John Menadue

John Menadue is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Pearls and Irritations. He was formerly Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet under Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser, Ambassador to Japan, Secretary of the Department of Immigration and CEO of Qantas.

John's recent articles

ADAM NI. Despite strong words, the US has few options left to reverse Chinas gains in the South China Sea.

At a top regional security forum on Saturday, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said Chinas recent militarisation efforts in the disputed South China Sea were intended to intimidate and coerce regional countries.

VIRAJ SOLANKI. India boosts relations with Myanmar, where Chinese influence is growing.

India has a deepening bilateral security relationship with Myanmar, and is taking steps to help address the crisis in Rakhine State. But Chinese influence in Myanmar is growing - and meaningful cooperation between Beiijing and New Delhi remains unlikely.

BIJAY KUMAR MINJ. Modi's four years 'have weakened India's tolerance'.

India Inclusive event hears that attacks against minorities have increased since the BJP came to power

MARTIN WOLF. Why the Swiss should vote for Vollgeld.

A radical rethink of the financial system was essential after a devastating crisis There are many other ideas in this broad area that seem worth pursuing. One would be to allow every citizen to hold an account directly at the central bank. The technological reasons for branch banking are, after all, perishing quickly. Nicholas Gruen, an Australian economist, has argued that no private institution should have better access to the publics central bank than the public itself does. Furthermore, he adds, the central bank could operate monetary policy by lending freely against safe mortgages. The central...

GLEN S. FUKUSHIMA. Is Trump stringing Abe along?

Japan has been reeling ever since 8 March when US President Donald Trump met with South Koreas national security adviser Chung Eui-yong and announced, to the worlds surprise, that he would accept the offer to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Until then, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was confident that he was managing Trump well, starting with the meeting in Trump Tower on 17 November 2016 that made him the first foreign leader to meet with the then president-elect. This was followed by the meeting in Washington, DC on 10 February 2017 and golf and dinner in Mar-a-Lago,...

JIM COOMBS. Counting.

If you cant measure it, you cant manage it. The mantra of the managerialist economic rationalists has led to oversimplification and oversight (in the sense of failing to see) of what actually matters: the real values involved in the work.

SHANNON TEOH. After two weeks, Malaysia's King consents to PM Mahathir's choice of Attorney-General (The Straits Times, 5 June 2018)

Sultan Muhammad V has agreed to the Mahathir Mohamad administration's choice of Attorney-General (A-G), despite widespread concerns in Malaysia that the candidate is not from the Malay Muslim majority. In an unexpected concession in the early hours of Tuesday (June 5), the National Palace said Malaysia's supreme ruler, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, had withdrawn its consent for incumbent Apandi Ali to continue as the nation's top lawyer.

HAROLD JAMES. Madmen in Authority in Italy.

With concerns about Italy's public debt growing, Italian populists have taken a page from US President Donald Trump's playbook and threatened to blow up the eurozone if they don't get their way. The European Union must resist the temptation to engage in a dangerous game of chicken.

M.K. BHADRAKUMAR. Russia pushes back at US on North Korea (Asian Times 4 June, 2018)

Foreign Minister Lavrov asserted Russias role in the current process as a stakeholder in the stability of northeast Asia; he flagged the need to revive six-party talks; it also seems Putin will meet Kim Jong-un soon. [If President Trump thinks that the DPRK issue is one for the US alone to determine, he will be deluded. As the article below indicates, there is a very strong historical link between Russia and the founder of the DPRK, Kim Il Sung. John Menadue]

TONY WALKER. Australia needs to reset the relationship with China and stay cool.

Lets call it the China syndrome. This describes a condition that is a bit compulsive and not always rational. Australias response to Chinas continuing rise mixes anxiety, even a touch of paranoia, with anticipation of the riches that derive from the sale of vast quantities of commodities. Economic dependence on China is two-edged and potentially policy-distorting.

M.K. BHADRAKUMAR. Russia censures Iran, expects Israel to help restore ties with US.

The annual meeting of theSt Petersburg International Economic Forum dubbed as Russias Davos on May 25, which traditionally promotes foreign investment in the Russian economy, ended this time around as a major political event signaling a renewed bid byPresident Vladimir Putin for dtente with the West.

NAHAL TOOSI. Surreal Trump-Kim summit defies diplomatic playbook

How do you plan a high-stakes meeting between a freewheeling American president and a paranoid Asian dictator? The world is about to find out. As President Donald Trump prepares to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, officials from both countries are working overtime to prepare for aJune 12 nuclear summit in Singapore. The event is unprecedented: A sitting U.S. president has never met with his North Korean counterpart. Kim had never even met with a fellow head of state before a March visit to Beijing. In theory, traditional diplomatic protocols will apply. In reality, anything could happen. Heres...

