The New Smear Machine: Guilt by Association

by Douglas Murray • May 30, 2019 at 5:00 am

During the speeches one of the representatives from 'Jewish Voice for Labour' (a shell organisation set up to defend Jeremy Corbyn from accusations of anti-Semitism) claimed that Jews are 'in the gutter'. Nothing was particularly noteworthy in all of this -- except for one interesting fact, spotted by the British-based 'Campaign Against Anti-Semitism'. This organization, having attended the march to monitor it, noticed a number of extremely interesting attendees. According to the 'Campaign Against Anti-Semitism', these included a man called Tony Martin, who is the leader of a neo-Nazi organisation called the National Front. This is not an organisation that is called 'neo-Nazi' or 'fascist' as some sort of rhetorical colouring required to win a debating point. It is described as that because that is what it is.
Perhaps we can cut out the middle man and just call all the members of the Parliamentary Labour party who attended the May 11 march 'neo-Nazis', 'far-right' and 'fascist'. It is hard to see why not. By their own standards and tactics they eminently qualify for the description. Perhaps they will embrace the terms. Or perhaps they will begin to recognise that the stick they have been using to take out perfectly innocent opponents for political gain is in fact a boomerang that can just as easily come right back at them.

One of the favourite tactics of the far-left in the West today is to carry out hit-jobs by utilising the tool of 'adjacency.' This is the new only slightly fancy term for what has usually been known as 'guilt by association'. However, while UK Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn is endlessly pictured with Islamist extremists or a whole range of anti-Semites and Holocaust deniers, his proximity to the worst people is never evidence of 'adjacency': merely of saintliness at best, and bad luck at worst. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

One of the favourite tactics of the far-left in the West today is to carry out hit-jobs by utilising the tool of 'adjacency.' This is the new only slightly fancy term for what has usually been known as 'guilt by association'. Where there was once an agreement that people should be held responsible for their own views, now they can apparently be held responsible for the views of anyone beside whom they once stood.

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Algeria: Russian Influence, American Opportunity?

by Debalina Ghoshal • May 30, 2019 at 4:00 am

Vladimir Putin agreed to write off Algerian debt in 2006, on condition that Algiers purchase industrial goods, including military equipment, from Moscow. Since then, Algeria has become Russia's largest arms importer in Africa.
Until now, due to the 1999 Leahy Law, the "State Department and Defense Department are barred from providing military assistance to countries with a history of human rights violations." Algeria has an extremely poor record in this realm.
Today, however -- only if such an unacceptable situation changes significantly -- the United States might follow it closely and act accordingly.

Moscow, which had enjoyed close relations with Algeria's recently overthrown President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, is observing the unfolding events in Algeria with caution. Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in Moscow, in 2008. (image source: kremlin.ru

The recent uprising in Algeria, which culminated early April in the end of Abdelaziz Bouteflika's 20-year reign, is being touted as the North African nation's belated "Arab Spring."

The outcome of the bloodless military coup, backed by the country's growing population of disenfranchised youth, remains to be seen. But the United States should be paying close attention to how Russia, with its increasing moves on Africa in general and Algeria in particular, now proceeds.

Moscow, which had enjoyed close relations with Bouteflika, is observing the unfolding events in Algeria with caution, hoping that the changing political landscape in Algiers will not affect the defense cooperation that has been going on for decades, and which sharply increased in 2006. That was the year when Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to write off Algerian debt, on condition that Algiers purchase industrial goods, including military equipment, from Moscow.

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