TRANSCEND Media Service brings to you its own Peace Journalism Perspective plus a digest of the week’s relevant News, Analyses, Papers and Videos — in various languages.
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EDITORIAL
International Law, Peace Journalism, Incendiary Truths
Maung Zarni – TRANSCEND Media ServiceIn Times of Wars and Coloniality – In the face of the very real possibility of a world war wherein nuclear sable-rattling gets louder by the day, I have started to feel unbearably light and insignificant in seeking to uphold professional conventions of how to do things, what language and tone are appropriate in our articulations. When do lawyers, writers, peace journalists bin their craft and “fight”? What does their fight look like? Well, that’s for each to decide.
TRANSCEND VIDEOS
Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz & Strikes U.S. Bases
Jackson Hinkle interviews Ray McGovern | Legitimate Targets – TRANSCEND Media Service28 Feb 2026 – In a moment of cascading escalation — with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announcing the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and retaliatory strikes reported against U.S. military installations across the region — former CIA analyst Ray McGovern provides a sobering assessment of what he described as “uncharted territory.”
PAPER OF THE WEEK
War Is a Racket
Major General Smedley Butler – TRANSCEND Media ServiceIt is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious; the only one international in scope. A racket is not what it seems. Only a small “inside” group knows it, for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.
OTHER COMMENTARIES
SPOTLIGHT
Schools, Hospitals, Playgrounds: Iran’s Civilian Sites Hit by US-Israeli Strikes
Katherine Hearst | Middle East Eye - TRANSCEND Media Service6 Mar 2026 – Since the launch of the US-Israeli onslaught on Iran, the country’s schools, hospitals and even playgrounds have come under attack. A 12,000-seat stadium, UNESCO world heritage site, is among places attacked last week.
The War for Greater Israel
Craig Murray - TRANSCEND Media Service2 Mar 2026 – What long-term lessons China, Russia and the Global South are learning from the abandonment by the entire West of the principles of international law, we shall see in the decades to come. None of this is going to be good for anyone.
Israel and the United States Cannot Win the War of Deception against Iran
Vijay Prashad | Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research – TRANSCEND Media Service5 Mar 2026 – In the middle of negotiations, the United States and Israel launched a new attack against Iran based on an old, and false, argument: that Iran was going to build nuclear weapons.
Explainer: How Important Is the Strait of Hormuz?
Xinhua - TRANSCEND Media Service3 Mar 2026 – Following the U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iran that began on Sat 28 Feb, attention has turned to the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran warned it would disrupt transit through this vital waterway in retaliation, sending shock waves through international markets.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION - MEDIATION
Iran, Israel, and the United States: A Path to De-escalation and Coexistence
Tatsushi Arai - TRANSCEND Media Service7 Mar 2026 – The basic needs of the conflict parties, the likely scenarios of further escalation, and a possible path toward de-escalation and resolution to avert undesirable outcomes.
TRANSCEND MEMBERS
An Unlawful War
Richard Falk | Global Justice in the 21st Century – TRANSCEND Media Service4 Mar 2026 – I write with a sense of urgency. The Second Iran War moves us closer to an abyss of unknowable depth. Neither the geopolitical actors, nor the UN, nor respect for law, morality, and decency are capable of resolving the multi-dimensional global crisis and promoting a justice-driven future for humanity. The alternative to struggle is despair.
MAGA End-times from a Psychoanalytic Perspective
Anthony Judge | Laetus in Praesens - TRANSCEND Media Service8 Mar 2026 – Exploration of Neglected Implications with AI Assistance – There is considerable focus on the person and psychology of Donald Trump in provoking unpredictable change globally and evoking controversial reactions — with the support of a power base identifying with the MAGA slogan.
Iran in the Middle East: Persia Is Still a Great Nation
Robin Edward Poulton, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service2 Mar 2026 – 0n 26th February at 21:38h Donald Trump launched his war against IRAN. He could not help himself. Drunk on his power and on his self-image of invincibility, egged on by the Israeli war-criminal Netanyahu, high on their joint destruction of Gaza, Trump agreed to bomb.
