John le Carré (1931-2020) on the Iraq War, Corporate Power, the Exploitation of Africa & More

[@pb6344]

Thanks for re-airing the interview. Oddly, this is so relevant today. Not much has changed.

[@rumorhasit9506]

It only gets worse!

[@RogerBarraud]

How about now? :-/

[@jonathanevans4133]

The sad loss of an amazing gentleman

[@loop1479]

Everything has changed. Where the facade was we were fighting the evil offshore enemy, WE are now the enemy.

[@BabuSathyanarayana]

Our outrage at the wrongs will hopefully change the future

[@colintook3357]

An interview, an actual intellectual interview. With both sides engaged in reasoned, mature and informed conversation, a rare treat these days. Mr Cornwell had his finger on the pulse, what a loss. RIP.

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Disagree . He wrote a couple of classics early in his career . After that it was simply re- hashed cliche ..

[@peterroycroft]

@@2msvalkyrie529 You've read them all, have you? According to the New Yorker magazine: "Some time after 'A Perfect Spy' came out, in 1986, Philip Roth remarked that it was “the best English novel since the war.” You do realise the cold war ended in the early 90s, so a spy writer couldn't rehash cliche and be taken seriously?

[@ovidiudraghici9941]

@@2msvalkyrie529 You're missing the point of the interview, just like those 65-70% of Americans he mentioned.

[@joefish6091]

One thing I realized reading Davids books is the despair at the world of govt ie politics and spies, Of course its nothing new, Mommsen's History of Rome documents the lunacy of the Roman govt 2500 years ago. Well worth a read, or do the audiobook which is easier, book three and the Punic wars is a good start point. do the chapters on issues in books 1 and 2 but the early history is long and not quite boring but specialized.

[@user-mg1p]

Missing the point. So here is a man with the truth of why we live in a criminal World! They jail you for j walking. Nothing for the Elites billions of drug and laundered money no jail. No wonder there is international crime gang's that are no different to the so called leagal businesses!

[@MarysAstrology]

I grew up on John le Carré's books. He's the reason I'm obsessed with espionage stories. I'm so glad he spoke out against Tony Blair and the tragedy of the Iraq war as well as mass media perpetuating propaganda. I've read all of his books and was saddened to hear of his death. Thank you for posting this interview.

[@colinstewart1432]

I completely share your view. One of my favourite ever humans. Read everything he wrote and loved every bit. He should have interviewed Blair and would've destroyed him on the morally questionable impetus to war. Really the problems of today can be traced back to the Blair era and the political abandonment of the UK working class under Thatcher.

[@rdpatterson2682]

“Victims never forget, winners do and very quickly.” Remember those words.

[@22grena]

Hence the Irish and the English. Interestingly Cornwell visited West Cork in 2019 to research his Irish roots through his Grandmother and gain Irish citizenship.

[@dvsurvivor8699]

I wrote my comment B4 seeing your... interesting coincidence!

[@josephfigueira813]

The words are not new. The court system is the same. When you are force to accept things we did not do, for plea deal.

[@josephfigueira813]

One question , How do .you sleep and do you ever think about your family you love?

[@tomitstube]

exactly... 9-11 is never talked about in that context. i remember the shock of everyone (american) around me watching those images of the world trade center and pentagon, the real surprise (to me) was just how many people were surprised that anyone could hate us that much. george bush jr. idiotically saying. "they hate our way of life." and if it wasn't self evident that the corporate media had cultivated that ignorance, it should have been even more evident when every corporate network, including the so-called "liberal" ny times and washington post supported the call for war *(with iraq, a country that had nothing to do with it)* 10-1. every voice contradicting (telling the truth) bush/cheney propaganda was quickly suppressed or demonized. it's much worse than "forgetting", it's willful ignorance designed to keep the public clueless.

[@kicka11]

This is the most interesting and insightful interview I’ve seen in many years. What a truly great and ethical man.

[@RoBert-on1kb]

Your ass is ethical.

[@duncanjgraham4115]

Surely one of the most effective interviews with the Master. Interesting to see how the interviewers position themselves to the side, putting le Carré centre stage: the story being the guest, not the host.

