Jan Oberg with Ania Konieczek on her YouTube Channel
“Through the Eyes Of”
On February 7, 2024, I had the great pleasure of being Ania K’s guest on her YouTube Channel. Here is a link to it – and I want you to use the link to access it on YouTube and not here. The amusing thing is that it’s been viewed by 11,000 people in a few days, and less than a week later, there are 160 comments, 99,99 % positive about the whole thing.
I note a frequent comment from Ania’s viewers: Where have you been hiding, Jan? How come I did not hear about him before and that sort of “we never heard about him…” comments.
This is striking after having been the co-founder and director of the Transnational Foundation since 1986 – and quite active in doing research, on-the-ground conflict mitigation work and having written thousands of articles, book chapters and comments.
But I’ve heard it before and here are some reasons:
One, it has to do with being independent and not part of a “respected” institution like, say, a state institute or university or other mainstream outfit that the media rely on automatically no matter what is being said. Checking who we are as a truly independent private, not-for-profit foundation outside the usual structures requires research.
Two, it has to do with my being completely cancelled in Western media for roughly 20 years – whereas TFF and I reach hundreds of millions outside the West. Three, it has to do with being consistently pro-peace and critical of the West’s rampant militarism, confrontation and warfare. Fourth, I am basically a writer; I write longer analyses based on research – and who reads that sort of stuff today?
And – fifth – one thing we all know: the thing called an algorithm, a mechanism “used to achieve a certain goal” as stated in its definition and de-ranking by Google and other search engines – the main curses of social media in times when free speech is being limited by those in power.
That said, TFF is a very small organisation, and we are not good enough at reaching out – all-volunteer on a shoestring budget, 100% people-financed, as we are. But that in itself does not explain the – pleasant – discovery many of Ania’s viewers seem to have made.
I want to thank Ania for her delightful cooperation and conversation. Learn more about her here. She is a seeker of larger truths who follows her inner voice.
Here is the YouTube link to the interview and underneath all the heart-warming comments from around the world. Enjoy!
Interview: The West will militarise itself to death. added by JO on
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