Monday 28 February 2022

Neither NATO nor Russia

This week I'd like to discuss how we intend to report on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.


As Canary journalist and veteran Joe Glenton wrote this week, Picking NATO over Russia, or vice versa, is a fool’s game. Choose people, not power

Our solidarity and reporting should always be focused on ordinary people, like us, in Ukraine, Russia, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, or the UK. 

Taking the side of any authoritarian nation-state goes against that principle.    

The hypocrisy of western governments decrying Russia's invasion given their track record of imperialist wars is disgusting. And western media's sudden concern for the Ukrainian people compared to those in Yemen, for example, shows its racism. 

But, the point of highlighting that hypocrisy is to demonstrate that we should have the same concern for people in the countries the UK or US invades. It is not to justify or excuse an armed invasion by Russia.

There are people in Ukraine who have bravely fought against Western-backed domestic fascist forces. These same people are now taking up arms against Russian imperialism. 

We must oppose all authoritarianism and state violence. 

And we must continue to highlight how wars allow authoritarian governments the world over to divide and repress their own populations. 

The only other beneficiary is the military industrial complex which will generate even more obscene profits for the international ruling class. 

People in war zones the world over need us to support their resistance to authoritarianism and state power.

I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts and continuing this discussion. Please email me directly at drew@thecanary.co or DM me on twitter @DrewR0se.

Until next week. 

All the best,

Drew Rose

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