Why Europe Remains Silent: After Gaza and Venezuela also No Criticism of the Illegal War on Iran
Jan Oberg, Ph.D. | Transnational Foundation – TRANSCEND Media Service3 Mar 2026 – Here is exactly what the EU should have stated…
Cooperative Peacebuilding Efforts Urgently Needed
René Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service4 Mar 2026 – At this time when there is armed conflict and strong political tensions in the world society, broadly-based efforts are needed to develop a harmonious political culture based on world law.
War in West Asia: Iran, Israel, the United States and the Rothschilds
Robert J. Burrowes, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media ServiceUnderstanding Conflict – Why did the US want to ‘take out 7 countries’? Why does the US and Israel still want to ‘take out’ Iran? When tackling conflict at this level, it is imperative to understand the ‘conflict configuration’ as a preliminary step in addressing key elements of the conflict.
Humanity Is One Reality
Glen T. Martin, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service4 Mar 2026 – Humanity is one reality. The transcendental unity of consciousness is the same in all of us. We are gifted with language, and their universal intelligibility makes them translatable into one another. The solution to our human problems involves an awakening to the transcendental unity of consciousness that makes us all human and all “the same.”
Collateral Benefit: US and Israel Aid Sudan by Attacking Iran
Ann Garrison | Black Agenda Report – TRANSCEND Media Service4 Mar 2026 – The US and Israel’s wholly unprovoked attack on the sovereign nation of Iran–and its retaliation–has given Sudan a hand in their own battle for sovereignty, as the retaliation prevents UAE from supplying the RSF that has been committing widespread atrocities there.
7 Countries in 5 Years
Mazin Qumsiyeh | Popular Resistance – TRANSCEND Media ServiceI was especially struck by the lack of western coverage of the bombing Sat 28 Feb of an elementary school in Iran that killed over 100 girls. The sight of a father going trough the bloodied backpack of his daughter made me cry so much. Till when are we going to put up with this genocidal maniac regime?
The Foundations of Communal Peace: Sustaining Threatened Languages as Peace Infrastructure Part 1
Prof Hoosen Vawda – TRANSCEND Media ServiceEvery enduring peace begins long before a treaty is signed. It begins in the words a child first hears, in the proverbs a grandparent treasures, in the rhythm of prayer and poetry that teach a people how to speak gently, even when they disagree.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Petition: Global Conscience Initiative
Richard Falk | Global Conscience Initiative - TRANSCEND Media Service9 Mar 2026 – As the Global Conscience Initiative, we are launching a joint initiative in response to the U.S. and Israeli attacks that resulted in the deaths of 170 young girls in Minab, Iran.
IN FOCUS
A Gateway to Hell
Michael von der Schulenburg – TRANSCEND Media Service5 Mar 2026 – How the War against Iran Will Harm the West
When Escalation Becomes Norm: Why Our Moment Requires Metamorphosis
Derya Yüksek - TRANSCEND Media Service4 Mar 2026 – When the use of force becomes normalized as routine policy rather than exceptional measure, the challenge is no longer confined to addressing crises. It concerns the structure of the order producing them. The recent U.S.-Israeli war against Iran is not simply another confrontation in a volatile region.
Class, Struggle, and the Theft of March 8
Biljana Vankovska – TRANSCEND Media Service8 Mar 2026 – Born into socialism and raised with the natural conviction that women and men are equals, I now find myself in a “democratic” world sinking deeper into decadence, militarism, and machismo. Every year, on the occasion of the International Women’s Day, I wade through an avalanche of messages oscillating between banality and hypocrisy.
ANGLO AMERICA
The War on Iran—and Washington’s Missing Exit Strategy
Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies – TRANSCEND Media Service7 Mar 2026 – We suggest a US exit strategy from this war that could finally begin to turn the page on decades of US and Israeli aggression and occupation in the Middle East.
