Tara McCormack

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Tara McCormack is an academic and author. She is a lecturer in international relations at the University of Leicester.

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Education and career

McCormack graduated with a BA in politics from Queen Mary University of London, and an MSc in International Relations and Government from the London School of Economics. She completed her PhD in international security at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster. [1] She specialises in security, foreign policy and democratic legitimacy; intervention and Britain's war powers. Before taking up her post at the University of Leicester McCormack taught at the University of Westminster and the University of Brunel.

Views

McCormack has a long association with LM Magazine and its successor Spiked magazine, and with their related projects such as the Battle of Ideas. [2]

In a 2007 article for Spiked reviewing a book by John Laughland on the Trial of Slobodan Milošević, she described the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) as practising "utter arbitrary lawlessness". [3] The death of Milošević, in her opinion, "brought an end to the farce". [3] [4]

Syria

McCormack is a member of the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media (SPM). In April 2018 The Times newspaper described the group as being "apologists for Assad". In response, McCormack said "What have we learnt from the air strikes? UK, US and France hold the UN Charter in contempt. They bombed on the basis of social media videos. By bombing the day the OPCW was to start work they also show contempt for this body. ... The front page of The Times was a hatchet job on me and other colleagues who are against intervention". [5] McCormack has tweeted that Syria's civil defence volunteers, the White Helmets are "basically Al Qaeda" [2] and "run by Jihadis". [6]

Selected publications

Books

Articles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of Syria</span>

Ensuring national security, increasing influence among its Arab neighbours and securing the return of the Golan Heights, have been the primary goals of the Syrian Arab Republic's foreign policy. At many points in its history, Syria has seen tension with its neighbours, such as Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon. Syria enjoyed an improvement in relations with several of the states in its region in the 21st century, prior to the Arab Spring and the Syrian Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bashar al-Assad</span> President of Syria since 2000

Bashar al-Assad is a Syrian politician who is the current and 19th president of Syria since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the secretary-general of the Central Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, which nominally espouses a neo-Ba'athist ideology. His father and predecessor was General Hafiz al-Assad, whose presidency in 1971–2000 marked the transfiguration of Syria from a republican state into a de facto dynastic dictatorship, tightly controlled by an Alawite-dominated elite composed of the armed forces and the Mukhabarat, who are loyal to the al-Assad family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syrian occupation of Lebanon</span> 1976–2005 military occupation

The Syrian occupation of Lebanon lasted from 1976, beginning with the Syrian intervention in the Lebanese Civil War, until April 30, 2005. This period saw significant Syrian military and political influence over Lebanon, impacting its governance, economy, and society. The occupation ended following intense international pressure and the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. The legacy of the occupation continues to influence Lebanese-Syrian relations and Lebanon's internal political dynamics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syria</span> Country in West Asia

Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east and southeast, Jordan to the south, and Israel and Lebanon to the southwest. It is a republic that consists of 14 governorates (subdivisions). A country of fertile plains, high mountains, and deserts, Syria is home to diverse ethnic and religious groups, including the majority Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens, Assyrians, Circassians, Armenians, Albanians, Greeks, and Chechens. Religious groups include Sunnis, Christians, Alawites, and Druze. The capital and largest city is Damascus. Arabs are the largest ethnic group, and Sunni Muslims are the largest religious group. Syria is now the only country that is governed by Ba'athists, who advocate Arab socialism and Arab nationalism.

Al Akhbar is a daily Arabic language newspaper published in a semi tabloid format in Beirut. The newspaper's writers have included Ibrahim Al Amine, As'ad AbuKhalil, Amal Saad-Ghorayeb, Sharmine Narwani, Pierre Abi Saab, and Amer Mohsen. Until 2015, it also had an English version published on the Internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States foreign policy in the Middle East</span> Activities and objectives of the United States in the Middle East

United States foreign policy in the Middle East has its roots in the early 19th-century Tripolitan War that occurred shortly after the 1776 establishment of the United States as an independent sovereign state, but became much more expansive in the aftermath of World War II. With the goal of preventing the Soviet Union from gaining influence in the region during the Cold War, American foreign policy saw the deliverance of extensive support in various forms to anti-communist and anti-Soviet regimes; among the top priorities for the U.S. with regards to this goal was its support for the State of Israel against its Soviet-backed neighbouring Arab countries during the peak of the Arab–Israeli conflict. The U.S. also came to replace the United Kingdom as the main security patron for Saudi Arabia as well as the other Arab states of the Persian Gulf in the 1960s and 1970s in order to ensure, among other goals, a stable flow of oil from the Persian Gulf. As of 2023, the U.S. has diplomatic relations with every country in the Middle East except for Iran, with whom relations were severed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and Syria, with whom relations were suspended in 2012 following the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russia–Syria relations</span> Bilateral relations

Russia–Syria relations are the bilateral relations between Russia and Syria. Russia has an embassy in Damascus and Syria has an embassy in Moscow. Russia enjoys a historically strong, stable, and friendly relationship with Syria, as it did until the Arab Spring with most of the Arab countries. Russia's only Mediterranean naval base for its Black Sea Fleet is located in the Syrian port of Tartus.

