Four years ago, when Donald Trump was elected President, many of you were shocked. Many wondered, “Where did we go wrong?” Today, I interview author and journalist Max Blumenthal about his book Management of Savagery. Max painstakingly details the foreign policy decisions made during the cold war in the 1970s, and maps the ripple effects of these decisions that has lead us to this path of regime change wars, empire, Islamophobia and bloodstained episodes of blowback.
I appreciate the background to the Syrian conflict that Max has investigated and understand that the opposition was militarised by extremists (funded by Saudis, supported by USA). And I don't buy into the accusations that Assad used chemical weapons against his people.
But in the early days of the war isn't it true that Assad did commit terrible crimes against the protesters? From what I have read, at first it was the torture of children who graffitied anti Assad graffiti. And then followed by brutal attacks by the military against the protesters. Maybe I have read lies. I don't know. Of course the conflict evolved into the externally supported extremist militia opposition that Max has outlined etc..
But can't the discussion also include things that Assad has done that were reprehensible. To do this would not exclude the validity of any of Max's investigative work on the Syrian war. I just feel it would paint a complete picture.
To be clear, I am vehemently against the interference in this conflict by outside forces (USA, Saudi Arabia etc)
I appreciate the background to the Syrian conflict that Max has investigated and understand that the opposition was militarised by extremists (funded by Saudis, supported by USA). And I don't buy into the accusations that Assad used chemical weapons against his people.
But in the early days of the war isn't it true that Assad did commit terrible crimes against the protesters? From what I have read, at first it was the torture of children who graffitied anti Assad graffiti. And then followed by brutal attacks by the military against the protesters. Maybe I have read lies. I don't know. Of course the conflict evolved into the externally supported extremist militia opposition that Max has outlined etc..
But can't the discussion also include things that Assad has done that were reprehensible. To do this would not exclude the validity of any of Max's investigative work on the Syrian war. I just feel it would paint a complete picture.
To be clear, I am vehemently against the interference in this conflict by outside forces (USA, Saudi Arabia etc)