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P&I Guest Writers
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Admiral Prune: Defending Australia Part 4 of 4: People and Process
After thirty years of hand wringing about our deteriorating strategic circumstances, Australians have a right to know from the new government how it will fix Australia’s military weakness, without waiting decades. They must start with “The System”. Continue reading »
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Admiral Prune: Defending Australia Part 3 of 4: What sort of ADF do we need?
Commentators suggest that the Morrison Government is attempting to frame a “khaki election”. It would be far better were it a “blue election” – sea and sky blue. Continue reading »
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Jonathan Holmes: In real terms the ABC is still going backwards
Dave Sharma, the Liberal federal member for Wentworth in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, is fighting for his political survival against independent candidate Allegra Spender, who supports a well-funded ABC. Continue reading »
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Charles Pierson: Biden promised to stop supporting Saudi aggression in Yemen. He lied
Will Biden betray Yemen once again in return for cheaper gas for suburban moms’ SUVs and victory at the polls in November? Continue reading »
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Admiral Prune: Defending Australia Part 2 of 4: Are we delivering the ADF we need?
There will probably be more grand announcements in the lead up to the Morrison Government’s attempt to frame a “khaki election”. What we are doing, as opposed to talking about doing, is not reassuring. Continue reading »
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Herbert Wulf: Double standards
War criminals must be held accountable. But this rule of law is universal. And it is precisely those who emphasise the rules-based international order that should strictly adhere to these rules themselves. Continue reading »
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Olayinka Ajala: Russia’s war with Ukraine: Five reasons why many African countries choose to be ‘neutral’
In early March the United Nation’s General Assembly voted on a resolution demanding Russia immediately stop its military operations in Ukraine. Continue reading »
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Ray Edmondson: Coalition jobs for the boys and girls before the “Caretaker Period” start with the AAT!
Public institutions need the guidance of expert boards, and appointments to them should be well considered, transparent, merit-based and non-political. In many countries that’s normative and taken for granted. But not in Australia. Under the Coalition government the boards of some of our great institutions have been thoroughly politicised. Continue reading »
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Greg Wilesmith: Who Needs the ABC? A book review
Why taking the ABC for granted is no longer an option. Continue reading »
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Christopher Sheil: widening fault lines: Covid-19’s effect on wealth inequality
Wickedly, it may seem, over six million people have so far perished from the pandemic, including more than 5000 Australians. Meanwhile, the rich have become much richer. Continue reading »
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Keith Mitchelson – Oligarchs in Australia
The world is awash with Russian oligarchs these days. Some have even washed up in Australia’s gas-and mining-fields. But one wonders, are there other oligarchs floating around under the radar? Continue reading »
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Julia Conley – the Afghan humanitarian disaster is caused by the United States
‘This suffering is on the US government’ Continue reading »
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Amnesty International: Israel is committing apartheid
The Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories(OPT), Michael Lynk, has submitted a report to the Human Rights Council, concluding that the situation in the OPT amounts to apartheid. Continue reading »
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Neve Gordon and Nicola Perugini – Ukraine, international law and the history of hospital bombings
From the war in Afghanistan and the US-backed Saudi intervention in Yemen to the Israeli campaigns in Gaza and the Syrian civil war, in recent years hospitals have constantly been bombed by military forces under the guise of counterterrorism. Continue reading »
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M K Bhadrakumar : Zelensky rubbishes Biden’s war on Russia
What was the need for all that happened in the period since mid-December when Russia transmitted to Washington its demands for security guarantees? This question will haunt US President Joe Biden long after he retires from public life. Continue reading »
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Bridget Brennan and Kirstie Wellauer – More evidence of ‘genocidal killings’ of Aboriginal people in frontier times
A pattern of brutal reprisals began to emerge in the late 19th and the 20th centuries as thousands of Aboriginal people were murdered in colonial times, new research suggests. Continue reading »
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Jake Johnson-Ukraine, Russia reportedly making ‘Significant progress” on a 15-Point peace deal
“Our position at the negotiations is quite specific—legally verified security guarantees; ceasefire; withdrawal of Russian troops,” said an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Continue reading »
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Jim Green-Nuclear facilities targeted in Russia’s war on Ukraine
Several nuclear facilities in Ukraine have been attacked by the Russian military over the past fortnight: a nuclear research facility at Kharkiv; two radioactive waste storage sites; the Chernobyl nuclear site (which no longer has operating reactors); and the operating Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Continue reading »
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Jim McKay – How good is sport rorts? The Morrison government’s betrayal of quiet Australians who ‘have a go’
At Scott Morrison’s first media conference of the 2019 election campaign, he reiterated one of his conservative-populist slogans about personal responsibility: “I believe in a fair go for those who have a go.” Continue reading »
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Keith Mitchelson – Reconceiving self-interest to reverse global warming
Humanity faces a self-interest choice – destruction of our economies, societies and environment with unfettered global warming, or a massive transformation that eliminates man-made carbon outputs. Continue reading »
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Ryan King. History tells us that an ‘Asian Nato’ is destined to fail
The unique situation in which NATO was formed, and the failure to build similar alliances in Asia, suggest that the expansion of the Quad and AUKUS into a formal military alliance is both unlikely to happen and ill-advised. Continue reading »
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Alex Sundakov – Ukraine. We wait with sadness and horror
But with every day I am seeing signs of Ukraine not just doing better than expected, but actually positioning itself for the post-war future. Continue reading »
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Ross Tapsell – Australia’s Anglo-focussed Covid news coverage
Australian media continues to see itself as overwhelmingly tied to the events, policies and fortunes of those in the United States and the United Kingdom. Continue reading »
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Shyam Saran. Implications of the Russia-Ukraine conflict for India
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the continuing war have confronted India with difficult choices given its longstanding and important relationship with Russia. Continue reading »
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John Cleese – Alert levels in response to the Russian threat
The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent Russian threats and have therefore raised their security level from “Miffed” to “Peeved.” Continue reading »
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Eraring’s 2025 exit and Mike Cannon-Brookes/Brookfield AGL takeover could reduce power bills
The closure of Eraring power station and AGL’s takeover bid are likely to reduce electricity prices for consumers as low-cost renewable energy and additional storage replace the retiring coal generators. Continue reading »
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Going to private school won’t make a difference to your kid’s academic scores
Research shows parents believe private schools will provide a better education for their children, and better set them up for success in life. But the evidence on whether this perception is correct is not conclusive. Continue reading »
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US hypocrisy and the role of Victoria Newland in the Maidan Coup.
There is an abundance of outrage in the United States about Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Continue reading »
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UKRAINE: Open Letter from Russian international relations staff and students
Below is the text of an open letter to President Putin protesting the invasion of Ukraine from students, alumni and staff of Moscow State University of International Relations (MGIMO), Russia’s elite institution specialising in international relations. Continue reading »
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New IPCC report shows Australia is at real risk from climate change, with impacts worsening, future risks high, and wide-ranging adaptation needed
Climatic trends, extreme conditions and sea level rise are already hitting many of Australia’s ecosystems, industries and cities hard. Continue reading »