TONY STEPHENS. Freda Whitlam: educationalist passionate about her girls.

Freda Whitlam, a formidable educator and church leader, was principal of a prominent Sydney private girls school, helped establish the University of Western Sydney and the University of the Third Age, and became Moderator of the Uniting Church of Australia. She died on Wednesday, May 30, at the age of 97.

JOHN MENADUE. Continuing corporate failures.

There is a growing and unfortunate litany of corporate failure in Australia and not just the banks and wage theft on a large scale. One continuing failure has been an unwillingness by our corporate sector to equip itself for the Asian Century and beyond. Instead of addressing their serious failings ,business executives invariably respond by accusing critics of business bashing.

RICHARD DENNISS. The big con: how neoliberals convinced us there wasn't enough to go around

Australia just experienced one of the biggest mining booms in world history. But even at the peak of that boom, there was no talk of the wonderful opportunity we finally had to invest in world-class mental health or domestic violence crisis services.

ABHISHEK MOHANTY. India-Vietnam defense ties in spotlight with joint naval exercise

On May 21, within the framework of perpetual deployment of the Indian Navys Eastern Fleet to Southeast Asia and the Northwest Pacific region, three Indian naval ships en route to Guam and Hawaii for the multilateralMalabar and RIMPACnaval exercises made a port call at Tien Sa Port in Danang for Indias first joint naval exercise with Vietnam.To put this in perspective, this is analogous to the navies of China and Bangladesh exercising in the Bay of Bengal.

KAVEH L AFRASIABI. Hidden Message To UN On Iran.

In a remarkable and somewhat unprecedented rebuke of the US administration, Indias Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj has announced that India will not respect unilateral U.S. sanctions on Iran and will recognize only the UN sanctions. Bound to raise tensions with Washington, Indias brave decision reflects both Indias political evolution and the primacy of her own national interests. Its also another setback for the White Houses hawkish anti-Iran policy, which has already alienated key European allies who are struggling to preserve the Iran nuclear deal without the United States by offering Iran a package of incentives in the near future. Adding...

CLAIRE JONES. Italy crisis poses dilemma for Draghi over ECBs next step.

Central bank hawks want to keep plan to end QE but market jitters could force rethink.

JOHN MENADUE. Four waves of economic and strategic relationships - UK, US, Japan and China - similarities and differences.

Waves of foreign investment and trade have been essential features of Australian development since 1788. The waves began with the UK, then the US, then Japan and now China. In each of these waves the Australian government has consistently managed the economic and strategic ties that were involved, despite difficulties from time to time . In our burgeoning relationship with China, we have for the first time an agency of the Australian government deliberately doing damage to our major trading partner.

ED PILKINGTON. Trump's 'cruel' measures pushing US inequality to dangerous level, UN warns.

Scorching report on poverty finds systematic attack on welfare program will leave millions deprived of food and healthcare.

ROBYN WHITAKER. Christians in Australia are not persecuted, and it is insulting to argue they are.

As Australians wait to hear the governments response to the Ruddock review of religious freedom (and indeed, the content of the report itself), it is worth considering exactly how the two intersect in this largely secular society. Australia has neither a bill nor charter of rights, leaving us with complex and diverse laws governing these issues. Discussion of religious freedoms is an important conversation to have and not one that should be hijacked by inflammatory rhetoric. Yet, much like the marriage equality debate that sparked the review, that is the danger we face.

GEORGE EATON. Italy's new hard-right government is the biggest threat the EU has faced.

The country's most right-wing government since Mussolini is determined to test the euro's limits.

LUCY BERAUD-SUDREAU. Asia's defence budgets dispel 'arms race' myth.

Asian defence spending has not grown faster than the region's economies - and the share of defence budgets allocated to procurement and R&D has held steady over time.

WAYNE SWAN. Foreign influence and foreign donations in Australia.

The debate over foreign influence in our domestic politics and policymaking is an important one for our country too important for political point-scoring and manipulation by vested interests and political vendettas.

GEORGE PERKOVICH. What Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un Don't Know About Their Own Standoff

If the Cuban Missile Crisis is any indication, todays leaders may be dangerously misinformed about the nuclear crisis.

YANIS VAROUFAKIS. Merkel reaps with Quitaly what she sowed with Greek austerity

By crushing us Europeanist Greeks in 2015, Germany sowed the seeds of a bitter harvest: an Italy that might leave the EU.One of the most common mistakes European leaders make in interpreting US President Donald Trumps hostility toward Americas traditional allies, or the alacrity of his administrations efforts to blow up the international order, is to assume that all of this is unprecedented. Nothing could be further from the truth.

