The Guns of November

AFP Photo

Here is my piece for Quadrant Online on the downing of the Russian SU-24 warplane: http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2015/11/guns-november/

This is another way to fight the Islamic State

Courtesy of the New York Times

See this inspiring story in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/magazine/a-dream-of-utopia-in-hell.html?_r=0

Where Kadyrov goes, there eventually goes Putin

Chechnya's self-proclaimed monarch has accused Turkey's Erdogan of "treachery":  http://tass.ru/en/politics/838916

Vladimir Putin and Ramzan Kadyrov

Reading this article from the Guardian, you get the feeling that it is not so much a matter of the "king" of Chechnya imitating Putin but the other way around: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/23/putins-closest-ally-and-his-biggest-liability
You might check out this report from last year as well: http://www.voanews.com/content/chechens-fighting-in-ukraine-could-erode-support-for-separatists/1926283.html

Palestinian Media Watch: keeping an eye on the anti-Semitic incitement of Fatah & Co

This is a screen shot of the homepage for Palestinian Media Watch (PMW)

Here is the address for Palestinian Media Watch: http://www.palwatch.org/

The subtle military genius of Vladimir Putin?

Courtesy of Debka File: 

Here is a report on Vladimir Putin's military intervention in the Syrian civil war, which at the moment (allegedly) involves not so much liberating Raqqa (200,000) as razing it: http://www.debka.com/article/25032/Massive-Russian-blanket-air-bombardment-is-flattening-Raqqa
Here is a tacit corroboration of the story: http://www.raqqa-sl.com/en/?p=1554

Jewish people officially welcomed back to the KRG

Kurdish Jews celebrate a wedding in Jerusalem (2013)

Here is a lovely, uplifting story: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/11/iraq-jews-return-kurdistan-representation-office.html#

Come the liberation of Jarabulus!

Jarabulus, on the western banks of the river Euphrates, remains under the control of the Islamic State (and Turkish acquiescence)  

Turkey's objection to the liberation of Jarabulus must be brushed aside: http://www.worldcrunch.com/opinion-analysis/turkey-s-opportunism-using-paris-attack-to-undermine-kurds/c7s20123/
Here is the wikipedia entry on the town of Jarabulus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarabulus

The Islamic State is not weak, but it is losing ground

The Syrian battlefront as of November 15, 2015

Here is the link to my ABC Drum piece on the latest military victories against the Islamic State: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-19/mccann-islamic-state-isn't-weak,-but-it-is-losing-ground/6953350

Enlightened Patriotism vs Political Correctness

Here is the link to my first published response to the Friday 13 Paris atrocity: http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2015/11/enlightened-patriotism-vs-political-correctness/

Daniel Pipes: "How much further will it spur the Establishment to deny reality?"

The address for the Middle East Forum is: http://www.meforum.org/

This is the link to an article by Daniel Pipes on Paris, Friday 13: http://www.danielpipes.org/16272/why-the-paris-massacre-will-have-limited-impact 

O when shall we awaken?

My condolences to the people of France. I wonder how long before the world stops saying "We are all French now" and the apologists begin talking about French colonialism or French Islamophobia as the root cause of Friday's atrocities. In March I wrote this this article on the War of Freedom in the light of the Charlie Hebdo massacres. It is, tragically, even more relevant today than it was then: https://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2015/03/long-war-war-freedom/         

What sort of progress is the Russian-Assad-Hezbollah-Iranian Revolutionary Guards alliance making on the Syrian battlefront?

Courtesy of the Daily Beast

According to this article in the Middle East Forum, at least, it's all very problematic on the Syrian western front: http://www.meforum.org/5624/assad-offensive

Does the liberation of Sinjar approach?

The fall of Sinjar, when it comes, will be a fine moment in the the War of Freedom: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/12/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-sinjar-idUSKCN0T10AL20151112

Islamic State to be cleaved in two

Courtesy of CBS

Operation Free Sinjar has commenced: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-12/kurdish-forces-launch-operation-free-sinjar-to-retake-iraqi-town/6936524

Cizire Canton now safe from Islamic State

The final interview given by YPG commander Rustem Zal

Hopefully he did not die in vain. The Syrian Democratic Forces aim to bring secular democracy and the liberation of the people (men and women) in Syria from the Islamic State: http://anfenglish.com/kurdistan/ypg-commander-dies-in-battle-one-day-after-giving-an-interview-to-anf

The Noodle Debate

James McCann is a fine young writer who continues to tackle the serious issues of the day: http://ripitup.com.au/culture/we-ate-and-reviewed-all-the-instant-noodles#.VkCQGWQrJsY

Putin needs a more creative and noble approach in Syria

Here is a link to my latest piece in the ABC's The Drum: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-09/mccann-putin-needs-a-more-creative-and-noble-approach-in-syria/6923034

Proletarian socialists and libertarian-conservatives of the world unite!

Contra bohemian socialists and Islamo-fascists

Am I returning to my Marxian roots or has the world gone pear-shaped in the aftermath of the Cold War and the rise and rise of Jihad International? Either way, I find myself in total accord with this proletarian leftist critique of the November 1 Turkish parliamentary elections: http://socialistworker.org/2015/11/04/turkeys-ruling-party-regains-its-grip.  It is not so different from supposedly libertarian-conservative analysis: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-03/mccann-turkeys-secular-experiment-in-modernity-is-under-threat/6907416

Turkey's secular experiment in modernity is under threat

Here is my commentary for The Drum on the November 1 parliamentary election in the Republic of Turkey: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-03/mccann-turkeys-secular-experiment-in-modernity-is-under-threat/6907416

We refuse to be enemies

Courtesy of Arutz Sheva 

This is a fascinating story by Hillel Fendel: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/202830#.VjfKhmQrJsY

Can Selahattin Demirtas pull Turkey back from the brink of civil war?

Selahattin Demirtas, co-leader of the HDP

This is a fine piece by Christopher de Bellaigue in The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/29/selahattin-demirtas-kurdish-turkey