Alexander Claud Cockburn ( ; 6 June 1941 – 21 July 2012) was a Scottish-born Irish-American political journalist and writer. Cockburn was brought up by British parents in Ireland, but lived and worked in the United States from 1972. Together with
Jeffrey St. Clair, he edited the political newsletter ''
CounterPunch
''CounterPunch'' is a left-wing online magazine. Content includes a free section published five days a week as well as a subscriber-only area called CounterPunch+, where original articles are published weekly. ''CounterPunch'' is based in the Un ...
''. Cockburn also wrote the "Beat the Devil" column for ''
The Nation
''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...
'', and another column for ''
The Week
''The Week'' is a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. The British publication was founded in 1995 and the American edition in 2001. An Australian edition was published from 2008 to 2012. A children's edi ...
'' in London, syndicated by
Creators Syndicate
Creators Syndicate (also known as Creators) is an American independent distributor of comic strips and syndicated columns to daily newspapers, websites, and other digital outlets. When founded in 1987, Creators Syndicate became one of the few suc ...
.
Background
Alexander Cockburn was born on June 6, 1941, in Scotland and grew up in
Youghal
Youghal ( ; ) is a seaside resort town in County Cork, Ireland. Located on the estuary of the Munster Blackwater, River Blackwater, the town is a former military and economic centre. Located on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a long ...
,
County Cork
County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...
, Ireland. He was the eldest son of journalist
Claud Cockburn, a former
Communist
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
author, and his third wife,
Patricia Byron, née Arbuthnot. (She wrote an autobiography, ''Figure of Eight''). His ancestral family included
Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet, who was responsible for the
burning of Washington
The Burning of Washington, also known as the Capture of Washington, was a successful United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British Amphibious warfare, amphibious attack conducted by Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet, Georg ...
, DC in the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
.
[ His two younger brothers, Andrew Cockburn and Patrick, are also journalists.
His half-sister, Sarah Caudwell, a barrister and mystery writer, died in 2000. His half-sister Claudia Cockburn and her husband Michael Flanders have two daughters, who are both journalists: Laura and Stephanie Flanders. Actress ]Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde (born Olivia Jane Cockburn, , March 10, 1984) is an American actress and director. She played Thirteen (House), Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series ''House (TV series), House'' (2007–2012), and appeared ...
is the daughter of his brother Andrew. [
Cockburn grew up between his family home in Ireland and ]Glenalmond College
Glenalmond College is a co-educational independent boarding school in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, for children aged between 12 and 18 years. It is situated on the River Almond near the village of Methven, about west of the city of Perth. T ...
, an independent boys' boarding school, in Perthshire
Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...
, Scotland. He later studied English at Keble College, University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
.
Career
United Kingdom
Cockburn graduated from Oxford in 1963, after which he worked at the ''New Left Review
The ''New Left Review'' is a British bimonthly journal, established in 1960, which analyses international politics, the global economy, social theory, and cultural topics from a leftist perspective.
History Background
As part of the emergin ...
'', becoming its managing editor in 1966. He was also assistant editor at the ''Times Literary Supplement
''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp.
History
The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...
'', and in 1967 worked at ''New Statesman
''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...
''. In 1967 Cockburn co-edited ''The Incompatibles: Trade Union Militancy and the Consensus'' with Robin Blackburn. Blackburn described the book as " ringingtogether trade-union organizers, leftwing journalists including Paul Foot, Marxist economists and two liberals—Michael Frayn
Michael Frayn, FRSL (; born 8 September 1933) is an English playwright and novelist. He is best known as the author of the farce ''Noises Off'' and the dramas ''Copenhagen (play), Copenhagen'' and ''Democracy (play), Democracy''.
Frayn's novel ...
and Philip Toynbee—who mocked the demonization of union activists by Labour as well as Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
pundits."[ In 1969 the pair co-edited ''Student Power: Problems, Diagnosis, Action'', with contributors including ]Herbert Marcuse
Herbert Marcuse ( ; ; July 19, 1898 – July 29, 1979) was a German–American philosopher, social critic, and Political philosophy, political theorist, associated with the Frankfurt School of critical theory. Born in Berlin, Marcuse studied at ...
