtle 'body on the line' efforts was to let his beard grow in solidarity with Julian Assange, who was man-handled, bearded from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

The piece referenced contains but a few of McGovern's words and is instead a chance for me to speak of the new breed of independent journalists. Of them, Aaron Maté is one of the best. Indeed, I would now liken him to John Pilger. He is brave and principled, and dogged. He is also very well trained, understanding the difference between evidence, circumstancial evidence and mere hearsay.

Blumenthal is also excellent, and from wherever he derived the funds for The Grayzone, has provided an opportunity for many young journalists of the "independent media" to publish and practice their trade. High on that list would be Kit Klarenberg. Equally strong on Palestine from a Jewish perspective would be Dan Cohen.

Aaron Mate: Putin did ‘everything possible’ to make peace, veteran Ukrainian diplomat says (Excerpt), Natylie S Baldwin, Natylie's Place: Understanding Russia, 2024-01-02

Natylie Baldwin and her site "Understanding Russia" is a mixture of the above. She is an excellent journalist, though rarely writes. She uses her site to re-publish work which provides insight into current affairs which affect Russia. The site is more akin to a newsletter than a publication, as there are no real 'regular contributors'. At times the articles are a month or more old, and still Natylie republishes them if they continue add nuance to understanding Russia’s role internationally.

The site often republishes official Russian documents, which can be very valuable because idiotic restrictions by the EU and nefarious activity by various state and non-state actors often make it hard to access Russia's government sites, from the Kremlin to the Foreign Ministry.

Understanding Russia is also well presented and easier to read than many of the sites from which she gathers articles to be republished.

Cold Hard Facts., Andrei Martyanov, Reminiscence of the Future ..., 2024-01-03

Andrei Martyanov is described by Pepe Escobar as an "essential read". Martyanov is a former Russian naval officer who emigrated to the US. He, like Ritter or Col. Macgregor, is able to comment on military affairs with authority. He is especially good on engineering.

He is a serious Russian patriot and often wears his heart on his sleeve. One can understand this and place it in the back of one's mind as one reads through that to see what he is getting at. He, like McGovern, has a discerning eye for data points and events which reveal a wider change in the interactions between powerful players or groups. One can fall into the trap of thinking that he speaks bravado for Russia and its military. All one needs do is wait a month or six and see that his analysis was correct, irrespective of how he phrased it.

This is exactly what Escobar telling us about Martyanov.

The linked Martyanov article asks the viewer to watch the video below from Judging Freedom.

Judge Napolitano has grown the audience for his show very rapidly, and with good reason. He is a capable interviewer and has at his disposal two very important capabilities: a production crew and a growing collection of very well informed and differing commentators.

If you've been around here for a while you will know that I recommend watching every single episode in which Napolitano interviews Crooke. I am beginning to have the same opinion of Matthew Hoh. His backstory is as an a former soldier turned anti-war activist in the style of Danny Sjursen. He is well educated and read. His commentary has been of consistent quality and interest.

Alastair Crooke：America’s Fatal Hunger for Honor and Glory., Napolitano interviews Crooke, Judging Freedom, 2024-01-02

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I hope you've enjoyed this alternate style episode of "Interesting Articles" and hope even more that you'll open a link to an article or peruse a publication.

or you can support this work via Buy Me A Coffee or Patreon.

Sources

… are in situ.

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