[@olen2808]

Amy, Democracy Now, Merry Christmas, Thank You for ALL Your Honorable, Humane Contributions as a Good Citizen, a Good Journalist, a Good American.

[@terrylovesenegal]

John le Carré we will truly miss you and your blunt honesty. HUGE LOSS.

[@alastairgordon-forbes3139]

What a man. I could listen to him all day.

[@gladyslustgirdle3004]

Thank you for posting this. I have read some of his books, but never heard him speak. Most impressive, and so very refreshing to hear a speaker who doesn't talk down to his audience.

[@wordscaninspire114]

Excellent interview. What a privilege to hear him speak so brilliantly. He lived a few miles away from me in Cornwall. I believe I met him once at a local book event.

[@dav220]

what a gem! thanks for sharing this Amy! xxx

[@Tuxedo2680]

"The shareholder is the excuse to everything" ... War, poverty, injustice, systemic corruption, pathological greed and ultimately, mass extinction.

[@JB-vb6dh]

. . . Ultimately, mass extinction 😳😔

[@JK-gu3tl]

shareholder is as close to a socialist as you can get, ironically.

[@terenceh3661]

@@JK-gu3tl A share holder is as close to exploitation, and modern day slavery as you can get... which equals capitalism. just because you say it, doesn't make it true

[@JK-gu3tl]

@@terenceh3661 Shareholders can hire and fire a board of directors. Nothing close to slavery.

[@terenceh3661]

@@JK-gu3tl Share holders and board of directors, oh please. I am talking about the fundamental roots of slavery, using free labour, plain and simple. When you exploit people to achieve profit, but don't lift a finger yourself, that is economic slavery. There are companies with huge government contracts guaranteed profits, try buying shares into that company... you can't.

[@robsengahay5614]

I must re-read The Constant Gardner. The subject matter is profoundly troubling and the end was both haunting and chilling. A truly great writer and what a superb interview which I had never seen before. Thank you for sharing this in full.

[@johnhanes5021]

This man helped me clarify a lot of my thinking. I see now that when I was drafted for Vietnam it was all about people in power sacrificing my life to kill people they wanted killed. Everything else I was told was pure sales pitch.

[@StephanieSoressi]

I'm so sorry. It's unforgivable. And I'm so sorry the anti-war movement didn't shield soldiers from the scorn only due those powers that used them. Your heart was in the right place, so I salute you, and thank you for your service. We must not take out our frustration on returning soldiers, willing to die for ideals, used as pawns in unjust wars for rich men.

[@WmGood]

@@StephanieSoressi Stephanie. Your concept of what it was all about in Vietnam and how it was for us when we came home while accurate is not the entire story. The engine behind that war was the Military Industrial Complex which is still very much with us today. Stopping communism was the convenient label a well-worn tact that came about after WWII and the creation of the Cold War. That cabal of corporations who made and supplied war materials and the Pentagon have long been in bed with each other. It's no coincidence that government contractors always have ex and retired military on their boards of directors. US prosperity is based on a constant war footing. The military service draft provided this monster with an endless supply of expendable human fodder. I was one of those young kids who was stupid enough to believe what we were doing was worth while to our nation. The whole thing wasn't well-orchestrated by the politicians and resulted in discontentment by the population aided by a come of age media Those planners based it on the assumption that it would be like WWII where them good ole simple folks would swallow what they were told. They "misunderestimated " a few things. The monster behind all those deaths and destruction in S.E. Asia are still there and ready to go at it again.

[@StephanieSoressi]

@@WmGood i was there.

[@globalwarmhugs7741]

100 % of war is transactional

[@alexgoslar4057]

How true ... How sad.

[@judyyee4163]

He was a good human. Thank you for this interview .

[@JB-vb6dh]

It’s Great that you replayed this interview. So much of this is still going on or worse today.

[@lindawolfe2885]

Thank you for this. Thank you for the work you do.

