UK Foreign Policy

Testimony from US government and military officials, and other experts, on the role of NATO expansion in creating the conditions for the Russian invasion of Ukraineby Ian Sinclair20 July 2023 In February 2022 Russian began its aggressive and criminal invasion of Ukraine. Since then some commentators have dismissed the argument that NATO, specifically NATO’s expansion/enlargement […]

“It never happened”: The US occupation of Syriaby Ian SinclairMorning Star18 May 2023 “It never happened. Nothing ever happened. Even while it was happening it wasn’t happening. It didn’t matter. It was of no interest. The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about […]

Why British foreign policy think tanks defend the status quoby Ian SinclairMorning Star29 March 2023 Though it hasn’t received any coverage in the mainstream media, new academic research raises serious questions about British foreign policy think tanks and their influence on policymaking and public debate. Published in the peer-reviewed International Relations journal, the article from […]

Did the US and Britain invade Iraq to spread democracy?by Ian SinclairMorning Star8 March 2023 A little late to the party, I recently watched Once Upon A Time In Iraq, the BBC’s 2020 five-part documentary series about the US-British invasion and occupation of the Middle East nation. During the episode about the capture of Iraqi […]

Qatar: what the media isn’t reportingby Ian SinclairMorning Star21 November 2022 ‘Qatar Struggles To Shift Focus Away From Workers’ Rights’. The headline in the Financial Times earlier this month confirms PR-savvy Qatar, hyper aware of the soft power boost hosting the 2022 football World Cup could be expected to create, is having trouble controlling the […]

Book review: Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire by Caroline Elkinsby Ian SinclairPeace NewsFebruary-March 2003 At 875 pages, including a 50-page bibliography and 90 pages of references, this is a huge tome, and a serious investment of time. Those looking for a much shorter primer covering much of the same ground may […]

The Second Superpower: 15 February 2003by Ian SinclairMorning Star15 February 2023 In two key respects, there is a broad consensus about the 15 February 2003 anti-Iraq War march. First, it’s understood to be the largest political demonstration in British history, with over one million people marching in London. Second, it is generally considered a total […]

Keeping the spotlight on the West’s ongoing devastation of Afghanistan and Syriaby Ian SinclairMorning Star21-22 January 2023 Amnesty International’s 1991 Annual Report should be required reading for all media studies and journalism students. “The Iraqi Government headed by President Saddam Hussein had been committing gross and widespread human rights abuses” in the 1980s, including using […]

Did the UK torpedo peace talks on Ukraine?by Ian SinclairMorning Star12 November 2022 Since 1976 the award-winning US media watchdog Project Censored has printed an annual list of the most under-reported news stories in the US media – the “news that didn’t make the news”. Should someone start publishing a similar book about the UK […]

Book review. The Trial of Julian Assange: A Story of Persecution by Nils Melzerby Ian SinclairPeace NewsAugust-September 2022 Opening with a quote from Otto Gritschneder – ‘Those who sleep in a democracy will wake up in a dictatorship’ – Nils Melzer notes his newis intended as ‘an urgent appeal… a wake up call to the […]