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P&I Guest Writers
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Peter Drake- Vale FRANK HAMBLY AM.
Francis Sutherland Hambly, the doyen of university education in Australia, died in Canberra on 21 November 2018, aged 83. Frank served the universities as Director and Secretary of the Australian Vice-Chancellor’s Committee (AVCC) from 1966 to 1996; indeed he personified the AVCC. Continue reading »
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BILL EDEBOHLS. Advent – Pulling no punches
Christians know that Advent is about preparing – getting ready – for the coming of Christ. Getting ready for his second coming at the end of time and also getting ready for the celebration of his birth at Christmas. Continue reading »
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JEFFREY D. SACHS. The War on Huawei (Project Syndicate, 11.12.18)
The Trump administration’s conflict with China has little to do with US external imbalances, closed Chinese markets, or even China’s alleged theft of intellectual property. It has everything to do with containing China by limiting its access to foreign markets, advanced technologies, global banking services, and perhaps even US universities. Continue reading »
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LYNDSAY CONNORS, JIM McMORROW. Gonski Will Still Feature on the Federal Election Menu.
Labor and the Coalition both appear to be poised to go to next year’s federal election brandishing their contrasting versions of ‘Gonski’. Key features of the original 2011 Gonski model for funding the nation’s schools generated broad consensus. Given that it relates to an issue that has been persistently fraught in Australian politics, this should Continue reading »
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JACOB GREBER. Why Former Australian Leader Believes China is About to Outflank Trump on Trade (CAIXIN GLOBAL/AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW)
(AFR) — China could be preparing to spring a global compact to drive tariffs to zero, and approach Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) members including Australia for access to the grouping, positioning Beijing as a champion for free trade. That’s the view of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who believes China’s President Xi Jinping may even use Continue reading »
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PATTY FAWKNER. Honouring the stranger-guest-host relationship (The Good Oil).
Something insidious is happening throughout our world that is threatening the intrinsic human nexus between stranger, guest and host, writes Sister Patty Fawkner. Continue reading »
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CHRIS BROOKS. Swept Up in France’s Yellow Vest Protests (Truthout).
I’ve never been tear gassed before. The smell is similar to fireworks and the effect is explosive—and effective. I immediately wanted to get as far away as I could from the noxious source of burning eyes and throat. Continue reading »
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PAUL DALEY. The moment that forever changed my perspective on Anzac mythology (The Guardian).
The Surafend massacre shows that the core business of good history must always be the preservation of memory. Continue reading »
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SAMANTHA MAIDEN. Tanya Plibersek backs Shorten’s boat turn-back policy in major backflip (The New Daily, 11.12.18)
Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek has backed boat turn backs but pledged a Shorten government would “get people off Manus and Nauru” and boost Australia’s refugee intake. Continue reading »
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JENNIFER RANKIN. Group led by Thomas Piketty presents plan for ‘a fairer Europe’ (The Guardian 10.12.18)
A group of progressive Europeans led by the economist and author Thomas Piketty has drawn up a bold new blueprint for a fairer Europe to address the division, disenchantment, inequality and rightwing populism sweeping the continent. Continue reading »
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CECILIA MERRIGAN.“Is That an Advent Wreath?”
An Advent tale about a small father-less family from South West Africa that has been granted asylum in Australia. This is their first Advent in a new country. Continue reading »
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HELEN DAVIDSON. Gareth Evans and Bob Carr join call for Labor to increase Australia’s foreign aid. (The Guardian 7.12.2018)
Former ministers want party’s national conference to commit to target of 0.7% of gross national income. Continue reading »
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HAMISH MCDONALD. Christian Missionaries and Their Mistaken Message from God (AsianSentinel, 05.12.18)
As fans of the old The Phantom comic strip will recall, an island in the Bay of Bengal is the location of the Skull Cave, home base of The Ghost Who Walks, established by an ancestor washed ashore in a “half-drowned” state after an attack by “Singh pirates” and nurtured back to life by the Continue reading »
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CHRIS BURGESS. Genuine immigration reform still alien to Japan.
On 14 October 2018, a number of marches were held across Japan to mark what the organiser — the Japan First Party — labelled ‘anti-migrant day’. The target of the protestors’ wrath was the government’s proposal to revise the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act to introduce two new types of residence status for foreign Continue reading »
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RICHARD ECKERSLEY. The demise of the official future
Americans are more likely to think the US is heading in the right direction since Donald Trump’s election. Why? Continue reading »
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JOHN ELDER. Coulda been a contender: Why Tony Abbott keeps on punching (The New Daily).
