On more than one occasion, I have put forward the thesis that some of the most deeply stupid and sinister people in this country hold PhDs in the Social Sciences. As additional proof, I would like to introduce Tim Anderson, a lecturer at Sydney University, an anti-war activist, and an apologist for the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria.

In a recent interview on the ABC radio program Counterpoint, Anderson offered a corrective to the Western media’s portrayal of Assad, which tends to emphasise his affection for war crimes, dictatorship, and mass murder.