'The Frailties of Western Civilization': Tariq Ali addresses a packed crowd in Fredericton

Renowned public intellectual Tariq Ali delivered a lecture to a full capacity auditorium on Tuesday evening at St. Thomas University in Fredericton. The talk, entitled “the Frailties of Western Civilization,” explored the themes of colonialism, dispossession, and imperialism in the wake of Israel’s assault on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank following the Hamas-led surprise attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.  "The reason I chose this particular subject is, I think, obvious," Ali said. "For one whole year we have been witnessing what virtually all the human rights organizations — including from within the United Nations, including Amnesty International, and many others — have characterized as a genocide."  The talk concluded with a Q&A session, followed by a book signing and reception. The NB Media Co-op spoke with attendees who shared their thoughts on how to address global issues at a local level.  The talk was organized by the Atlantic Human Rights Centre and co-sponsored by STU's departments of Political Science, History, English, and Sociology. Full report on nbmediacoop.org