Two significant events happened this weekend: Boxer Anthony Mundine was knocked out in 96 seconds by Jeff Horn, ending a career that was never wholly satisfying for the man or his followers. Meanwhile, Tony Abbott put his gloves up once more, telling The Australian newspaper on Saturday that he’s ready and able to join the front Continue reading »
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JORGE HEINE. The BRICS, their bank and beyond (India Inc.)
A strategic expert traces the origins of what brought Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa together and what the future holds for these emerging economies of the world. Continue reading »
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BEVAN RAMSDEN. Caught in the middle of US-China contention, Australia sides with the US in their efforts to contain and keep China out of the Western Pacific.
Australia is currently facing a major change in strategic circumstances and the argument for pursuing a truly independent foreign policy, for the economic benefit and security of the Australian people, has never been so great. Continue reading »
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EAST ASIA FORUM-Preparing for the Next US Recession
One thing was clear from this weekend’s G20 summit. Asia and the world face many risks, and most of them emanate from the United States of America. Continue reading »
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DAVID BROOKS. The return of chastened America (New York Times).
Who should run the United States next? I vote for experience and the learning from past mistakes. Continue reading »
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GARRY EVERETT. Who Is manipulating what?
Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney, reportedly said recently: “What Synodal Fathers (Bishops) are wary of, I think, is the way synods might be manipulated today, swept up by the fashions of the age.” He is further reported as being of the view that at the recent Synod on Young People, the young people in attendance Continue reading »
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ROSS DOUTHAT. The Two-Emperor Problem (New York Times, 24.11.18)
Generally, Donald Trump’s Twitter beefs are an expense of spirit and a waste of breath. But a minority of them are genuinely edifying, and illustrations of his likely world-historical role — which is not to personally bring down our constitutional republic, but to reveal truths about our political situation, through his crudeness and goading of Continue reading »
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RICHARD WOOLCOTT. The emergence of China can not be denied.
The recent APEC meeting in Port Moresby underlined the deepening competition between China and the United States in the Asia Pacific region. China has been expanding its influence in the South China Sea and beyond and with the United States,Japan,and regrettably Australia consulting on how it can check China’s expansion. Continue reading »
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JOHN QUIGGIN. Public Private Partnerships. The mirage.
In the UK Budget last week, the Chancellor, Phillip Hammond announced the end of the PF2 scheme, the Conservative government’s replacement for the discredited Public Finance Initiative originally introduced by the Conservatives under John Major, but greatly expanded by Tony Blair’s New Labour. This announcement is less than meets the eye in a couple of Continue reading »
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ROBERT KUTTNER. The crash that failed.
Review of “Crashed: How a decade of financial crises changed the world” by Adam Tooze, Viking. The historian G.M. Trevelyan said that the democratic revolutions of 1848, all of which were quickly crushed, represented “a turning point at which modern history failed to turn”. The same can be said of the financial collapse of 2008. Continue reading »
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JIM KABLE. Oz not even a footnote to US victory in the Pacific.
One is constantly reading or listening to the loud declarations of eternal friendship – blood-brotherhood in so many words – of our Australian federal politicians and their US counterparts, including military leaders, generals and so forth. But what is the truth to these vows of undying promises to be all the way with the US of Continue reading »
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IAN BURNET. ‘Friends in Australia’ – a message from Sutan Sjahir, the Prime Minister of the newly declared Republic of Indonesia, November 1945.
On 17 August 1945 and two days after the Japanese surrender, Soekarno and Hatta unilaterally declared Indonesia’s Independence and became the first President and Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia. Continue reading »
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JOAN STAPLES: An Australian civil society success story.
Almost twelve months ago, I first wrote of threats to democratic advocacy from three foreign interference Bills. On Tuesday this week, the final most controversial Bill, the Electoral Funding and Disclosure Reform Bill, was passed with the support of civil society. The story of this transformation from horrified opposition to support for the Bill is Continue reading »
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CHRISTIAN DOWNIE. Australian Energy Diplomacy.
In Australia, little attention has been given to the concept of “energy diplomacy”, including the way in which it might interact with foreign policy objectives. Continue reading »
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WILL WILKINSON. Can Democrats Drain Trump’s Gilded Swamp? (New York Times, 27 November 2018)
Democrats are now preparing to assume control of the House. This offers many possibilities for oversight and investigation. For one, the House Ways and Means Committee has the right to inspect the president’s tax returns, and Democrats are sure to swiftly call on the Treasury to hand over President Trump’s tax records. Continue reading »