[@powellp25]

Integrity personified. A man of character. Thanks for this interview. Still so relevant to current events. He articulates well , how leaders fail the corruption test and how their societies suffer as a result.

[@nancho77]

Thank you for bring such amazing and revealing interview to the well-known and admired John Le Carre. Merry Christmas Democracy Now. Regards from Peru.

[@annchristine47]

The Planet would be a poorer place without Democracy Now.Thankyou all for everything you do and for speaking truth to power.

[@1982sesh]

All his words in 2010, still holds true today. sad but true

[@danielcaranti2500]

This interview is liquid gold. He has helped me further order my thoughts. What a capacity to express these difficult topics with stature and elegance. Amazing man.

[@ulrichsuter3548]

I am watching this interview for the third time - this time in summer 2024 and am, again, most impressed how much decency and common sense David carries and how well the interview aged! I am certain there are zero Bush or Boris positions or notions that aged as well as his values. He has more humanity in his small finger than all members in the House of Lords combined... Thank you for entertaining us for so many years!

[@crustyoldfart]

Watching this was a genuine pleasure. A wise and thoroughly decent man skilfully and sympathetically interviewed [ with NO interruptions ]. A rare and rewarding experience.

[@perlefisker]

My gosh! What a complete surprise! This was awesome! What an interview! So sharp, so direct, David is. I must admit I had no idea. Thank you very much for this!

[@masonainsworth]

Thank you for sharing this. I simply would never have known this about John le Carré

[@zoekenny3619]

What a brilliant interview. I haven't read his books yet but I definitely want to now.

[@pacerodi]

Thanks DN, for the interview with Le Carre.

[@elinannestad5320]

Yes. Our gift

[@guitpizz]

Amazing to see how he had so many things figured out. I did enjoy many of his novels.... I am only discovering the thinker tonight... stacked with gold nuggets. He was a treasure for the Brits. A man with with humanity and credibility.

[@scomoore1951]

Very thoughtful interview. Thanks.

[@powellp25]

Excellent interview!! Thanks once again Democracy Now!

[@teruntong]

An incredible, wise interview. A great loss. Thank you for the key role Democracy Now plays in giving a voice to conscience in a media driven by corporate interest and greed.

[@gertrudlehmann4869]

Thank you for this marvellous interview with my hero!

[@kristy77a]

My goodness what a great interview. Thank you!

[@dhsumana407]

A Truly heart opening interview - also so tragic stories . Many thanks and appreciation to all involved in making this available and especially David Cornwall for his great caring concerned humanity .

[@simonrodriguez4685]

Too bad he didn’t give more interviews, he was an awesome interviewee. 6:00 Global money laundering networks. 8:25 Elite treatment 8:58 The bigger the scam the easier the crime. 9:10 But David, you’re not implying that the legitimate economy rests on illegal money, or are you? 14:30 Intelligence, back in the good old days vs. now 15:46 Blair's ultimate sin 16:30 Forgetting: victims vs. victors. E.g. Iran 17:42 Mussolini’s Fascism definition. 17:59 Deep State's fanaticism 20:59 “Those in the know” 21:37 Capsule mentality: the loss of common sense. 22:55 Mass media induced collective delusion. 23:59 Chauvinism out shouting thinking processes. 25:55 Full disclosure of elected officials’ faith beliefs. 27:10 Implications of shock and awe in reality. 27:30 Attitudes towards war: the EU vs. the US. 28:20 Drumming up for war. 29:30 Globalization at work on the ground. 30:18 Corporate power 34:12 In the name of the shareholder. 36:22 Congo’s curse. 37:10 Corruption in the 3rd world.

[@LetiB76]

Thanks for the Awesome breakdown!

[@simonrodriguez4685]

@@LetiB76 You’re most welcomed. I think that we can all contribute for the platform to serve us better.

[@shahjhanhaider26]

Jhon le carre may god bless him.a perfect humanitarian novalist.who all through his life wrote against war misery and crime and against oppression

[@joqiii3]

Have enjoyed his books over the years but never really knew much abou the man until now. What a great thinker. Pleased to see that he and I have the same basic thoughts on religion, corporations, the deep state, Bush and Blair, and how Americans are currently trapped in never ending war and currently governed by religious zealots.

