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Thursday 29 January 2015

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic State group are brothers


President Obama's embrace of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood in the first phase of his presidency will forever mark him out as a dupe of the highest order. However, he has almost two years to begin making amends. Allowing the USAF to help the Kurds is a start, but there is so much work to do: http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/59396-150129-at-least-6-egyptian-soldiers-killed-in-attack-in-sinai   

Wednesday 28 January 2015

The Battle for Modernity on the Kurdistan Border

YPG/YPJ commanders and Kobani Canton officials announcing liberation of Kobani from the IS 

The Long War will be 30 or 100 years (depending on your point of view) in duration, and so we should enjoy every victory along the way. I have no idea why it was up to Kurds to begin to turn the tide on Islamofascism, but that's the way it is. I think I am ready to start learning the Kurdish language. In any case, here is my pean to the Kurds submitted for publication on December 1, 2014. I am no seer but am proud that this essay only became more relevant over the past seven or so weeks. Now out from behind the subscriber's wall - though why not become a subscriber to Quadrant, at least a digital one? Here is the piece: http://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2015/01-02/battle-modernity-borders-kurdistan/

Tuesday 27 January 2015

Tony Judt (1948-2010) was guessing on Israel

All those books but few lasting insights on the Jewish state 


Judt's ideology of 'universalist social democracy' put him at odds with reality. This is a fine essay on Tony Judt by Adam Kirsch in Tablet magazine: http://tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/books/188406/tony-judt-is-aging-poorly

Monday 26 January 2015

Kobani Liberated After 134 Days

The Islamic State fighters appear to have lost the Battle of Kobani


At this link are some extraordinary pictures: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b24_1422273939



Friday 23 January 2015

Michael Burleigh & The Long War



This is Michael Burleigh's review of Patrick Cockburn's The Jihadis Return: ISIS and the New Sunni Uprising in the Literary Review: https://literaryreview.co.uk/the-long-war


Monday 19 January 2015

The New Charlie Cover: Art Matters More Than Ever

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said he "rather likes" the new cover of Charlie Hebdo 


Here is a more detailed critique of the new Charlie Hebdo cover: http://tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/books/188320/the-charlie-cover

The Death Cult Now Throwing Gays From Towers

The Death Cult's Supreme Leader Announcing the Foundation of the Islamic State in Mosul (June 2014)


The Islamic State is now throwing gays from towers and executing adulteresses aplenty. Why, exactly, would anybody not want to see this Death Cult eradicated as soon as humanly possible? http://www.news.com.au/world/isis-execution-frenzy-gay-men-thrown-from-tower-17-crucified-adulteress-stoned-to-death/story-fndir2ev-1227189884759?from=public_rss

Sunday 18 January 2015

Tuesday 13 January 2015

Boko Haram's part in the Long War

Boko Haram's Abubakar Shekau (Courtesy of BBC)


The Long War is a global conflagration and Africa is certainly one of the theatres: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30777066

Monday 12 January 2015

Islamist Turkey is Enemy of Israel & Freedom

Turkey's Erdogan is on the wrong side in The Long War or War of Freedom


Non-Islamist Turkey was an ally of Israel and now Islamist Turkey is the enemy of Israel. Joining the dots is not so difficult: http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Erdogan-attacks-Netanyahu-How-does-head-of-terror-state-dare-attend-Paris-march-387521

Friday 9 January 2015

Militant Salafists have declared war on the West but we are not at war with Muslims

Ahmed Merabet, a French policeman, was murdered by the Islamic terrorists


A French policeman, who happened to be Muslim, was one of those murdered by the Islamic terrorists: http://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/france-unites-behind-muslim-policeman-who-died-defending-cha?utm_term=4ldqpia

Evaluating the significance of Kobani


Courtesy of Hawar News Agency


Jonathan Spyer writes here about the importance of Kobani: http://www.gloria-center.org/2015/01/how-are-things-in-kobani/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GloriaCenter+%28GLORIA+Center%29
My own commentary on Kobani, "The Battle for Modernity on the Kurdistan Border", appears in the January-February edition of Quadrant magazine, but is still behind a subscriber's wall.

Thursday 8 January 2015

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi: "We must only be Egyptians"


Coptic Pope Tawadross II and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

On January 7, 2015, attended the Coptic Christmas service at St Mark's Cathedral in Cairo and demonstrated why he is so different from the Muslim Brotherhood and its violent jihadist allies: http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/1595/0/egypt-s-president-christians-and-muslims-are-equal-citizens


Monday 5 January 2015

Is Paul McCartney playing Paul McCartney to the new John Lennon?



My first reaction to the above question would be - er - no. Then again, it is quite amusing to see how this guy tries to make the case:  http://junkee.com/kanye-wests-new-single-with-paul-mccartney-proves-hes-this-generations-john-lennon/47985

Why Palestine Vanished

Israel, the West Bank & Jordan


Hamas deputy foreign minister, Ghazi Hamed, helps explain why the Palestinian leadership lost Palestine. Anybody sympathetic to Israel would be criticised for saying any of this - that is, Palestinian leaders were always caught between "liberation" (the eradication of Israel) and "statehood" (West Bank-based mini-state) only to end up with neither: http://www.timesofisrael.com/now-i-understand-how-and-why-the-palestinians-lost-palestine/     
I made a similar point in this article back in July 2012: http://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2012/07-08/the-principled-pragmatist/

Sunday 4 January 2015

Australia's Prime Minister Abbott in Iraq

Australia's PM Tony Abbott and Iraq PM Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad yesterday: courtesy of news.com.au

While dozens of Australian citizens are helping the Islamic State to enslave large areas of Syria and Iraq, the Commonwealth of Australia is attempting to redress the balance by assisting the Baghdad government in the south of Iraq and the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in the north: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/terror/australia-stands-by-iraq-against-islamic-state-tony-abbott-says/story-fnpdbcmu-1227174417572

Saturday 3 January 2015

The War on the Islamic State in Mesopotamia Only Good in Part


The Islamic State advertising their barbarity: courtesy of the Long War Journalhttp://www.longwarjournal.org/


Patrick Cockburn is the main reason I read The Independent newspaper: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/war-with-isis-the-west-is-wrong-again-in-its-fight-against-terror-9955853.html 

German Lutherans Reject Modern-day Marcionism

Martin Luther (1483-1546)


Here is David P. Goldman (aka Spengler) relating how the German Evangelical Church (aka Lutherans) has put behind it Luther's enmity towards the Jews (Luther's Judenhass). Better late than never, contends Goldman: http://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2014/12/23/the-vital-lesson-american-protestants-should-learn-from-the-german-evangelical-church/?singlepage=true

A short summary of Marcionism can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcionism

Friday 2 January 2015

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation Undermines Quality of Private Broadcasting


Spectator Australia writer advises First Tuesday Book Club's Marieke Hardy to move to Channel 9  


James McCann is a little rough on the Baby Boomers but otherwise this hits the mark: http://www.spectator.co.uk/australia/australia-features/9401412/the-abc-deprives-us-of-quality-content/