Author: Peter Oborne
Affiliation: Middle East Eye
Organization/Publisher: Middle East Eye
Date/place: March 10, 2022/ London, the UK
Type of Literature: Opinion Article
Word Count: 1538
Link: https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/russia-ukraine-war-jeremy-corbyn-right-putin-oligarchs
Keywords: Corbyn, Putin, Warned, Oligarchs, Tory, Labour
Brief:
The author talks about Jeremy Corbyn’s position—that NATO’s mission had been achieved and should have been disbanded upon the collapse of the Soviet Union—and how his successor Sir Keir Starmer has opposed his actions in criticizing NATO. The author gives three reasons to rescue Corbyn. The first is a straightforward issue of correcting the record, which includes the fact that when Corbyn took charge of the Labour Party he did not change its NATO policy. The second point is that both the Tory Party and the Labour elite have incentives to target Corbyn, as mocking Corbyn distracts from their own lengthy collaboration with Putin and his oligarchs. The final point is that the smear campaign against Corbyn demonstrates that something is seriously wrong with contemporary public dialogue. Although Corbyn is not a fan of Putin, he was the modern politician that was most able to deeply understand Putin and his oligarch system and warn people about him. The author gives examples and quotes showing that Corbyn knew from the beginning that Putin is a big threat to the world including his neighbors and Russia itself; Corbyn warned the world about the support that had been given to Putin since his first election. The author talks about the criticism/opposition that Corbyn faced about his warnings about Putin oligarchs. The author proposes a thought experiment as to what would happen if Corbyn had won the last election with what is happening in the Ukrainian war now. He reminds readers about the support from Britain to Putin from the start, and he ends the article by saying that Corbyn was right to warn the world four years ago and that maybe the world needed to listen to him.
By: Sohaila Oraby, CIGA Research Intern
