Robert Fisk - Life after ISIS (2016)

The biggest defeat Isis has suffered is that refugees fleeing conflict in Syria and Iraq have come to Europe instead of migrating to the territories controlled by the jihadist militant group, according to journalist and author Robert Fisk.
Fisk gave a public lecture, entitled ‘Life After Isis’, to a capacity audience of 1,100 at O’Reilly Hall in University College Dublin. The lecture was organised jointly by the UCD Law and Philosophy societies.
President Michael D Higgins, his wife Sabina, and the Palestinian ambassador to Ireland, Mr Ahmad Abdelrazek, attended the lecture.
“Their [refugees’] failure to go to the lands of Isis for their refuge was the biggest social, military, political defeat that Isis has suffered since it was created more than two years ago,” Fisk said.
“Those refugees came to be with us, they did not go to be with Isis and that was the most optimistic thing that I felt I could report from the Middle East in many, many months.”
The Independent journalist said that 100 years ago in 1916 the Great Powers of Britain and France had created the new states of Iraq and Syria and effectively carved up the Middle East between them when they signed the Sykes-Picot agreement.
Refugees from Syria and Iraq had now turned their backs on the Sykes-Picot agreement. They have rejected the 100-year-old deal because the Western powers that signed it had repeatedly failed to keep the promises they made to bring independence and democracy to the countries they had occupied.
“I suspect that what we've seen with these refugees coming to us is, in a way, these people turning their back on the borders we built for them, and when they arrived in Europe, in Greece or in Italy, they turn their back on our borders as well,” he said.
In his hour-long lecture, Fisk also said that looking back on the media coverage of the Arab revolutions, one of the interesting subtexts that journalists had largely overlooked was the importance of trade unions.
In 2006, cotton spinning factory workers in Egypt who were members of independent trade unions staged a revolution in the industrial town of El Mahalla.
The workers, who called for the overthrow of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, succeeded in securing their demands for improved living and working conditions.
He said these trade union members were the first industrial workers to protest in Cairo’s Tahrir Square in the 2011 Egyptian revolution.
As a consequence trade unions were a “mainstay” of overthrowing the Mubarak regime and were a “major threat to any future regime if ‘democracy didn’t work’.”
He said that the machine-like way in which Isis destroyed cultural treasures and artworks suggested they had no emotions.
“I still think they have the emotions of an anti-aircraft missile or a helicopter gunship; they are a weapon."
The lecture was one of the special events organised for the 50th anniversary of the UCD Philosophy Society.
After the lecture, Fisk responded to a number of questions from the audience in a question-and-answer session. He was also presented with Honorary Life Membership of the UCD Law Society.
Robert Fisk is an author and journalist who has worked as a Middle East correspondent for several different media outlets since 1976 and for The Independent newspaper since 1989. He also reported on the Northern Ireland troubles in the 1970s.
He has published six books, the best known among them his 2005 work, The Great War for Civilisation, a critique of the West and Israel’s handling of the Middle East conflict and Pity the Nation, an account of the Lebanese Civil War 1975-70, which he also reported on.
UCD Twitter: / ucddublin
UCD Facebook: / universitycollegedublin
UCD Instagram: / ucddublin
UCD Homepage: www.ucd.ie

[@murrayeldred3563]

TOP MAN. GREAT HUMANIST. R.I.P. THEY WON'T SEE THE LIKES OF HIM AGAIN.

[@PK-re3lu]

Certainly not in the MSM LOL. Too much integrity for the likes of The Irish Times, or the NYT for that matter.

[@devtank]

@@PK-re3lu What is MSM?

[@garsm2290]

Does anyone have a clip of Fisk speaking Arabic? He claims he speaks the language.

[@ryand141]

Did you see his personal library? Absolutely amazing journalist. Unfortunately journalism is dead. So yeah, I agree.

[@rossmorebaz]

just listen to him speak ... the beauty and eloquence of his language ... the amazing stories he paints... spoken word or written word .. to see him .. to read him ... to listen to his thoughts and words.. was to be given such amazing analysis and to be informed .... we will miss you Sir .. Farewell

[@Shiraz687]

I love his books and it's worth reading for those who wants to know more about the Middle East civil wars.

[@aldeshotoffice]

Not just a great journalist and a great orator but a gentleman too. For Almost 30 years I worked with and supported hundreds of families bereaved through murder. MAMAA was a charity that I ran with my friends Lyn and Roger Costello. I wrote to him in 1995 after reading a piece he wrote during his time as Middle East Correspondent in Beirut after he had recently lost his mother. He wrote back to me, which I didn't expect. I still have his very kind letter. A rare man and a great writer. Sleep in peace, I doubt you had much of that in Beirut

[@Rake3577]

never thought i would see a smart westerner with a heart you are a brilliant man Robert keep spreading the truth

[@iska788]

pretty racist thing to say. Not better than me claiming I have never met an Arab who doesn’t want to murder Jews.

