Problems with organizing humanitarian intervention: Kosovo as a case | 143 comments (140 topical, 3 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: The EU as humanitarian intervention (4.00 / 2)

I'm referring to Peter Handke's treatment all over Germany, especially in Spiegel. I mean, I know he was directly against Germany's foreign policy, and he was a Serb sympathizer, but his ostracism seems to me a product of only seeing the war in one way, and one way alone.

As for the rest, there's the case in England where a documentarian was censored after proving that ITN footage of a detention camp was doctored; there was the case of the AFP having footage of the fight in Racak the entire day in which the dead bodies were discovered (the single event that lead to the war) and the AFP footage showed a long distance firefight, no executions. Beyond that, there was no outcry about Rambouillet, you have Kouchner now as the FM of France, and he was no more than the Paul Bremer of Kosovo, just a decade ago.

Every nation's mass media takes its cue from the politicians when it comes to foreign policy.

by Upstate NY on Mon Mar 9th, 2009 at 07:46:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The EU as humanitarian intervention (4.00 / 2)

Every nation's mass media takes its cue from the politicians when it comes to foreign policy.

Nah, it's much more intertwined than that. They feed off each other and the national prejudices. It's easy to sell nasty evil Serbs because that fits the stereotype of ruthless gangsters which was (is?) pretty much the only mass media portrayal of that part of the world.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Tue Mar 10th, 2009 at 03:53:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The EU as humanitarian intervention (4.00 / 2)

I tend to disagree.

In Europe, we find many networks aligned to political parties, but when the national interests are at stake, they fall into line.

Dan Rather, considered an anti-government reporter in the US, once eviscerated a reporter from Pacifica at a National Press Club event for traitorous acts against the nation.

by Upstate NY on Tue Mar 10th, 2009 at 10:47:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The EU as humanitarian intervention (none / 1)

Wasn't Dan Rather the one who famously said

George Bush is the president, he makes the decisions, and, you know, as just one American: He wants me to line up? Just tell me where.... Whatever arguments one may or may not have had with George Bush the Younger before September 11, he is our commander-in-chief, he's the Man now. And we need unity, we need steadiness. I'm not preaching about it. We all know this.

What I found shoking about that was the notion that the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces was the Commander in Chief of all Americans including the press.

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Mar 10th, 2009 at 10:55:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The EU as humanitarian intervention (none / 1)

LOL, but that's the attitude in the US Press. Our alternative Press, such as Democracy Now or Pacifica, is reviled by the Rather's of the world.

So much of European media did great exposes on the US invasion of Iraq the last 8 years precisely because their gov't was opposed to it. I don't think the media would be as critical in a so-called "allied war." I wonder how the first Gulf War was covered in Europe. I lived in Europe for 2 years from 1988-1990, but left before that war started.

by Upstate NY on Tue Mar 10th, 2009 at 11:04:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The EU as humanitarian intervention (4.00 / 2)

Upstate NY:

So much of European media did great exposes on the US invasion of Iraq the last 8 years precisely because their gov't was opposed to it.

I don't think the British press was blind to what was happening in Iraq. Apart from Robert Fisk in The Independent you had decent coverage in The Guardian and in other, more right-wing, papers.

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Mar 10th, 2009 at 11:06:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The EU as humanitarian intervention (4.00 / 2)

We also had Seymour Hersh in the USA, and of course, Robert Scheer at the LA Times.

But this is what happened to Scheer: http://www.democracynow.org/2005/11/14/la_times_fires_longtime_progressive_columnist

Our independent voices were few and far between.

by Upstate NY on Tue Mar 10th, 2009 at 11:22:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The EU as humanitarian intervention (4.00 / 4)

You do know that Kouchner's wife is one of the foremost journalists on French television, currently the boss of France24 ?

Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères

by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Tue Mar 10th, 2009 at 05:10:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The EU as humanitarian intervention (none / 1)

I did not. Thanks.

by Upstate NY on Tue Mar 10th, 2009 at 10:47:44 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Problems with organizing humanitarian intervention: Kosovo as a case | 143 comments (140 topical, 3 editorial, 0 hidden)

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