Mad Dog
Michael Brenner – TRANSCEND Media Service5 Mar 2026 – Trump’s USA is like a rabid dog prowling the globe. It strikes ferociously at whomever gets in its way or encroaches on its deranged mental space or simply is available to satisfy its lusts. If the Middle East is your neighborhood, you live in dread of the equally depraved, murderous mongrel in Jerusalem. How can you deal with its menace?
Iran, Epstein and Human Sacrifice
The Kucinich Report – TRANSCEND Media Service28 Feb 2026 – Today the Trump Administration, at the behest of the decrepit Netanyahu regime, was instrumental in the bombing of a girls’ elementary school in Iran, killing 57 children. Let that sink in. The modern punishments of Impeachment and trial by the Hague are insufficient to deal with beings such as Trump and Netanyahu..
INTERNATIONAL LAW
ASIL’s Statement Regarding the Use of Force against Iran
American Society of International Law - TRANSCEND Media Service2 Mar 2026 – The Trump Administration has once again demonstrated its disregard for international law, violating the U.N. Charter’s prohibition on the use of force by launching an unprovoked military attack against Iran—less than two months after an unprovoked military attack on Venezuela.
This Illegal US-Israeli Attack on Iran Is also an Assault on the United Nations
Jeffrey D. Sachs and Sybil Fares – TRANSCEND Media Service2 Mar 2026 – Let us be clear about what the US and Israel are pursuing. The US objective is not the security of the North American people but global hegemony. The attempt is to destroy the UN and the international rule of law—an attempt that will fail.
Israel Puts a Target on the Back of the Rules-Based Order
Jonathan Whittall | Al Jazeera - TRANSCEND Media Service5 Mar 2026 – Israel’s foreign ministry suggests in a recent tweet that those seeking to enforce international law on Gaza will meet the fate of a destroyed Iranian warship.
International Law Needs International Enforcement
Lawrence S. Wittner - TRANSCEND Media Service7 Mar 2026 – Donald Trump’s war of choice in the Middle East is but the latest indication that the system of international law―which provides guidelines for the behavior of nations in world affairs―is crumbling.
Selective Justice and the Crisis of International Law
Irshad Ahmad Mughal | Pressenza - TRANSCEND Media Service7 Mar 2026 – Observers across the world have begun to question whether the principles of international law are applied equally to all nations. The realities of contemporary geopolitics increasingly suggest that these principles are often interpreted through the lens of power and strategic interests rather than justice and consistency.
CAPITALISM
‘The Military-Industrial Complex Is Winning’: While Bombing Iran, Trump Tells Weapons Contractors to Boost Production
Jessica Corbett | Common Dreams – TRANSCEND Media Service6 Mar 2026 – The president and Lockheed Martin said that the expansion began months ago, but his comments followed a White House meeting held amid a US-Israeli assault on Iran and mounting threats against Cuba.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Trump’s Orwellian Board of Peace Consists Entirely of Human Rights Abusers
Nick Turse | The Intercept – TRANSCEND Media Service2 Mar 2026 – An Intercept analysis finds that every single Board of Peace member state has been rebuked for human rights violations.
SPORTS
100 Days from the World Cup, an International Coalition Is Calling on FIFA to Move the Games from the U.S.
Pressenza - TRANSCEND Media ServiceThe U.S. Is Unsafe for Non-Europeans and Is Operating as a Rogue State
ASIA--PACIFIC
Sri Lanka’s Sovereignty, Truth, and the Responsibility of the State
Udaya R. Tennakoon – TRANSCEND Media ServiceIn an era of global power rivalries and information warfare, sovereignty is tested not only by military threats but by the state’s ability to act with clarity, truth, and responsibility.
