I’m a pretty calm and collected human these days, but when this image by Andres Kudacki for AP dropped into my inbox, my brain immediately broke.
I had been working in different countries for universities as well as with people displaced from various conflicts seeking refuge from (mainly) Iraq, Syria and Palestine. When I returned to the UK, I recall having very awkward conversations with former colleagues of mine who still worked in (quote/unquote) “news” rooms… I remember being called a ‘crank’ for suggesting that the ‘moderate rebels’ who were being supported by various factions of the US empire were actually al-Qaeda and ISIS. People I had met, including Europeans and Israelis, were certain that these ‘terrorist’ organisations were created by the CIA and were supported by NATO, Saudi and Israeli contingents in order to destabilise the region. It wasn’t until 2017 that I started to hear details of a covert operation called ‘Timber Sycamore'(2) which alluded to what I had heard overseas and had been repeating at home.
Hence my broken brain at seeing this picture of the former general and CIA director David Petraeus, sitting there with the member of al-Qaeda and founder of ISIS, who is the now ‘President’ of new and improved, Israel friendly Syria.
Basically, and it should be obvious to everyone, the ongoing tactic of US empire is to create a violent enemy (ISIS, Hamas etc) to serve as a pretext for regime change in order to steal land and resources for a few Mittel-European industrialists and financiers, while UK media institutions generate the cover story. I understand that the internet is full of unverifiable information, right now, it is the only place to access content vaguely critical of US foreign policy. The job of all UK media institutions, including the hallowed Beeb, is not to inform the general public, but to lie to us. To work in UK media right now, you have to either not know this fact or not care – either way, nobody should take you seriously.
It doesn’t matter whether you consider yourself ‘left’ or ‘right’, when it comes to trying to discuss anything of real political substance in the UK, most of the time you are arguing over vapour.
I generally keep my mouth shut in most social situations these days; however, the propaganda is so pervasive it’s impossible to avoid even though I don’t have a TV or buy newspapers. I go to the gym and 6-Music is playing and it’s giving 6 bullshit headlines every hour and I think to myself – why on earth would any edgy music artist or DJ want to be associated with any of this?
There’s a point where polite criticism becomes complicity, and when it comes to UK media institutions, that line was crossed decades ago. Today, any attachment to the British press—be it BBC, The Guardian, The Times, or the tabloids—should be a source not of pride or professionalism, but of embarrassment. Why? Because these institutions have consistently failed in their most basic duty: to provide reliable information. I have to ask, is anybody even slightly embarrassed about working at these places?
Take US foreign policy. The record of UK reporting is not one of minor slips or excusable oversights. It is a litany of cowardice and distortion. From Iraq to Afghanistan, from Libya to Syria, the role of the US in destabilising entire regions has been softened, downplayed, or outright rewritten by UK outlets desperate to look ‘serious’ while staying within the boundaries of Washington consensus. When George W. Bush and Tony Blair lied Britain into war, the press marched behind them waving the Union Jack, then quietly shuffled away from accountability once the blood was spilled. The Chilcot Report confirmed what dissenters had said all along—yet by then, who in the press was left with the credibility to confront their own failure?
The same pattern plays out with NATO. Supposedly a defensive alliance, NATO’s history has been one of training extremist terror groups, expansion, provocation, and military adventurism dressed in humanitarian clothing. From the Balkans to Libya, NATO operations have been presented in the UK media as clean interventions to protect civilians, rather than as power plays that leave countries shattered and millions of lives ruined (3). Despite all of this, the mainstream line remains the same: NATO good, NATO necessary, NATO the last bastion of civilisation. The most terrifying thing about all of this is that most people in the UK just accept these lies uncritically. Even the ‘radical’, trendy people continue to turn on the BBC, buy their ‘Radio One Glastonbury’ ticket and participate in the piss-poor theatre of brain-dead content that is ‘rOcK’n’RoLL’.
And then there’s Israel. Where do we even begin with that? Have we finally reached the point where we are allowed to discuss reality yet? I don’t know, I don’t have a TV. The UK press still seems desperate to avoid hurting the feelings of a few neurotic boomers, but I think that strategy has failed. According to YouGuv polling (4) people are thankfully questioning the ‘official’ narrative. Despite the endless manipulation of facts, the mounting evidence of crimes against humanity cannot be ignored. Jewish people from across the political spectrum, from all around the world are outraged by the atrocities being committed in their names and I would encourage you to seek out the work of people like; Norman Finkelstein, Max Blumenthal, Katie Halper, Matt Bernstein, Aaron Mate, as well as the chaps over at ‘Due Dissidence’ (5).
Foreign policy is domestic policy. The perpetuation of these lies regarding foreign policy is essential for maintaining domestic control, which is why UK citizens can never vote against US Empire, Neoliberal financial institutions or NATO. Regardless of whether we consider ourselves conservative or liberal, none of us are free in the UK to discuss the obvious truth about what US empire has been doing all around the world for decades. Personally, I can never respect anyone who works in mainstream news media and I strongly encourage anyone reading this to do the same. Turn them off, tune them out and always assume they are lying to you.
As always,
My a’th Kar!
I discuss this post in more detail in the following video:
References:
(1) Motamedi, M. (2025). Syrian President al-Sharaa sits down with US general who arrested him. [online] Al Jazeera. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/23/syrian-president-al-sharaa-sits-down-with-us-general-who-arrested-him [Accessed 28 Sep. 2025].
(2) Hackett, J. (2025). Covert Action in Irregular Wars: Unraveling the Case of Timber Sycamore in Syria (2012-2017). [online] Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/394277022_Covert_Action_in_Irregular_Wars_Unraveling_the_Case_of_Timber_Sycamore_in_Syria_2012-2017.
(2), Wikipedia. (2022). Timber Sycamore. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timber_Sycamore.
(3) Glenn Diesen (2025). Daniele Ganser: NATO’s Dirty Wars – The Legacy of Operation Gladio. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tcbrG8eG88 [Accessed 28 Sep. 2025].
(3) MintPress News (2023). The CIA, NATO and the US Empire with Aaron Good. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQPUBv_YC0A [Accessed 28 Sep. 2025].
(4) Smith, M. (2025). British attitudes to the Israel-Gaza conflict: July 2025 update. [online] Yougov.co.uk. Available at: https://yougov.co.uk/international/articles/52694-british-attitudes-to-the-israel-gaza-conflict-july-2025-update.
(5) Norman Finkelstein. (n.d.). Norman Finkelstein. [online] Available at: https://www.normanfinkelstein.com/.
(5) The Grayzone. (n.d.). The Grayzone – Investigative journalism on empire. [online] Available at: https://thegrayzone.com/.
(5) YouTube. (n.d.). Katie Halper. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUsMkDtVyel9USjCTaM42rw [Accessed 28 Sep. 2025].
(5) matt bernstein (2025). The Antisemitism Panic. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S_z0i6SR2E [Accessed 3 Jun. 2025].
(5) YouTube. (n.d.). Due Dissidence. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC743NEuMiqYOaUHO4oPhI2Q [Accessed 28 Sep. 2025].