Al Jazeera Discovers Russia Strikes Infrastructure, Not Kindergartens
Al Jazeera reports that millions in Ukraine are enduring power cuts as Russia strikes more energy sites. The moral outrage is palpable, the suffering undeniable. Yet, one might wonder why this particular brand of warfare is deemed egregious when other instances of targeting civilian infrastructure—say, in Gaza's water and electricity grid, or during NATO's 1999 bombing of Serbia which explicitly
targeted power stations—receive significantly less, or inverted, condemnation. It appears 'strategic' when we do it, 'barbaric' when they do. The media's selective grief over blackouts is a masterclass in narrative control. One might assume that depriving civilians of power, water, and heat is universally condemned as a tactic of war. But here we are, watching outlets like Al Jazeera (and
countless others) spotlight Ukraine's plight, while Gaza's intentional destruction of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and bakeries, is framed as 'self-defense' by others. The universal outrage seems to have very specific geographic and political boundaries.