, Perry Anderson
Francis Rory Peregrine "Perry" Anderson (born 11 September 1938) is a British intellectual, political philosopher, historian and essayist. His work ranges across historical sociology, intellectual history, and cultural analysis. What unites An ...
, and Tom Nairn.[ In 1968, Cockburn published a letter to '']The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' supporting British socialists protesting the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
.
United States
Cockburn moved to the United States in 1972 and lived there for the rest of his years. He contributed pieces to ''The New York Review of Books
''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of ...
'', ''Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...
'', ''Harper's
''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...
'', and, from 1973 to 1983, ''The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
''. For the latter, he initiated the longstanding "Press Clips" column. His interview of Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian - American retired business magnate, investor, and media mogul. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of List of assets owned by News Corp, local, national, a ...
in '' The Voice'' preceded Murdoch's purchase of the paper. James Ridgeway later noted that "Murdoch, when he owned the ''Voice'', was said to gag on some of Alex's pointed epithets, but he never did anything about it."
In 1975 Cockburn wrote ''Idle Passion: Chess and the Dance of Death.'' In 1979 Cockburn and Ridgeway co-wrote ''Political Ecology.''
In 1982 Cockburn was suspended from ''The Voice'' for "accepting a $10,000 grant from an Arab studies organization in 1982." In 1984, Cockburn became a regular contributor to ''The Nation'' with a column called "Beat the Devil", titled for the novel of the same name written by his father. During the 1980s Cockburn also contributed to the ''New York Press
''New York Press'' was a free alternative weekly in New York City, which was published from 1988 to 2011.
The ''Press'' strove to create a rivalry with the ''Village Voice''. ''Press'' editors claimed to have tried to hire away writer Nat Hento ...
'', the ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'', the ''New Statesman
''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...
'', the '' Anderson Valley Advertiser'', ''The Week
''The Week'' is a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. The British publication was founded in 1995 and the American edition in 2001. An Australian edition was published from 2008 to 2012. A children's edi ...
'', ''The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'', and '' Chronicles''.
In 1987, Cockburn completed the first of a series of books collecting columns, diary entries, letters, and essays dating from 1976, titled ''Corruptions of Empire''; the cover featured a portrayal of Admiral George Cockburn torching the White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
. Follow-up books included ''The Golden Age Is In Us: Journeys and Encounters'' (1995) and ''A Colossal Wreck: A Road Trip Through Political Scandal, Corruption, and American Culture'' (2013).
In the 1990s Cockburn contributed to, and eventually became co-editor of, the newsletter ''CounterPunch
''CounterPunch'' is a left-wing online magazine. Content includes a free section published five days a week as well as a subscriber-only area called CounterPunch+, where original articles are published weekly. ''CounterPunch'' is based in the Un ...
''.
Cockburn became a United States citizen in 2009. He lived in New York City for many years, before moving to Petrolia in Humboldt County in northern California in 1992.
Political views and activities
Anti-war positions
In a January 1980, '' Village Voice'' column, Cockburn criticized the US media's coverage of the Soviet–Afghan War
The Soviet–Afghan War took place in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989. Marking the beginning of the 46-year-long Afghan conflict, it saw the Soviet Union and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic o ...
, and described Afghanistan as "An unspeakable country filled with unspeakable people, sheepshaggers and smugglers ... I yield to none in my sympathy to those prostrate beneath the Russian jackboot, but if ever a country deserved rape it's Afghanistan." Cockburn later said that his comments were "satirical," "tasteless,"[ and that he "shouldn't have written it ... it was a joke."
The USS ''Vincennes'' fired a missile in 1988 that brought down Iran Air Flight 655, killing 290 people. With Ken Silverstein, in reaction the two men co-wrote articles critical of the United States military and its commanders. Cockburn also criticized economic and political sanctions imposed on the Iraqi government by the United Nations.][Cockburn, Alexander]
The Free Press – Independent News Media
, 2/2000. He said that such policies targeted "rogue states (most of which, like the Taliban
, leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders
, leader1_name = {{indented plainlist,
* Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013)
* Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016)
* Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
or Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...