[@Rake3577]

+iska788 i admit what i said was pretty vague but i assure you racism has no place in my statement

[@matthewmalpeli]

We do exist. Most of us have just been indoctrinated to ignore our hearts and focus instead on our selfish desires

[@matthewmalpeli]

Zodiac Tiger I was referring to the economic system in which selfish desires are central.

[@matthewmalpeli]

I've read Marx's Das Kapital Vol. 1 & 2 so I'm fully cognisant with its strengths and weaknesses. Today a mere 62 people own half the world, while last year, according to Oxfam, the top 1% own 99% of the wealth. This is capitalism. Capital accumulates, concentrates, monopolises everything. The bourgeoisie hold a gun to everyone's head and says "give up your excess value or starve." It is a system that rewards sociopathic behaviour and its internal contradictions mean that no matter what you do, it lurches from crisis to crisis. It serves the masters and those who have made themselves most useful to the masters. Slavery didn't end, it was just redefined...

[@quilliamattari2772]

Robert is one of the few, if not the only Western man I have come across who understands the ME. After all he spent 40 decades with that region. And my God is he right, send the ME teachers, architects, scientists etc... and they'll forever be grateful. I remember an Afghan saying had the U.S. built Afghanistan with the amount of money it spent in destroying it, Afghanis for generations to come would have revered the U.S. to an extent they would even engrave the name of the U.S. in their national anthem.

[@rehman1833]

You expect the regimes who have made a habit of killing and repressing their intellectuals and educated class to actually build these social institutions? Education is anathema to any dictatorship/authoritarian system.

[@nadeembajwa8530]

40 decades ? He must be old .

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

Oh shut up, Zodiac. We tried to export Western Democracy. A construct that is alien to their culture and way of life. Of COURSE it was going to blow back on them and us. It's not Religion, Religion is just the vehicle for the violence but it's not the gas in the tank. If the various people of the Middle East were able to create their own style of governance (and currently in at least Syrian Kurdistan this has actually occurred, to great success) the violence ratio, and yes the Islamic Extremist ratio, would swing back in the peaceful spectrum. We're still feeling the effects of Sykes-Picot and it is OBVIOUS you didn't even watch the video, of a man infinitely more experienced in this field than both of us, and as a result you should shut your fucking mouth.

[@garsm2290]

He spent 40 years making stuff up!

[@imedi]

sad to see MR FISK passed away last night a terrible loss to the world when people like him needed to be listened to

[@kushsakhu]

Just reading his book The Great War for civilisation. An excellent and humbling read. Thank you ‘Fisky old boy’ as Jon Snow referred to you in the book. 👊🏾

[@ursulacoyne45]

Brilliant assessment.

[@magkai6]

Thanks for the upload !!!!

[@YA-of2hw]

Perfect ideas, very smart and that's what we need at this time!. I think that Mr. Robert should be the private teacher for each president in the world. Our global leaders, politicians and presidents are not well educated.

[@wawanbalik]

He's not our man, your man or their man but a true Son of the Middle Eastern People! Thank you my dear Author, for all your impartial and honest reporting, which is indeed a great service to humanity.

[@emotionalinvalid]

Robert Fisk is one of the finest men and women who walk this earth .

[@HarDTrancerz]

What a great man

[@eKh79]

Outstanding

[@wildandbarefoot]

I recommend reading "the Arab Awakening " by George Antonius.

[@dantrow1722]

What a great intellectual man RIP

[@benlay750]

Fantastic !!! However incorrect in one very important way. Long term global strategy is discussed, documented and carried out by by a plethora of non governmental organisations such as The Council for Foreign relations, Trilateral Commission, World Bank .... etc. The important point is that these discussions are not public. In my opinion it is the lack of public disclosure of these discussions by these NGOs that is responsible for a lot of the problems in the Middle East. Most of the powerful politicians, corporate leaders and the privately wealthy are members of these NGOs. This effectively leads to corporations and the wealthy exerting more influence over government policy than is possible for the rest of society.

[@BlissAden]

Who’s the president in the room? 75th birthday in 2016?

[@chainsawlady]

48 min. - soldier's letter

[@37Dionysos]

THANKS. "That's what's wrong. It doesn't work. We need to leave."

[@MrJiddukrishhesse]

greatest human

[@HundreadD]

Bruh Dodgy Dave gonna get it

[@MrJerrybroman]

smart man with hes heart in right place. we need to start think , not wait for 6 aclock news....

[@garsm2290]

Does anyone have a clip of Fisk speaking Arabic? He claims he speaks the language.

[@Gabez9]

watch 'this is not a movie'.

[@chainsawlady]

at about 22 min. explains who's bombing who

[@GamingIsTheBest]

His Roman history is very off though. Romans massacred entire towns to subjugate them, they also did not extend universal citizenship until the late Imperial period.

