This episode of “The Fire These Times” has an interview with a Syrian activist to discuss the war in Ukraine. They discuss several interesting issues, starting with how Syrians and Ukrainians are facing a shared enemy in the Russian military; they also talk about how the shared experience of being refugees can build solidarity between Syrians and Ukrainians, particularly if they end up in the same cities as they flee the Russians. Finally they spoke about the delicate balance required to connect the Syrian experience to the Ukrainian one without distracting attention from the urgency of the Ukrainians’ needs at the moment.
To start a discussion, how do you think the media and politicians (and people) of your country are keeping a proper perspective about the war in Ukraine and seeing the full context?
To start a discussion, how do you think the media and politicians (and people) of your country are keeping a proper perspective about the war in Ukraine and seeing the full context?
They aren’t. It’s as simple as that.
As examples, most people think the conflict started this year, and I still hear people conflating Russia and the USSR.
I realize that isn’t starting a discussion but the filters defined in Manufacturing Consent are out in full force here and most people perceive no reason to care about the situation more than have pity for Ukrainian citizens and demonize Putin. I don’t even blame them, it’s a tragic situation but ultimately distant to our lives here. We only care because it’s in the news more than the Middle East and because of historical conflict with Russia.
