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Tag Archives: Richard Butler
Richard Butler. Nuclear Security Summit: Washington Finale?
Seven years ago, President Obama spoke in Prague Square and undertook to “seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons”. He cautioned that this outcome would be immensely difficult to achieve and may not be reached in … Continue reading
Richard Butler. Nuclear North Korea: Profound and Dangerous Hypocrisy
During the last 10 years, North Korea has resigned its membership of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and conducted four nuclear test explosions. It claimed that the latest of these, detected four days ago, was of a hydrogen (fission-fusion) … Continue reading
Posted in Defence/Security, International Affairs, Politics
Tagged Michael Kirby on Korea, North Korea nuclear test, Nuclear Non Proliferation, nuclear weapons, Richard Butler, South China Sea, Test Ban Treaty
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Richard Butler. Bombing Syria: Where’s our Debate?
On December 2nd, the UK House of Commons debated for 10 hours, a motion moved by the Government, that it should authorise bombing of DAESH targets in Syria by UK airforces. (Prime Minister Cameron announced early in his statement that, … Continue reading
Richard Butler. After Paris
The attacks in Paris were textbook in terms of the philosophy of terrorism: hit publicly, indiscriminately, affecting as large a group of innocent people as possible, attract maximum publicity, generate widespread fear. They also represented a continuation of terrorist … Continue reading
Posted in Defence/Security, International Affairs, Media, Politics
Tagged invasion of Iraq, Ottoman empire, Palestine and Israel, Paris terrorism, Richard Butler, Syria and the UN
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Richard Butler. Russia and Syria: The continuation of politics by other means.
In their addresses to the UN General assembly, last week, Presidents Obama and Putin focused on the civil war in Syria. Both emphasized the need for the war, now in its 5th year, to be brought to an end. They … Continue reading
Posted in Defence/Security, International Affairs, Politics
Tagged Islamic State, President Bashir Al Assad, RAAF in Syria, Richard Butler, role of Australian porters in Syria, Russia and Syria
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Richard Butler. RAAF to bomb Syria: another Captain’s pick?
Within the next ten days, the National Security Committee of Cabinet will discuss the US request to Australia to deploy RAAF assets in bombing IS targets in Syria. Presumably, senior defense, foreign affairs, intelligence and government policy staff will be … Continue reading
Posted in Defence/Security, International Affairs, Politics
Tagged Iraq disaster, mission creep, Richard Butler, Syria bombing, US at war
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Richard Butler. The Cost of Having no Independent Foreign Policy
How is it possible that the Australian people: citizens, elected representatives, media staff, academics, to name just some relevant categories, allow the Abbott government to spend $1 billion this year on Australian participation in war in the Middle East, and … Continue reading
Posted in Defence/Security, International Affairs, Politics
Tagged Australian foreign policy, destruction of Syria, invasion of Iraq, Richard Butler, Turkish attacks on Kurds, Western military intervention
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Richard Butler. The Iran Nuclear Agreement: Safe if Implemented.
The Joint Cooperative Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed with Iran by the UN Security Council’s five Permanent members, plus Germany and the EU, (Vienna, July 14th), is unprecedented. No comparable arms control plan has been as detailed or thorough. Above … Continue reading
Posted in Defence/Security, International Affairs, Politics
Tagged Iran and Israel, Iran nuclear deal, Iran sanctions, Iranian coup, Richard Butler, US congress
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Richard Butler. Foreign Policy. An Independent Australian Foreign Policy
Fairness, Opportunity and Security Policy series edited by Michael Keating and John Menadue. Summary: For fifty years, since Australia entered the war in Vietnam in 1965, Australian foreign policy has been made increasingly subservient to a specific concept of Australia’s … Continue reading
Posted in International Affairs, Politics, SERIES: Freedom, opportunity and security
Tagged American alliance, Fairness Opportunity Security, Pearls and Irritations policy series, regional, Richard Butler
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Richard Butler. Australia No Longer Interested in Nuclear Disarmament?
