Scott Taylor
Encyclopedia
Scott Taylor is a Canadian
journalist
who specializes in military and war reporting. His coverage has included wars in Cambodia
, Africa
, the Balkans
, and most recently Iraq
. Taylor is a former private in the Canadian Forces
, and is now the editor and publisher of Esprit de Corps
, a military magazine.
Taylor has aroused a certain amount of controversy; described as "fiercely opinionated", his articles have attracted criticism for their often strongly polemic
al slant. He has been critical of the Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence
, and has also written in opposition to Western involvement in the Kosovo War
and Iraq War. Taylor is a regular op-ed
contributor to the Halifax Herald newspaper.
In 2004, Taylor and a Turkish
colleague Zeynep Tugrul were kidnapped in Iraq
by Ansar al-Islam
, a radical Islamist group and held for five days.
Taylor has written several books, including Spinning on the Axis of Evil: America's War Against Iraq, in which he suggests, contrary to claims by the George W. Bush
administration, that the majority of the Iraqi population are strongly opposed to the US being there, and Inat: Images of Serbia
and the Kosovo
Conflict, in which he argues that NATO involvement in that conflict was unnecessary and that western media coverage of the conflict was biased against the Serbs
.
He has recently published his memoir titled Unembedded: Two Decades of Maverick War Reporting.
Taylor appears in Boris Malagurski
's documentary film The Weight of Chains
in which he chronicles his experiences in the Balkans
during the 1990s.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
who specializes in military and war reporting. His coverage has included wars in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, and most recently Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Taylor is a former private in the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
, and is now the editor and publisher of Esprit de Corps
Esprit de Corps (magazine)
Esprit de Corps military magazine is published in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada by Scott Taylor. The magazine grew out of an earlier magazine designed to be in-flight reading on Canadian Forces passenger aircraft...
, a military magazine.
Taylor has aroused a certain amount of controversy; described as "fiercely opinionated", his articles have attracted criticism for their often strongly polemic
Polemic
A polemic is a variety of arguments or controversies made against one opinion, doctrine, or person. Other variations of argument are debate and discussion...
al slant. He has been critical of the Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence
Department of National Defence (Canada)
The Department of National Defence , frequently referred to by its acronym DND, is the department within the government of Canada with responsibility for all matters concerning the defence of Canada...
, and has also written in opposition to Western involvement in the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
and Iraq War. Taylor is a regular op-ed
Op-ed
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
contributor to the Halifax Herald newspaper.
In 2004, Taylor and a Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
colleague Zeynep Tugrul were kidnapped in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
by Ansar al-Islam
Ansar al-Islam
Ansar al-Islam is a Sunni Islamist group of Iraqis, promoting a radical interpretation of Islam, close to the official Saudi ideology of Wahhabism with strict application of Sharia. The group was formed in the northern provinces of Iraq near the Iranian border, and previously had established...
, a radical Islamist group and held for five days.
Taylor has written several books, including Spinning on the Axis of Evil: America's War Against Iraq, in which he suggests, contrary to claims by the George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
administration, that the majority of the Iraqi population are strongly opposed to the US being there, and Inat: Images of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and the Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
Conflict, in which he argues that NATO involvement in that conflict was unnecessary and that western media coverage of the conflict was biased against the Serbs
Serbophobia
Anti-Serb sentiment is a generic term used to describe a sentiment of hostility or hatred towards Serbs, Serbia or Serbian Orthodoxy...
.
He has recently published his memoir titled Unembedded: Two Decades of Maverick War Reporting.
Taylor appears in Boris Malagurski
Boris Malagurski
Boris Malagurski is a Serbian-Canadian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is the owner of the Malagurski Cinema production company, based in Vancouver, Canada.-Life and work:Born to Prof. Dr. Sc...
's documentary film The Weight of Chains
The Weight of Chains
The Weight of Chains is a 2010 Canadian documentary film directed by Boris Malagurski which analyzes the role that the United States, NATO and the EU played in the breakup of Yugoslavia. It was released on December 17, 2010.-Production:...
in which he chronicles his experiences in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
during the 1990s.