Alastair Crooke

Alastair Crooke CMG, sometimes misspelled as Alistair Crooke (born 1949), is a former British diplomat, and is the founder and director of the Beirut-based Conflicts Forum, an organisation that advocates for engagement between political Islam and the West.[1] Previously he was a ranking figure in both British intelligence (MI6) and European Union diplomacy. He was a spy for the British Government, but retired shortly after meeting his spouse.[2][3]

Not to be confused with Alistair Cooke.

Education

Crooke was educated at Aiglon College in Switzerland.[4] He then studied at the University of St. Andrews (1968–1972) in Scotland, from which he obtained an MA in Politics and Economics.[2]

Life

The "Conflicts Forum" founded by Crooke, has been a consistent advocate for the protection of the Assad regime in Syria, [5][6] in spite of the extensively documented war-crimes and other atrocities it committed against the Syrian population. These include the use of poison gas to kill civilians, which was verified by the United Nations.[7] Thus, Aisling Byrne, a projects coordinator for the "Conflicts Forum", has dismissed documentation of systematic torture used by the Assad regime as ‘a deliberate and calculated campaign to bring down the Assad government'.[8] This advocacy of the Assad regime, has led to criticism by Syrian human rights activists, who describe the Conflicts Forum as being "beyond redemption because they have knowingly chosen to adopt a stance that is at variance with the truth.".[9]

Crooke makes frequent appearances on Hezbollah affiliated Al Mayadeen television network. In one such appearance, Crooke vocally defended the policies of Russian president Vladimir Putin vis a vis the Ukraine, and accused NATO of desiring to escalate the conflict.[10]

His book Resistance: The Essence of the Islamist Revolution, provides background on what he calls the "Islamist Revolution" in the Middle East, helping to offer strategic insights into the origins and logic of Islamist groups which have adopted military resistance as a tactic, including Hamas and Hezbollah.

Crooke was a Middle East advisor to Javier Solana, High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union (CFSP) from 1997 to 2003,[11] facilitated a number of de-escalations of violence and military withdrawals in the Palestinian Territories with Islamist movements from 2000 to 2003 and was involved in the diplomatic efforts in the siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.[3][12] He was a member of the Mitchell Committee into the causes of the Second Intifada in 2000.[3][12] He held clandestine meetings with the Hamas leadership in June 2002. He is an active advocate of engagement with Hamas, to whom he has referred as "resistants or resistance fighters".

In September 2020, his online journal, the Strategic Culture Foundation, was banned from various social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, following claims that it was connected with Russian intelligence services and interfered in the 2020 Presidential election in the USA on their orders.[13]

References
  1. "Alastair Crooke". The Guardian. London. 19 May 2008. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  2. Crooke, Alastair Warren, (born 30 June 1949), Founder, 2004, and Director, since 2005, Conflicts Forum. WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u4000524. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  3. Crooke, Alastair (6 February 2009). "The Essence of Islamist Resistance: A Different View of Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas". New Perspectives Quarterly. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  4. Grey, Stephen (2015). The New Spymasters: Inside Espionage from the Cold War to Global Terror. New York: Viking. p. 223. ISBN 0670917400.
  5. Aisling Byrne (5 January 2012). "A Mistaken Case For Syrian Regime Change". Asia Online. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  6. "Syria: The information war (interview with Aisling Byrne)". YouTube.
  7. "Syria: UN probe documents use of chemical weapons and other crimes against civilians". UN News. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  8. Baker, Russ. "'Syria's Torture Machine': British Documentary Offers Cause For Concern In More Ways Than One". Business Insider. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  9. "Syria, the myth of Assad's popularity and the media of disinformation". Redress Information & Analysis. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  10. Live News from Al Mayadeen Al Mayadeen
  11. UK recalls MI6 link to Palestinian militants. Chris McGreal, The Guardian, 24 September 2003
  12. "Alastair Crooke". Macmillan. 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  13. online journal
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