[@peterthelarge5110]

R.I.P

[@Drzonnebloem]

Actually trying to understand why someone would join ISIS and showing compassion. Not only that but trying to make us do the same. I have the utmost respect for this man.

[@benangel3268]

I have just been doing some thinking. If a child lost his parents, or parents lose their home and children in a US air strike they may end up as terrorist supporters. In their mental state and sorrow filled anger they would probably be prepared become a suicide bomber and end their own life.

[@gregorymcdonald5504]

I think both the US and Britain would love to take on more refugees, but it doesn't go great for the countries that do, aka the new French policy of "just learn to live with terrorism." Until my government comes up with solutions to the inevitable culture clash then no I don't want passports to be distributed freely among 'refugees,' a status that is incredibly difficult to define and track.

[@cesarpolitics7576]

Very optimistic that they went to Europe and not to Raqqa, and that surely means they accept and agree with our way of life since they did not come for the benefits, nhs, housing, free school, good jobs.......

[@cyberfrank-bx2nv]

well, he means well, but completely avoids the root of the problem... the powers behind ISIS, and other factions, as without their money, they would nt last a month, as they would have to fight with sticks and rocks.... talking about the arabs is as worth as talking about the pawns of a chess game.... they control nothing.... he needs to adress the real big factions behind the curtains, the usual suspects.... the thing that is worth listening to is that extremists defend their countries, they don t come here, they just want to live and survive, a real shame that most of us don t think long enough to get in their shoes.

[@jasperrobbins6858]

7:00

[@cesarpolitics7576]

Look at his reaction to 9/11, it took a long time for this to happen as he said. It is based on the premise that they were doing it because of political reasons, this is why they attacked them. But if that is so why they haven't left a single note claiming what he is saying they felt. Why no single line putting it in political terms, making demands? Then we would be able to see if they were reasonable or not, but there is none, and he chose to interpret it the way it was more convenient for his own tastes. Perhaps he thinks they did it for more freedom for trade unions, that could make sense, couldn't it?

[@Stafford674]

RF says that the refugees from Syria care neither about democracy nor European national borders. If so should we allow them to come to Europe?

[@mrc391]

"Their failure to go to the lands of ISIS was the biggest military social political defeat that IS has suffered since it was first created more than 2 years ago." Well, was that really a defeat?

[@Michael-jh9fd]

They wanted to take advantage of us, not, "be with us". How can you be so naïve?

[@kivanctanriyar3944]

11:35. Veritas.

[@thejudgeholden]

Kıvanç artistmisin knk

[@johnellis7614]

ROBERT FISK --- "Christianity, whatever that may be." Surely, it be the words, not the 99% of professed Christians who only mouth the words. And not the reporters who ridicule the religion, thinking that by reporting and rehashing the misery they can uncover the root cause and prove to people that religion and morality have nothing to do with the solution. For it is written, "Do not use force to overcome evil. If they strike you on the right cheek, turn to them also the other. And if they prosecute you in court the cloak of yours to take, give them also your coat." And again, "If you give to those of equal wealth, mutual gratification, what kind of love is that? Do not pagans and tax collectors do that?"

[@timedmonds3]

WHY is Canada taking in ISIS fighters not just the 60 they say. What is wrong with this Justin?

[@bullvinetheband7260]

First of all they weren't resistance fighters they were insurgence trying to attain martyrdom.

[@ryand141]

What you're seriously disputing a man who spent 4 decades covering the ME wars?

[@garsm2290]

Everyone's wrong apart from him, as usual.

[@BlackestFascist]

Let the Saracens dash themselves upon our ramparts in vain.

[@patriotsvnwo5217]

I can believe how many people still think 9 11 was conducted by Islamic terrorists armed with just box cutters! It would not of happened without a massive coordinated attack from inside the US government such as a Capstone event. If Bin Laden played any part in that it would of been just a minor one with the primary players being Cheney,Bush and members of PINAC.

[@hhornblower7728]

What a naive person living in his ivory tower

[@rehman1833]

He is atually living in the affected areas. You are the one in the ivory tower, from my perspective.

[@rehman1833]

He is living in the affected areas. You are the one in the ivory tower, from my perspective.

[@garsm2290]

He lives in Ras Beirut. Hardly "the affected areas".

[@lemuelseale1640]

H Hornblower you would not say this if you understood all of the experiences this man has lived through. Read his book “battle for civilization”, and i would like to see YOU give a better analysis based on YOUR expertise, as you so obviously are more qualified than him to give an opinion

[@ryand141]

​@@garsm2290He's put his life on the line to get the truth out to the world. Have some respect.

[@johnnyboy888888able]

More abject nonsense from this man. Having advocated, quite rightly that we should stay out of the Middle East, he says we must educate them. The message Robert is quite clear. Get out of there. Leave them alone. Period

[@hautedaug]

this guy is delusional

[@johnchristopher3895]

hautedaug elaborate.