[@user-qc8vj3vp9v]

So so true Mr. Q, your analysis is spot on. 👍🏼💯%. The truth once used to set you free but no more... sadly way too much corruption. For goodness sake.. FREE JULIAN ASSANGE and EDWARD SNOWDEN. Also FREE CHELSEA MANNING.

[@joqiii3]

@@user-qc8vj3vp9v Totally agree!

[@MonaLisa-lu8zi]

Yes. He said "Truth should inform power".

[@2msvalkyrie529]

As deluded as Chomsky .! Or Pilger ..!

[@peterroycroft]

@@2msvalkyrie529 Please explain. How is he deluded?

[@maxykma4122]

An intelligent man speaking with decency. It is rare to find character like him

[@elinannestad5320]

much love to you Amy and all the DN team and THANK YOU you for the Christmas gift. It is precious. - from Eli in Auckland, New Zealand.

[@malcolmneate5852]

What a fascinating interview.

[@marthawissmann8268]

Thank you Amy. You are always professional, well informed and on the point.

[@gilberttessier1871]

Martha Wissman• Amy Goodman often is but...not always! However, this was an excellent interview and we could see in Amy's. facial expression her genuine admiration for John LeCarrré.

[@Enzorgullochapin]

Free Assange! Enough is enough!

[@kidmohair8151]

free Manning! Free Winner! and altho he is not strictly in jail, Free Snowden! Free all political prisoners!

[@fuckfannyfiddlefart]

Brexshit Britain is just a puppet of US corporations and doing their diet work while being ignored by American troops. END US occupation of Britain!

[@scottjp31]

@@kidmohair8151 free popcorn for everyone

[@johndavies1336]

Thank you for your brilliant interview, it’s was So enlightening. I have never read any of David’s books but look forward to doing so. Please continue with your revealing and reflective work. ♦️♦️♦️

[@FarideLadak]

Democracy Now, thank you for posting and sharing your 2010 Interview with John Le Carré. I recall reading Papillon back in grade 8. No, it was not a course book. I used to raid my sibling’s bookshelf often as I devoured books. John is an an extremely intelligent author and this interview provides perspective on so many fronts. The corporate greed, the laundering of dirty funds by well know banks/bankers. Wars pursued by politicians under false preemptive which have occurred time and again. This is very timely given what we continue to see occurring in Syria, Iran and last but not least, the exploitation of African resources, especially in Congo.

[@judge4all]

An absolutely wonderful chap! RIP

[@abbott790]

Rest in Peace David, a wonderful man of talent, curiosity and compassion xx.

[@scottiejohnson2639]

Thanks for this Report! Salute Thanks 🙏🏼

[@ralphbernhard1757]

The Military Industrial Complex isn't a new invention. Ever since the first metallurgists discovered that it was more profitable to make swords for kings, rather than plows for peasants...

[@yttean98]

Excellent interview. Kudos to both interviewers.

[@simongb7897]

An interview with an in depth discussion.

[@Madhu2405]

I am lucky to have watched it today. I do worship le Carre, the author. Every book of his I have read twice minimum and some over four times. I cannot express how reflectively happy I am listening to him and you both! I experience the same frustration that he described during the interview even today. I wonder if the world is out to annihilate itself in every which way possible.

[@worldlivingrealitieswithlc2054]

That was a delightful interview, from Venezuela with love

[@petermorron2643]

Wow, what a sharp fellow for 80yrs. Very insightful his comment about how concerning it was to see government, corporate and media act in unison.

[@dukkhavatta]

Beautiful (the sound of truth). Thank you, Amy.

[@transluxlyceum3236]

Thank you for posting this prescient and revealing interview.

[@paladinbob1236]

a great piece of journalism , and david here is spot on with his observations, as perhaps which have proven out in these times, much to our dismay :(

[@GOFFMEISTER]

I was there when the roar of the anti war march stopped at Parliament. To say the hairs on the back of your neck went up , well, multiply it by a billion. Never heard this being mentioned before. Thanks David.