Sir Harold Beeley was a British diplomat, historian, and Arabist. After beginning his career as a historian and lecturer, following World War II, Beeley joined the British diplomatic service and served in posts and ambassadorships related to the Middle East. He returned to teaching after retiring as a diplomat and stayed active in many organisations related to the Middle East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Syria relations</span> Bilateral relations

China–Syria relations are foreign relations between China and Syria. The nationalist government of China recognized Syria in 1946. Diplomatic relations between both countries were established on August 1, 1956. China has an embassy in Damascus and Syria has an embassy in Beijing, the two governments generally maintaining a friendly political and economic relationship for the last several decades, which continues to endure despite the Syrian civil war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syria–United Arab Emirates relations</span> Bilateral relations

Syria–United Arab Emirates relations refer to the relationship between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Syrian Arab Republic. The UAE has an embassy in Damascus and Syria has an embassy in Abu Dhabi and a consulate-general in Dubai. Both countries are members of the Arab League, part of the Middle East region and share close cultural ties.

International reactions to the Syrian civil war ranged from support for the government to calls for the government to dissolve. The Arab League, United Nations and Western governments in 2011 quickly condemned the Syrian government's response to the protests which later evolved into the Syrian civil war as overly heavy-handed and violent. Many Middle Eastern governments initially expressed support for the government and its "security measures", but as the death toll mounted, especially in Hama, they switched to a more balanced approach, criticizing violence from both government and protesters. Russia and China vetoed two attempts at United Nations Security Council sanctions against the Syrian government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian involvement in the Syrian civil war</span> Involvement of Russia in the Syrian civil war

Russia has supported the administration of incumbent President Bashar al-Assad of Syria since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011: politically, with military aid, and with direct military involvement. The 2015 deployment to Syria marked the first time since the end of the Cold War in 1991 that Russia entered an armed conflict outside the borders of the former Soviet Union.

The Axis of Resistance is an informal Iranian-led political and military coalition in West Asia and North Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iranian intervention in the Syrian civil war</span>

The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Syrian Arab Republic are close strategic allies, and Iran has provided significant support for the Syrian government in the Syrian civil war, including logistical, technical and financial support, as well as training and some combat troops. Iran sees the survival of the Syrian government as being crucial to its regional interests. When the uprising developed into the Syrian Civil War, there were increasing reports of Iranian military support, and of Iranian training of the National Defence Forces both in Syria and Iran. From late 2011 and early 2012, Iran's IRGC began sending tens of thousands of volunteers in co-ordination with the Syrian government to prevent the collapse of the Syrian Arab Army; thereby polarising the conflict along sectarian lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Syria</span>

The history of Syria covers events which occurred on the territory of the present Syrian Arab Republic and events which occurred in the region of Syria. Throughout ancient times the territory of present Syrian Arab Republic was occupied and ruled by several empires, including the Sumerians, Mitanni, Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Hittites, Canaanites, Phoenicians, Arameans, Amorites, Persians, Greeks and Romans. Syria is considered to have emerged as an independent country for the first time on 24 October 1945, upon the signing of the United Nations Charter by the Syrian government, effectively ending France's mandate by the League of Nations to "render administrative advice and assistance to the population" of Syria, which came in effect in April 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">France–Syria relations</span> Bilateral relations

France–Syria relations refers to the bilateral relations between France and the Syrian Arab Republic. Relations between France and Syria have a long and complex history. The contemporary relationship largely dates back to the French mandate (1923–1946) over the region established in the midst of the defeat and subsequent Partition of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I.

Piers Gregory Robinson is a British academic researcher in the field of media studies. He is also a co-director of the Organisation for Propaganda Studies and a founder of the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media (SPM). He has authored a number of publications on the CNN effect. He has attracted criticism for disputing the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Civil War.

Tim Hayward is Professor of Environmental Political Theory at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and director of the university's Just World Institute, a body set up to "foster interdisciplinary research into the global challenges facing the international order, with particular attention to issues of ethics and justice". Between 1995 and 2017, Hayward published four books on ecological values, human rights and political theory. Hayward has recently received coverage in the mainstream press for his alleged "propaganda" in defence of Putin's Russia and Bashar Assad's Syrian regime.

Paul McKeigue is a professor of genetic epidemiology and statistical genetics at the University of Edinburgh, a post he assumed in 2007. He is a signatory to the Great Barrington Declaration. Earlier in his career, he was a professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and University College Dublin.

The Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media (SPM) is a controversial group of academics and activists whose stated purpose is to study propaganda and information operations surrounding the Syrian civil war. It was formed by environmental political theory professor Tim Hayward and former academic Piers Robinson in 2017.

References

  1. Dr Tara McCormack. University of Leicester. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  2. 1 2 Adam LeBor (2020-11-26). "The Marxist cell in Number 10". The Critic Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  3. 1 2 McCormack, Tara (12 June 2007). "The Milosevic trial: a travesty of justice". Spiked. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  4. Keate, Georgie; Kennedy, Dominic; Shveda, Krystina; Haynes, Deborah (14 April 2018). "Apologists for Assad working in British universities". The Times. Retrieved 19 April 2018.(subscription required)
  5. Webster, Ben (16 April 2018). "Academics accused of speaking for Assad condemn Syria raids". The Times. Retrieved 19 April 2018.(subscription required)
  6. Joiner, Sam; Shveda, Krystina (2018-04-13). "Conspiracy theorists hold court on social media - News". The Times. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
  7. McCormack, Tara (2015). "The British National Security Strategy: Security after Representation". The British Journal of Politics and International Relations. 17 (3): 494–511. doi:10.1111/1467-856X.12052.