, started off as creatures of US intelligence)." After the September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
, he criticized the 2001 United States invasion of Afghanistan, and the 2003 invasion of Iraq by United States-led forces.[
]
Opinion on conspiracy theories
Cockburn opposed conspiracism, particularly in regard to 9/11 conspiracy theories. He interpreted the rise of these ideas as a sign of the decline of the American Left
The American Left refers to the groups or ideas on the left of the political spectrum in the United States. It is occasionally used as a shorthand for groups aligned with the Democratic Party. At other times, it refers to groups that have soug ...
. Cockburn also criticized conspiracy theories related to the 1963 assassination of US president Kennedy and the Country Walk case.[Alt URL]
He did suggest in writing that the US government had prior knowledge of the 1941 Japanese military attack on Pearl Harbor.
Cockburn was a vehement opponent of the scientific consensus on climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
. He described the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Al Gore
Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations. Its job is to "provide governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies". The World Met ...
as the result of "Bogus science topped off with toxic alarmism. It’s as ridiculous as if Goebbels got the Nobel Peace Prize in 1938, sharing it with the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for his work in publicizing the threat to race purity posed by Jews, Slavs and gypsies."
Support of US constitutional rights
Cockburn supported free speech
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recognise ...
, writing that "Free speech counts most when it's most risky". He said, "America is well on its way to making it illegal to say anything nasty about gays, Jews, blacks and women ..with the First Amendment gone the way of the dodo." Cockburn wrote approvingly of the right-wing Patriot movement and militia rallies.
Asked about his position on the Second Amendment and gun control, Cockburn once said, "a native Mexican turkey wandered onto my property in Humboldt County, unaware that the California Fish and Game regulations permitted a window of vulnerability for the aforementioned wild turkey. I then proceeded to my 12-gauge and brought that turkey down, thirteen and a half pounds, plucked it, drew it, and ate it, with my loved ones as they say," but also said "I think that people shouldn't carry Howitzer
The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...
s." Following the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, Cockburn wrote, "There have been the usual howls from the anti-gun lobby, but it's all hot air. America is not about to dump the Second Amendment giving people the right to bear arms." He suggested several alternative measures to increased gun control around institutions of mandatory and elective education.
Social topics
Among other social topics, Cockburn wrote extensively about his opposition to “scaremongering” about illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...
to the United States, anti-Semitism
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
and use of anti-Semitism accusations in modern politics (for which he received criticism), and his support of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Cockburn also wrote about same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
and Scientology
Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by the American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It is variously defined as a scam, a Scientology as a business, business, a cult, or a religion. Hubbard initially develo ...
.
Personal life and death
In December 1968, Cockburn married writer Emma Tennant
Emma Christina Tennant FRSL (20 October 1937 – 21 January 2017) was an English novelist and editor of Scottish extraction, known for a post-modern approach to her fiction, often imbued with fantasy or magic. Several of her novels give a femi ...
; their daughter Daisy Alice Cockburn was born in February 1969. Cockburn and Tennant divorced in 1973.
Cockburn had a complicated personal and professional relationship with British author and journalist Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Eric Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was a British and American author and journalist. He was the author of Christopher Hitchens bibliography, 18 books on faith, religion, culture, politics, and literature. He was born ...
. Robin Blackburn commented that Cockburn “sort of invented Christopher. He showed him what could be done."
Cockburn died on 21 July 2012, in Bad Salzhausen, Germany, age 71, after suffering from cancer for two years.
In ''CounterPunch'', Jeffrey St. Clair wrote, " ockburndidn't want the disease to define him. He didn't want his friends and readers to shower him with sympathy. He didn't want to blog his own death as Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Eric Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was a British and American author and journalist. He was the author of Christopher Hitchens bibliography, 18 books on faith, religion, culture, politics, and literature. He was born ...
had done. Alex wanted to keep living his life right to the end."