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is universally described as the “cornerstone” of nuclear arms control and disarmament. All but four members of the United Nations subscribe to it. Those four; India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea, … Continue reading
Posted in Defence/Security, International Affairs
Tagged Non-Proliferation Treaty, nuclear disarmament, Richard Butler
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Richard Butler. Ukraine: Watch This Space
UK Prime Minister David Cameron has announced his decision to send a contingent of 75 trainers to Ukraine as a demonstration of support for Kiev in its fight against Russian supported rebels in South Eastern Ukraine. The deployment will provide … Continue reading
Posted in Defence/Security, International Affairs
Tagged Dmitri Trenin, Minsk negotiations, NATO, Richard Butler, Ukraine
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Richard Butler. Russia.
Tony Abbott and Julie Bishop have been playing loosely in our relations with Russia even thought those relations are quite modest, at least as far as the Russians are concerned. Threatening to ‘shirt-front’ President Putin is not a dignified way … Continue reading
Posted in Defence/Security, International Affairs, Politics
Tagged NATO, President Putin, public sentiment in Russia, Richard Butler, Russian economy, the media and Russian society, US the exceptional country
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Richard Butler. Obama transformed?
The jingoistic pressures applied to the media, commentators, academics, policy advisors in order to contain their commentary on the US’ illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003, have been in evidence again following President Obama’s decision to commence war on ISIL. … Continue reading
Posted in International Affairs
Tagged illicit commitment to war, Obama transformed., origins of ISIL, Richard Butler
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Richard Butler. ISIL. Ask the right questions.
Any assessment of what, if anything, countries outside the region should do about the seizure by ISIL of substantial portions of Syria and Iraq, should be based on the answers to three basic questions: what is the significance of this … Continue reading
Posted in International Affairs, Politics
Tagged ISIS, Richard Butler, threat to Australia
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Richard Butler. Ukraine, not Sarajevo
In recent months, there’s been no shortage of suggestions, indeed warnings, that Russia’s absorption of Crimea and now it’s pressure on eastern Ukraine, is the equivalent of the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand, in Sarajevo almost exactly 100 years … Continue reading
Posted in Defence/Security, International Affairs
Tagged Berlin wall, NATO, reunification of Germany, Richard Butler, Ukraine
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Richard Butler. US: What Leadership?
There is continuous debate, within the US, about President Obama’s handling of international affairs. To some, he has responded to their wish to see the US less entangled, everywhere; to others, he’s a feckless weakling and should be impeached. The … Continue reading
Posted in International Affairs, Politics
Tagged Fred Hiatt, Gaza, NPT, Obama leadership, Richard Butler, Ukraine
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Richard Butler. The Dissolution of Iraq?
On June 10th, some 1,500 fighters from the Jihadist group ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria) seized Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul. Half a million citizens fled to the Kurdish areas. ISIS then moved further south, towards Baghdad, … Continue reading
Posted in International Affairs, Politics
Tagged George Bush, Halliburton Company, ISIS, Richard Butler, Senator John McCain, Shias and Sunnis, Tony Blair
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Richard Butler. The Invasion of Iraq,the decision and it’s consequences
It was reported on May 29th, that Sir John Chilcot, the head of the UK inquiry into the decision to invade Iraq in 2003, had reached a “breakthrough” on the issue of how much of the official records of the … Continue reading
Posted in International Affairs, Politics
Tagged Chilcot Report, Hans Blix, Iraq, Richard Butler, Syria, UN Special Commission to Disarm Iraq, weapons of mass destruction
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Richard Butler. American Greed trumps the American Dream: With help from the referee.
During the last two weeks a Professor from the Paris School of Economics, Thomas Piketty, has been touring the US speaking about his book; Capital in the Twenty-First Century. His audiences have been overflowing. Public television described the reception he … Continue reading
Posted in Economy, Politics
Tagged Richard Butler, Tea Party, Thomas Picketty, US Supreme Court
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