EUROPE
The EU in a World of Wars
Michael von der Schulenburg MEP and Ruth Firmenich MEP - TRANSCEND Media ServiceThe recent declaration by Macron, Merz, and Starmer, portraying the attacked state of Iran as the aggressor and even threatening it with military action, risks a reasonable European response. The EU must anchor its policies in principles of international law and the Charter of the UN. For this reason, we respectfully request that you convene a special session of the European Parliament.
PALESTINE ISRAEL GAZA GENOCIDE
UN Says Israel Has Suspended Humanitarian Movements into Gaza
Merve Aydogan | Anadolu Agency - TRANSCEND Media Service3 Mar 2026 – The UN said yesterday that Israel has closed all crossings into the Gaza Strip and suspended humanitarian movements in and near areas where Israeli forces remain deployed.’It is imperative that all crossings be reopened as soon as possible,’ says spokesperson.
Under the Shadow of the Iran War, Israel Finds another Way to Punish Gaza
Ohood Nassar | Al Jazeera - TRANSCEND Media Service1 Mar 2026 – The curbing of NGO operations and the blocking of aid due to closure of the border crossings are meant as another collective punishment.
With West Bank under Total Israeli Closure, Settlers Are Seizing the Moment
Oren Ziv and Basel Adra | +972 Magazine - TRANSCEND Media Service4 Mar 2026 – Israeli settlers have killed two Palestinians and raided dozens of villages amid the war with Iran, as the army restricts movement and backs up the attackers.
ACTIVISM
‘The River Won’: How Campaigners in Brazilian Amazon Stopped Privatisation of Waterway
Jonathan Watts | The Guardian - TRANSCEND Media Service27 Feb 2026 – Local river defenders force U-turn by occupying grain terminal operated by Cargill, the biggest privately owned company in the United States and a powerhouse of world trade.
EDUCATION
How Perceptions Shape Creativity
Felipe Zamana | Creativity & Education – TRANSCEND Media ServiceCreativity is rooted in sociocultural constructs, like other broad concepts such as beauty or justice; its interpretation may differ from culture to culture. If the expression and evaluation of creativity depend on context, then aren’t measures of creativity always, at least partly, measures of perception?
POETRY FORMAT
The Small Bodies of Minab: Da’amīs al-Jannah
Raïs Neza Boneza – TRANSCEND Media ServiceSome children die
as tragedies.
Others die
as footnotes.
Quite symbolic: the entity’s first strike
falls on the children
OBITUARIES
Palestinian Historian and Academic Walid Al-Khalidi (16 Jul 1925 – 8 Mar 2026) Dies Aged 99
The New Arab - TRANSCEND Media Service8 Mar 2026 – Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi passed away today in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Jerusalem-born scholar leaves behind a legacy spanning decades of research and writing on the question of Palestine. RIP
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
USA’s Abyss of Uselessness
Dilip Simeon | After the Truth Shower – TRANSCEND Media ServiceThe ‘indispensable nation‘ marches on, toward a sinkhole of crashed empires, killing and maiming along the way. How many deaths? Wrong question–irrelevant.
ORIGINAL LANGUAGES
(Italiano) I frutti avvelenati della violenza–Come uscire dall’impotenza?
Angela Dogliotti Marasso | Centro Studi Sereno Regis – TRANSCEND Media Service6 Marzo 2026 – La mattina del 28 febbraio è avvenuto il temuto attacco di Israele e Stati Uniti contro l’Iran, in aperta violazione della legalità internazionale. Un ulteriore, pericolosissimo passaggio, verso il caos e la guerra permanente…
SHORT VIDEO CLIPS
Manohari (Music Video of the Week)
Lahari Music Telugu – TRANSCEND Media ServiceFull Video Song from Tollywood Movie Baahubali – The Beginning
“Governments are vassals of Bankism and Military Capitalism, the Mafia that controls human affairs through violence and cyber-information manipulation in the 21st century.”
— Antonio C. S. Rosa, M.A. -Editor TRANSCEND Media Service-TMS
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