BEH LIH YI. Malaysias new deputy PM aims to be a role model for women.

PUTRAJAYA: Wan Azizah Wan Ismails childhood ambition was to become a doctor and cure disease. Now that she is Malaysias most powerful female politician, she says her mission is to improve womens rights.

DAMIEN CAVE. Blurred lines between journalists and what we cover.

As soon as I made eye contact with the smiling woman in the Doctors Without Borders T-shirt on a busy Sydney street, I knew Id be asked for money or a signature. And I knew Id say no. Im a foreign correspondent for The New York Times, I told her. I cant really help because at some point, somewhere, theres a good chance I may cover what you do. I always feel bad trying to explain journalistic detachment in such moments, and I often get looks of confusion in response.

RYAN DAGUR. Indonesia won't revoke list of approved Islamic preachers.

Indonesia's Ministry of Religious Affairs has ignored the protests of Muslim groups and continues to list and publish the names of preachers who are qualified to give religious instruction, in a bid tocounter rising radicalism. Mastuki, the ministry's spokesman, told ucanews.com on May 29 that they would not change their policy as it was designed for the good of Muslims and the nation. We will not revoke [it] but will evaluate the mechanism after getting public feedback, he said, adding that it has now placed over 500 preachers on the recommended list.

PETER MARTIN. Awful truth about our super

The industry says we have a world class system but who does it benefit.It treats us with contempt. It has known for decades about the cost of multiple accounts.Heres how you can tell the Productivity Commission was spot-on in its assessment of the superannuation system.

MICHAEL LAMBERT: The Superannuation Reform Proposals

A substantial Productivity Commission report, Superannuation: Assessing Efficiency and Competitiveness, was released this week with submissions due by 13 July 2018. It is an important report that reviews the $2.6 trillion industry with 15 million members and provides sensible reform proposals though the handling of the default allocation to My Super accounts does require further consideration.

RUTH ARMSTRONG. Four Corners- Mind The Gap episode: a one dimensional look at a multifaceted problem.

A single tweet put Monday nights Four Corners episode into perspective for me.Id been trying to put my finger on what seemed out of kilter with the whole segment and there it was: the program had virtually ignored the bedrock of Australian health care, the public hospital system.

JAMES FALLOWS. America Is Fumbling Its Most Important Relationship.

The United States has a China problemand pundits and politicians are making it worse.China is an increasing problem for the United States. But the latest reactions and assumptions about China among Americas political-media leadership class hold every prospect of making China-related problems much worse. How can this be? It involves the familiar tension between short-term political shrewdness and longer-term strategic wisdom.

Chinese, Russian firms look to exploit Europes retreat from Iran (Asian Times Staff)

Iranian president to be hosted in Qingdao next month as Beijing and Moscow-led bloc looks to protect business interests.As European companies react with trepidation to the Trump administrations efforts to blow up the Iran nuclear deal, pulling out of business deals in the face of looming sanctions, Chinese and Russian firms wait in the wings.

LAURA TINGLE. Here's what Peter Dutton's Home Affairs super-department looks like.

When Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the creation of the massive new Home Affairs portfolio in July last year, he called it the most significant reform of Australia's national intelligence and domestic security arrangements and their oversight in more than forty years.

MELVIN GOODMAN. A Major Win for Trumps War Cabinet.

President Donald Trumps abrupt decision to run away from a summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un should not be a surprise to anyone. The White House is encouraging the notion that Chinas Xi Jinping is to blame for souring the notion of a U.S.-North Korean summit and for toughening Kim Jong Uns negotiating position, and the mainstream media is doing its predictable best to validate such a self-serving explanation. In actual fact, the Trump administration was never prepared to discuss any issue that resembled arms control and disarmament, and national security adviser John Bolton, the formidable chairman...

ANDREW PESCE. Another School Shooting.

Our understanding that the Mayans and other civilizations once used human sacrifice in their ritual observances sits and contrasts uncomfortably with our sense of civilization. Apart from written history, we have access to more visceral experience of the horror: Mel Gibson's Apocalypto depicts both the individual impact, and the larger scale trauma of the practice. Who, having seen it, can forget the scene of the terrified hero of the movie stumbling across a valley of literally heartless corpses, sacrificed to appease the angry gods?

RICHARD TANTER. Pine Gap electricity supply and the Ausgrid controversy

The giant Pine Gap intelligence and military base outside Alice Springs consumes a great deal of electricity to operate its intelligence-gathering and analysis operations. It now appears that the Turnbull governments rejection of a $25 bn. bid for the NSW-government owned Ausgrid electricity distribution company on national security grounds from the Cheung Kong Consortium (CKI), owned by Asias second richest man, Li Ka-Shing, and State Grid of China (SGC) was prompted by concerns about Pine Gap, possibly including its electricity supply.