[@WilliamMcGrath_Madrid]

He wasn't a great spy writer, he was a great writer, one of the best.

[@stephenleyden9559]

We need more people like David to speak out.

[@vivieenebarton2441]

Have you forgotten Christmas 2019 already honourable people spoke out ,and were ridiculed and now Christmas 2020 who is left to speak out !

[@stephenleyden2843]

@@vivieenebarton2441 go away you pompous ads.

[@stephenleyden2843]

@@vivieenebarton2441 go away you pompous arse.

[@Talentedtadpole]

Insightful man.

[@TheCharleecrat]

this poor man would shit his pants if he knew about the Blackwater pardons. I am glad he was spared this atrosity

[@panthera50]

🎯

[@gumbypokey]

And let's not forget Obama refused to prosecute the torturers...he was alive for that..wonder if he said anything?...

[@erincaitlin1655]

Hallelujah !

[@milansvatek6526]

@charlee mcwhirter Do you think there are vast amounts of money exchanged in the background for services rendered? .or threats on lives? Hard to explain - Martin Scorcese will be depressed that he couldn't come up with a storey like this.

[@sclogse1]

Certainly no poor man. And your verbage suggests idiocy. Projecting onto others is not progress nor any kind of revelatory or creative thinking. It's cheap writing.

[@pennyflynn1748]

I read The Looking Glass War and A Little Town in Germany. Hooked from then on. A brilliant novelist, but also a great teacher of how to think for yourself. The Quiet American by Graham Greene was another post war book written by a clear eyed Writer who knew the facts behind the official history of the West. Le Carré will be sorely missed for his wit and wisdom.

[@mynewcolour]

What a thoughtful and eloquent guy. I’ve enjoyed his books but never heard him speak.

[@johndean3475]

Fantastic interview ! What a great literary talent and what a wise old man.

[@cardcountrymusic9981]

wow what a great interview

[@lucyhaddant1303]

God bless you, sir. Thank you for the novels...Thank you for the stories.

[@MaryDeanDotCom]

This conversation should be required listening for every human on earth.

[@user-wi3yx3gy2o]

His work is really good if you are into the spy novel genre. Best English language spy novelist in my opinion.

[@rileyhoffman6629]

A gorgeous interview. Thank you Ms. Goodman. John LeCarre was genius.

[@dawoodk103]

What a man !!! I haven't come across another human being in person or past history, one of a kind in thousands of years to come.

[@TurloughCowman]

I'd never heard him interviewed. I did read his books, and loved them. For anyone who has read him but not heard him, you must also listen to him. Thanks DN.

[@WarHorsesRising]

Very fine interview of a fine human being, well done

[@tomsuibney9093]

I withdrew from this life before leaving school. On leaving became a full time alcoholic for a quarter of century, in the last twenty four month i got an old second hand computer & found i had a very stronge conscientiousness a need to find out what had gone on in my absence in the world ,what I've found in these two years is that ignorance is bliss ,the more i learn the more i get depressed , and thats only in a very short time . What sadness this man John le carre has endured being fully conscious of the world around him i cant imagine. ...How many billions $ £ €

[@venrakkhita]

Excellent. Sane mind in with an articulate voice... a breath of fresh air in a world of garble

[@alexgoslar4057]

Thank you for these great revelations.

[@biglebowski3961]

Hearing actual truth in this f..ed up world is so refreshing.

[@richardwicks4190]

You won't hear it much on Democracy Now anymore. It's just as much propaganda as MSNBC is. PBS died as a "news" service once Obama entered office and spent 8 years bombing 7 nations.

[@terryallen9546]

@@richardwicks4190 Bullshit.

[@chuckabbate5924]

@@terryallen9546 another turd in the punchbowl right before you wrote

[@jejedesalpes7886]

@@richardwicks4190 Hahaha!

[@rebellionautos2206]

Informative interview

[@StephiSensei26]

Fine interview.

[@terriej123]

Thank you so much Amy.

