Countering Mainstream Narratives – Fake News, Fake Law, Fake Freedom

Alfred de Zayas was the UN Special Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order. Despite this distinguished pedigree, his dissent from mainstream war-promoting geostrategic narratives has meant that many of his off-message articles have been rejected and even interviews (on Ukraine) taken down for the purposes of narrative management. His basic demands are for truth and transparency along with universal ethical conduct without hypocritical double standards (e.g. NATO and its propaganda about Russia). We now live as George Orwell forecast in 'a world of propaganda and indoctrination, manufactured consent, manufactured dissent, skewed narratives, cognitive dissonance, institutional intolerance and instinctive fear.' The authorities now refer to 'cognitive security' and seek full spectrum cognitive control through suppression of free speech with systemic censorship and defamation of those who resist the mounting pressures towards conformism. Essays in the five parts cover the information war (this is one war that NATO has been winning), weaponisation of human rights, double standards, causes and implications of the Ukraine war, the functions of law, and the future of human rights. Alfred's approach is consistently principled, ethical and legally grounded in our common humanity.

He argues that our institutions have betrayed us in their own interests and due to political pressure from the great powers who refer to a 'rules-based order' which they (principally the US) are at liberty to ignore with impunity – might is right - while imposing it on their adversaries along with 'legitimate' unilateral coercive measures dressed up as sanctions. Instead, Alfred proposes that we move from the misapplied rule of law (as 'lawfare') to the rule of justice. Nor can democracy be preserved without open access to information, freedom of opinion, open debate and the right to dissent. In the US, he rightly notes that both parties are corruptly committed to the deep state represented by the military-industrial-financial-pharmaceutical complex that is also embedded within the intelligence services. There are no guardians left except 'We the People' so it is our ethical duty – as it was for Solzhenitsyn and Sakharov - to push back against these corrupt and dehumanising forces.

Alfred reports on a Nordic resolution for world peace formulated by The Nobel Peace Prize Watch (https://nobelwill.org) in 2022: 'Those who attended these consultations went away with the impression that the "West" remains committed to a war logic and is unwilling to surrender their "might makes right" doctrine and the full-spectrum dominance mindset, which they have so unremittingly employed.' Furthermore, 'human justice in the twenty-first century requires that the rule of law as expressed in the international world order cease being the rule of power, of might makes right, geopolitics and economics. The rule of law must incorporate human dignity into the equation and enable people power, self-determination and referenda. The international rule of law must evolve into the rule of social justice and peace.' (p. 179) In addition, 'everyone should be educated on compromise, cooperation, empathy, solidarity, compassion, restoration, mediation and reconciliation. Negotiation skills must be taught so as to prevent breaches of the peace and other forms of violence as well as to ensure a peaceful continuation of life after conflict.' (p. 217) In short, Alfred highlights many pressing ethical, political and educational imperatives if we are to create a genuinely humane and peaceful common future – essential reading for our time.