ALLAN N. HALL. The problems of dual citizenship.

With roughly half the Australian population either born overseas or having parents or grandparents born overseas, it is little wonder that dual citizenship has increasingly emerged as a problem for some Australian citizens seeking election to the Federal Parliament. This is especially so for second generation Australians who were born in Australia, but who may be entitled to citizenship of a foreign country by descent.

MICHAEL EASSON. Israel, Gaza and Australia.

There is neither joy nor bright prospects from any of the recent violence and suffering in Gaza. The tragic loss of life in May naturally focuses attention on Australias policy concerning the Israel-Palestine conflict.

JOHN MENADUE Our security agencies are not accountable.

The performance and integrity of our security services is a serious national problem. These are particular problems for agencies which operate in secret and with few public checks. We have seen that they are prepared to upstage ministers and undermine governments on key public issues like relations with China at the moment. There is no effective supervision in the public interest as the Hastie/Lewis mess illustrates. Governments must make our security services accountable. But they are frightened to do so. This is an urgent public issue. And the ALP has gone AWOL.

MICHAEL LAMBERT. Review of Fair Share Part 2

In part 1 I provided a brief overview of the book, Fair Share: Competing Claims and Australias Economic Future by Stephen Bell and Michael Keating, published by the Melbourne University Press, and set out as identified in the book, the broad trend of increasing economic inequality and the causes for this, noting that economic inequality has been a long term feature of human society, including but not limited to capitalism. In Part 2 I set out what the book identifies as the negative features of increasing economic inequality when it exceeds a certain level and then summarise the key findings...

MASHA GESSEN. In the Trump Era, We Are Losing the Ability to Distinguish Reality from Vacuum.

The Trump Presidency is an age of unanswerable questions and lose-lose propositions. How is one to maintain sanity, decency, and a measure of moral courage? In a pair of thoughtful essays in Slate, Dahlia Lithwick tackles the problems of dealing with the everyday nature of our current political disaster and of deciding on the best way to try to save the country from Donald Trump: by staying close to him, or by walking away. The latter is a question for members of the Administration and for congressional Republicans. This is the time, Lithwick writes, to think about what combination of...

JOHN MENADUE. Who is in charge of Australias relations with China? The Australian Prime Minister or ASIO?

ASIO is on a roll in co-ordinating the attack on China and its alleged covert operations in Australia. Only last Friday we learnt that super patriot Andrew Hastie, formerly an officer in SAS and currently Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, cleared his parliamentary speech with ASIO but not his own Prime Minister. That is extraordinary for a person supposedly in parliamentary charge of supervising the activities of ASIO.

DER SPIEGEL STAFF. Italy's New Goverment Is Bad News for the Euro.

Two populist parties are set to take over the governmentreinsin Italyand about the only thing they seem to agree on is their desire to spend huge amounts of money. That's bad news for Italian finances and terrible news for the eurozone.

PANKAJ MISHRA. A Gandhian Stand Against the Culture of Cruelty

The bomb that killed Rajiv Gandhi on May 21, 1991, blew his face off. Indias former prime minister, and scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, was identified by his sneakers as he lay spread-eagled on the ground. Some Indian newspapers, refusing dignity to the dead and his survivors, published a picture of Gandhis half-dismembered body. I remembered the image recently when I read about the reaction of Rajivs son, Rahul Gandhi, which he related earlier this year,to a similar image of Velupillai Prabhakaran, the mastermind behind his fathers assassination.

JIM COOMBS. Best Things In Life.

The stars belong to everyone: The best things in life are free. Or they ought to be. The last week of Budget Hysteria, made me think, Is money all there is to life? That seems to be what the government and opposition believe is all we care about.

MARTIN WOLF. Italys new rulers could shake the euro

Italy is not Greece. But not all the differences are encouraging. Its economy is 10-times bigger. Its 2.3tn public debt is seven-times bigger; it is the largest in the eurozone and fourth largest in the world. Italy is too big to fail and may be too big to save. The question is whether its new government will trigger such a crisis and, if so, what might follow?

GOOD READING AND LISTENING FOR THE WEEKEND ...

Because our Reserve Bank has given every indication that it has no intention to raise official interest rates, a degree of complacency about Australias high levels of household debt has set in. But in an article on the ABCs website, business reporter David Taylor shows how rising US bond yields could flow through to Australian interest rates, even if the Reserve Bank maintains its low official rates. While our government has been sending mixed and confused messages about our relationship with China, Deutsche Welle reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has led a high-level delegation to China aimed at...

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