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Moderate Rebels


Mar 22, 2018

Moderate Rebels episode 15 – Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton are joined by veteran Middle East reporter Patrick Cockburn to discuss the war in Syria. We analyze several key cities and battles in the conflict, including Afrin, Eastern Ghouta, Idlib, Aleppo, and Raqqa, along with Mosul and other areas in neighboring Iraq.

Cockburn says the Western media reporting on Syria is the worst he has ever seen. We address the extreme pro-opposition bias in the press corps and dispel prevalent myths and talking points.

TOPICS
2:43 Patrick Cockburn on his trip to northern Syria
6:45 Sieges and media double standards
7:10 Mosul
10:20 Sieges
10:38 Raqqa
13:02 Rumors of population transfer
15:01 Afrin
18:25 Idlib
19:19 Afrin
20:44 US role in Syria, YPG/SDF
23:40 Misleading maps showing areas controlled
24:56 US role in Syria
26:23 Manbij, YPG/SDF
29:35 Syrians' opposition to the opposition
32:43 Casualties on different sides of the war, and media double standards
34:56 Media myths and propaganda on Syria
36:50 Eastern Ghouta
37:34 Biased, hypocritical pro-opposition media reporting on Syria
43:03 Journalists not on the ground in rebel areas
44:23 Syria reporting is the worst Cockburn has seen
44:37 Libya
47:58 Attacks by pro-war trolls
49:32 Extremely biased journalists
53:32 Worst, most biased journalism Cockburn knows of
54:32 One-sided Syria propaganda
55:07 Libya and Iraq
56:59 Overlap of Western intelligence services and media
59:28 Propaganda — and the danger of believing your own
1:03:16 Future of Syria, and the shifting war
1:06:56 Importance of reporting on the ground