[@ChechoDrummer]

I remember being stunned by the American Public’s prudish outrage at Janet Jackson’s nipple exposed during half time at the Super Bowl while no one was outraged at the obscene death toll in Iraquí civilian lives which it was at 1,000 dead/day or the billions and billions of dollars spent on an unjustified war.

[@panthera50]

🎯

[@erincaitlin1655]

Yeah, the US puritanical hypocrisy ... What's new ?????

[@mellowInventor]

Nudity is less acceptable than crimes against humanity.

[@ciatangallaghe2485]

As irishman, im proud he chose ireland for his home.

[@SteveJohnStann]

Only because of Brexit and close to the end of his life. He also signed an infamous letter along with other celebrities accusing Jeremy Corbyn of being an anti-Semite, so he was as gullible on some things as Joe Bloggs in the street

[@michaelangelovoices]

Wonderfully heartfelt, insightful and Honest Being was John Le Carre! Thank you to Democracy Now's Amy Goodman and Dennis Moornehann for great interview.

[@abdulghani8269]

Danke Amy

[@toddstevens8506]

As long as there are comfortable people out there, criminals will flourish.

[@imagine07018]

As long as there are states, criminals will flourish.

[@kidmohair8151]

as long as the motive is profit, greed and self interest will rule

[@elinannestad5320]

that is elegantly put and I think - ? - original.

[@y60122109]

what an interview! thank you

[@carolempie114]

Amazing interview!

[@bituquinnabituquitan5686]

Thank you for this. ❤

[@carin4333]

A thank you for this video!

[@tylerhackner9731]

Thank you home. Bring troops home. But even then, I don’t see an end to the endless wars we have had since before I was born.

[@EroticInferno]

We have to dissolve Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon or transition them into making systems and items that help people instead of blow them up.

[@jamestcatcato7132]

@@EroticInferno NEVER MIND THE FACT THAT THEY ARE AT THE CENTER, OF THE LOOTING OF THE US TREASURY!

[@jamestcatcato7132]

@Gordon Fornow PNAC, WAS THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF A CRIME SPREE!

[@elisavieira737]

What a interesting and intelligent man he was, thanks very much for sharing we need to be well informed 🌞

[@suzibikerbabe8073]

A must-hear for all in the U.S. and other so-called democracies.

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Why ? Like Chomsky he was a great supporter of left wing dictators . Basically , anyone anti - American . The idea that he believed in ' Democracy ' is proof that you know nothing about him ! He openly despised Democracy ! !

[@suzibikerbabe8073]

@@2msvalkyrie529 And just where did I say he believed in democracy ...

[@markmalic7450]

The Real C Love this Man Makes me Smile-y

[@betkay6684]

Really great interview .... the book no doubt full of much needed historical information to wake up and be mindful of the true horrors of wars and the political engineered framework for same!!

[@mickhills5270]

I did not know what a good man he was. God rest his soul.

[@BabuSathyanarayana]

Wonderful compilation of John La Carrie’s interviews. His description of how intelligence agencies were used for stating the facts for the country’s leadership and the politicization of their role is revealing on the direction have been heading since. He is more outspoken than I expected him to be.

[@lisahyyppa3360]

Thank you for sharing this message

[@9birdstyle]

Fascinating author. The corruption and criminality that he fictionalised are a matter of fact and embedded into our systems, the fines that these banks are made to pay are purely performative, these are funneled back to them via in the form of subsidies and tax breaks/exemptions

[@gumbypokey]

Can we finally admit, as Winston discovered, we are living under "The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism"....In chapter 8, Winston passes by a group of proles who are standing outside a pub and arguing about the Lottery. Winston knows that the prizes are largely imaginary and wonders how the proles can be taken in, but still believes that hope lies in the possibility that they will someday rebel against the Party...the boot is stomping on our faces, as we sit in the Chestnut Tree Cafe...the cognitive dissonance is strong...."under the spreading Chestnut tree - I sold you, and you sold me"...

[@neilpemberton5523]

Lotteries play perfectly into that lie of a working class person being just a millionaire in waiting.