Works
Books
* ''The Incompatibles: Trade Union Militancy and the Consensus'' (1967) with Robin Blackburn.
* ''Student Power'' (1969) with Robin Blackburn.
* ''Idle Passion: Chess and the Dance of Death'' (1975)
* ''Smoke: Another Jimmy Carter Adventure'' (1978) with James Ridgeway.
* ''Political Ecology'' (1979) with James Ridgeway.
* ''Corruptions of Empire'' (1988)
* ''The Fate of the Forest: Developers, Destroyers and Defenders of the Amazon'' (1989) with Susanna Hecht.
* ''The Golden Age Is in Us: Journeys and Encounters'' (1995)
* ''Washington Babylon'' (1995) with Ken Silverstein.
* ''Whiteout: The CIA, Drugs and the Press'' (1998) with Jeffrey St. Clair.
* ''5 Days That Shook The World: The Battle for Seattle and Beyond'' (2000) with Jeffrey St. Clair.
* ''Al Gore: A User's Manual'' (2000) with Jeffrey St. Clair.
* ''CounterPunch: The Journalism That Rediscovers America'' (2002) with Jeffrey St. Clair.
* ''The Politics of Anti-Semitism'' (2003) with Jeffrey St. Clair.
* ''Serpents in the Garden'' (2004) with Jeffrey St. Clair.
''Imperial Crusades''
(2004) with Jeffrey St. Clair.
* ''Dime's Worth of Difference'' (2004) with Jeffrey St. Clair.
''End Times: Death of the Fourth Estate''
(2006) with Jeffrey St. Clair.
''A Colossal Wreck: A Road Trip Through Political Scandal, Corruption, And American Culture''
(2013)
Articles
"Will There Always Be an England?"
'' Ramparts Magazine'' (Apr. 1974)
pp. 31-37.
* "Beat the Devil." ''The Nation
''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...
'' (Nov. 29, 1993), pp. 646-647.
"Tuna, Free Trade and Cocaine,"
with Ken Silverstein. '' Earth Island Journal'', vol. 11, no. 3 (Summer 1996)
p. 7.
.
Book reviews
"The Natural Artificer."
Review of ''P. G. Wodehouse: A Biography'' by Frances Donaldson. ''New York Review of Books
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995
* "New" (Daya song), 2017
* "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
'' (Sep. 23, 1982).
Audio/spoken word
''Beating the Devil: The Incendiary Rants of Alexander Cockburn''.
AK Press (2002).
Interviews
* Chomsky, Noam
"Models, Nature, and Language."
Interview with Alexander Cockburn. '' Grand Street'', no. 50 (Autumn 1994), pp. 170–176. . .
References
External links
''CounterPunch'' website
at ''Creators Syndicate
Creators Syndicate (also known as Creators) is an American independent distributor of comic strips and syndicated columns to daily newspapers, websites, and other digital outlets. When founded in 1987, Creators Syndicate became one of the few suc ...
''
Column archive
at ''The Nation''
Column archive (1974–1982)
at ''The New York Review of Books
''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of ...
''
Podcasts of Cockburn's recent articles
*
''In Depth'' interview with Cockburn, 1 April 2007
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cockburn, Alexander
1941 births
2012 deaths
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American non-fiction writers
20th-century Irish male writers
20th-century Irish non-fiction writers
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century Irish male writers
21st-century Irish non-fiction writers
Activists from California
Alumni of Keble College, Oxford
American alternative journalists
American anti-war activists
American columnists
American male non-fiction writers
American opinion journalists
American people of Scottish descent
American political journalists
American political writers
Alexander
Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here ar ...
American free speech activists
Irish anti-war activists
Irish columnists
Irish emigrants to the United States
Irish journalists
Irish male non-fiction writers
Irish people of Scottish descent
Irish political writers
Journalists from California
The Nation (U.S. magazine) people
New York Press people
Newsletter publishers (people)
People educated at Glenalmond College
People educated at Heatherdown School
People from Humboldt County, California
People from Youghal
Tennant family
The Village Voice people
The Wall Street Journal people
Writers from California