AUKUS
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Power to the people: peace activists say no to nuclear-powered submarines
The Morrison government’s embrace of nuclear-submarine technology and the AUKUS agreement has been challenged in Australia and overseas. A coalition of people and organisations is being formed to oppose these decisions. Continue reading »
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As Taiwan and the Mainland face off, Scott Morrison must keep calm
Political leaders on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have been facing off against each other. Taiwan has been called the most dangerous place on earth. Exaggeration, maybe, but Australia should be careful not to get involved in any confrontation. Continue reading »
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The plot to murder Julian Assange is being ignored by the mainstream media
The US government reportedly planned to kidnap and murder Julian Assange. And yet the Australian commentariat and media are silent. Why? Continue reading »
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‘I don’t need to know about that bit’: Gladys Berejiklian, Covid, and the rancid politics of division
With NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro’s resignation — the third in as many days — the state government is in free-fall. The only surprising thing about Gladys Berejiklian’s resignation is that it didn’t come sooner. Continue reading »
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Could AUKUS open a Chinese window to international leadership?
While there may still be quite a bit of debate about the strategic merits of AUKUS, there’s one thing most people agree about: China is not very happy. Continue reading »
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China might react to the Quad and AUKUS with tried and true patience
With the Quad and AUKUS, the US and its allies — especially Australia — are clearly challenging China militarily. All eyes are now on China to see how it will react. It has many options. Continue reading »
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AUKUS agreement threatens peace in Asia
The security pact between the US, UK and Australia is a troubling reminder that these Anglo-Saxon powers are stuck in a Cold War mindset. Continue reading »
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Australia adrift and uneasy; time to set a new course. Part 1
A pall of unease hangs over Australia, yet it’s hardly acknowledged. The government’s failings and the implications of ill-judged policies preoccupy more insightful commentators. But it may be time to consider the ills of society as a whole. Continue reading »
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The Afghan paradox: China, India and the future of Eurasia after the fall of Kabul
The fall of Kabul may be more than a historical footnote. It may yet become a key stop on a New Silk Road being forged across the vast expanses and indomitable mountains of Central Asia. Continue reading »
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Magical thinking: nuclear submarines and Australia’s Maginot Line of the imagination
The relationship between defence policy and the nuclear powered submarines has generated a lot of magical thinking. Continue reading »
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A fearful university in Adelaide abandons academic freedom in attempts to better understand China
It wasn’t foreign interference and influence legislation that got in the way of a recent university event, but the universities themselves, fearful of standing up for academic freedom. Continue reading »
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New language, new national future: Australia is now an AUKUState
Move over “digger”, “dinkum” and “ocker”, a new Australian term is to be added to the English language at the highest levels of national discourse: the new verb, AUKUStrate and proper noun, AUKUState. Continue reading »
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Between AUKUS and AUSMIN, Australia has crossed the rubicon
Through the combination of AUKUS and AUSMIN, Australia has locked in its strategic dependence on the US — probably irreversibly, or in Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s words “forever”. Continue reading »
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China’s trade bid a chance to mend fences
Beijing can’t be happy with where its Australian relations have ended up. But Canberra should be wary of overplaying its hand. Continue reading »
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Australia must be more ambitious on climate, or the negative impacts will multiply
The challenge of decarbonising the economy is of equal magnitude to Australia’s submarine deal, and requires an equivalent bold response. Continue reading »
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Saturday’s good reading and listening for the weekend
This weekly post is a collection of links to recent articles, reports, podcasts, interviews, and notices of upcoming webinars, on political, economic and public policy issues, that may be of interest to Pearls and Irritations readers. Continue reading »
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US hostility towards Hong Kong exposed for all to see
In recent years, China’s achievements have surpassed all expectations, and the United States has become increasingly paranoid. Continue reading »
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Paul Keating: I am not a defeatist who would sell the country out to another power
The Coalition is not only turning over control of our defence forces to the US, but shopping our foreign policy too. Continue reading »
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The all-American coercive diplomacy: bullying by any other name
China is repeatedly accused of coercion. But China is a minor player in the coercion game. The US is the grand master. Continue reading »
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John Menadue: From deputy sheriff to the 51st state of the Union
Paul Keating put it succinctly yesterday in The Sydney Morning Herald that we are selling our country to another power. Or, as former ambassador John McCarthy put it, “we are moving from being a country with the self-respect of true independence”. Continue reading »
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AUKUS confirms Australia as a forever colony
Since World War II, almost all independent states in South-East Asia have been shaped by successful anti-colonialist movements. Australia stands alone in the region, marked by a dominant political culture fixated in a colonial mind-set. Continue reading »
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That sinking feeling from Down Under: What does AUKUS mean for Asia?
The AUKUS deal confirms essentially that Australia opts to sink or swim with its rich Anglosphere few, rather than the global many. Continue reading »
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In defence of Australia’s submarine decision
Swapping the expensive French conventionally powered submarines for nuclear submarines was the right decision, and it does not have to come at a cost to Australia’s independence. Continue reading »
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Kim Carr: We need answers on both subs deals
Now the government’s scrapped its $90 billion contract with France to build diesel submarines, many unanswered questions about the new deal to acquire uncosted nuclear boats appear connected to the murky politics of the old one. Continue reading »
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A people’s inquiry about the cost of the US alliance
Independent Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) is currently facilitating a people’s inquiry exploring the costs and consequences of the US alliance and US-led wars and exploring the alternatives. Continue reading »
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AUKUS and submarines: Just what are we doing?
There has been so much commentary on the new AUKUS arrangements, especially the cancellation of the long-running submarine contract with the French. It’s timely to strip back all the hype and examine more closely what it all means. Continue reading »
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Lest we forget: Lessons for AUKUS from the Anglo-German naval race
In the shadow of AUKUS, there are many echoes of debates from the era of the Anglo-German naval race, 1900 to 1914. Are there any lessons for us? Continue reading »
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AUKUS: NZ happy to be left out of new alliance to protect its China trade
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she wasn’t approached about joining the new AUKUS agreement and nor would she expect to be. But to be left in the dark by ANZAC mates about AUKUS is a dose of cold reality for NZ. Continue reading »
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AUKUS: We are moving fast from being a country with the self-respect of true independence.
The main British objective under their appalling political leadership seems to be to find something meaningful to do after the Brexit debacle… Joe Biden could not even remember Scott Morrison’s name. Continue reading »
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When it comes to China, our media ‘experts’ need a lot of help
Since the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal our mainstream media experts have doubled down on the claim Beijing is expansionist. Since few of them can read or speak Chinese maybe I can help them. Continue reading »
