The Scrum

Those who act and those who don't.Open in app or online"French streets and American sofas."Those who act and those who don't.Patrick LawrenceMar 29PreviewSaveDescendez dans la rue, citoyens.Chambry, Savoie, 23rd March.(Florian Ppellin, cc by SA 4.)29 MARCHYou might be Brazilian or Malian or Singapor

Three syllables from an alliance.Open in app or online"The PutinXi summit."Three syllables from an alliance.Patrick LawrenceMar 26PreviewSaveMirror, mirror, on the wall.Xi and Putin in Moscow this week.(Grigoriy Sisoev/ RIA Novosti.)25 MARCHNow that Vladmir Putin and Xi Jinping have concluded their

Washington and the ICC.Open in app or online"The state of exception."Washington and the ICC.Patrick LawrenceMar 22PreviewSaveHow dare you adjudicate impartially.ICC judges in the Hague.)21 MARCHThere are many things to say about the International Criminal Courts decision to issue an arrest warrant f

The SaudiIranian diplomatic accord.Open in app or online"China just made history." The SaudiIranian diplomatic accord.Patrick LawrenceMar 17SaveListenHands across the desert.Wang Yi with Saudi and Iranian negotiators.)17 MARCHHistorys wheel turned a week ago, when Iranian and Saudi Arabian officials

A letter from Australia.Open in app or online"The betrayers of Julian Assange."A letter from Australia.Mar 14SaveListenThe fist remains raised.(From the wonderful Caitlin Johnstone.)We are delighted to welcome the distinguished John Pilger once again into our pages.When the history of corporate, beh

A letter from Australia.Open in app or online"The betrayers of Julian Assange."A letter from Australia.Patrick LawrenceMar 14SaveListenThe fist remains raised.(From the wonderful Caitlin Johnstone.)We are delighted to welcome the distinguished John Pilger once again into our pages.When the history o

Knees knock on Eighth Avenue.Open in app or online"The Times and Nord Stream."Knees knock on Eighth Avenue.Patrick LawrenceMar 11PreviewSaveHe won this one.(Seymour Hersh/ Flickr.)10 MARCHSometimes news reports make news in themselves.The case most readily to hand, given that Dan Ellsberg is much on

And speaks to our century.Open in app or online"China stands up, again." And speaks to our century.Patrick LawrenceMar 7PreviewSaveRife with challenges, brimming with hope.Light painting, Perth.Harrison/ Wikimedia Commons.The Chinese have certainly had a lot to say for themselves lately.In the cours

The creeping impotency of language.Open in app or online"Totalised ignorance."The creeping impotency of language.Patrick LawrenceMar 2PreviewSaveThe great Sy.Hersh accepting the 2004 LetelierMoffitt Human Rights Award.)2 MARCHIt has been an eventful few months for American newspapers and network bro

The 21st century starts to define itself.Open in app or online"Nonalignment returns."The 21st century starts to define itself.Patrick LawrenceFeb 27PreviewSaveI and thou.Zhou, center, at the Bandung Conference, 1955.(Government of Indonesia/ Wikimedia Commons.)26 FEBRUARYThe Ukraine conflict as cata

The 'partners' days are done.Open in app or online"Russia resets the 'reset.'" The 'partners' days are done.Patrick LawrenceFeb 24SaveListenNew START stops for the time being.Putin speaking on Tuesday.)23 FEBRUARYNews that Russia will suspend its participation in the New START nuclear arms pact, whi

Statecraft is out, performance in.Open in app or online"Diplomats as show people." Statecraft is out, performance in.Patrick LawrenceFeb 21SaveListenBut I came to speak of serous things.(Bundesministerium fr europische und internationale Angelegenheiten, cc by 2.)19 FEBRUARYI love Wang Yis response

The earthquakes and America's lapsed humanity.Open in app or online"'Self-transcendence.'" The earthquakes and America's lapsed humanity.Patrick LawrenceFeb 12SaveListenA man among others.(David Sedleck/ Wikimedia Commons.)12 FEBRUARYYou saw this coming and posed the question as soon as news broke o

It seems the Pentagon has floated another one.Open in app or online"Trial balloons." It seems the Pentagon has floated another one.Patrick LawrenceFeb 3PreviewSaveUp, up, and away.(Famartin, cc by-SA 3.)3 FEBRUARYLet us think some early thoughts about the Pentagons announcement, reported in this mor

Our 21st century passage.Open in app or online"Between myth and history."Our 21st century passage.Patrick LawrenceJan 20SaveListenIn mid-December, on a cold, rainy evening in Washington, I spoke to the Committee for the Republic, an interesting group of constitutionalists dedicated in large measure

Open in app or online"Rhetoric & reality." The two Ukraine wars.Patrick LawrenceJan 3SaveListenThe circus came to town.) 27 DECEMBERPassing through Austin, Texas, the other night, we had drinks with a distinguished observer of global affairs and took the opportunity to ask how he thought the war in

Open in app or online"Media take a stand (at last) on Assange." Varnishing the truth.Dec 9SaveLady Injustice.Londons Old Bailey, September 2020.)We got to know Tareq Haddad shortly after his principled resignation from Newsweeks London bureau in 2019, when his editors censored a story about leaks em

Biden and Israel are killing it.Open in app or online"There goes the Iran nuclear accord." Biden and Israel are killing it.Patrick LawrenceNov 30SaveListenBitter betrayal.embassy in Tehran after Trump withdrew from the JCPOA, 2018.(Tasnim News Agency, cc by 4.)27 NOVEMBERAmong our mentally impaired

And of those who created it.Open in app or online"Anatomy of the imperium."And of those who created it.Nov 22SaveListenThe Scrum is pleased to have published several extracts, in two successive postings, from Aaron Goods excellent American Exception: Empire and the Deep State, an outstanding achieve

Aaron Good on the deep state's 'legacy of ashes.' Open in app or online"An imperial colossus is born."Aaron Good on the deep state's 'legacy of ashes.'Nov 4SaveListenAs it all fell apart., Truman, Henry Wallace.(Abbie Rowe/ Wikimedia Commons.)When we asked Aaron Good if The Scrum could publish extra

Aaron Good on American exception, empire, and 'the deep state.' Open in app or online"'Covert lawlessness.'" Aaron Good on American exception, empire, and 'the deep state.'Oct 24ListenSaveState of exception.Marines, Vietnam, 1968.(Marine Corps/ Wikimedia Commons.)24 OCTOBERThe Scrum is very pleased

The manipulative uses of images and language.Open in appPictures and words.The manipulative uses of images and language.Patrick LawrenceOct 13SaveTime of the assassins.Bucha after Russian invasion.)12 OCTOBERI have been reading for some days, mostly in independent publications whose credibility I am

Ukraine as John Pilger saw it eight years ago.'" Ukraine as John Pilger saw it eight years ago.Oct 3ListenSAVE As it happened.The coup in Kiev, 2014.)John Pilger, the noted Australian-British journalist and filmmaker, published the following piece in The Guardian on 13 May 2014, three months after t

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