World Affairs
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The right reasons for saying no to nuclear first use
Washington is once again debating whether to declare that it will never be the first to use nuclear weapons. There are good reasons why it should. But it would not be right to suggest that a no-first-use policy would cost the United States nothing strategically…. Continue reading »
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Hong Kong Journalist Association plays to the Washington gallery.
When it comes to grandstanding, the Hong Kong Journalists Association wins hands down. In this, it can take great pride, and to outdo the prima donnas of bodies like the Hong Kong Bar Association is no mean feat…. Continue reading »
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Failed US empire: is this country heading for the exit?
Three decades after the Soviet empire headed for the exit, is it possible that the far more powerful American one is ever so chaotically heading in the same direction?… Continue reading »
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Boris Fawlty
Remember Basil Fawlty? When dressed in civilian clothes he called himself John Cleese. In real life, he and his wife Sybil ran a rather pretty hotel, which carried the Fawlty name, in a seaside resort in southwest England…. Continue reading »
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China grievances conflated into demands.
Peter Hartcher on the ABC presented China’s list of grievances as if they were some kind of official demarche made on the Australian Government. He intones repeatedly about these ‘demands’ as if they had the status of Martin Luther’s 95 theses nailed to the chapel door at Wittenberg University which started the Reformation. That is… Continue reading »
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Gareth Evans rubbishes the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme: Loyal and Patriotic Australians should follow his lead.
Gareth Evans’ robust public rejection of a suggestion from Attorney-General’s Department that he should consider whether he has “registration obligations under the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme” (i.e., should register himself as an agent of foreign influence) is highly commended. … Continue reading »
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How Reagan and US agencies made Murdoch a king.
Rupert Murdoch’s role in a secret project jointly financed by the US government and wealthy backers in the private sector to influence public opinion demands the attention of Australian lawmakers. … Continue reading »
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Japan is tempting fate by joining the US-led anti-China coalition
War between China and the US is not inevitable. But it is becoming increasingly likely – and Japan’s actions could be the trigger. Japan and its US backers should not tempt fate…. Continue reading »
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The Global Fight Against White Supremacy and White Dominance
Last month, U.S. President Joe Biden signed legislation to make Juneteenth a Federal holiday, marking the day in 1865 when Black people in the U.S. gained freedom from slavery. Emancipation did not stop the repression of Black people, nor will this new gesture change much…. Continue reading »
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No evidence the US has Australia’s back in its dispute with China, despite all the rhetoric
The US has “got our back”. This talking point is repeated by Australian government ministers with rising fervour, as China continues its campaign of trade punishment against Australia. Think-tank experts and media commentators amplify it further…. Continue reading »
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Between the lines with Tom Switzer: China, friend or foe?
The western world’s relationships with Beijing are at their worst in more than half a century. How do we account for the rapid deterioration in Australia’s dealings with China? With Peter Hartcher,described by Tom Switzer as a ‘China scholar’ and David Brophy…. Continue reading »
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Facing Years in Prison for Drone Leak. The Case Against US Assassination Program
The U.K.-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, or TBIJ, estimates the total number of deaths from drones and other covert killing operations in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia to run between 8,858 and 16,901 since strikes began to be carried out in 2004…. Continue reading »
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What are hostilities if not war?
Rarely is the United States not at war. Trump didn’t start any wars, but he didn’t end any either. Biden is keeping America’s enemies and adding new ones. Congressional control over how the US goes to war and what it’s called has again become a pressing issue…. Continue reading »
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Afghanistan: The graveyard of empires was one of the greatest follies of US foreign policy.
The US-led war in Afghanistan looks to be ending, and not a day too soon. America’s father, Benjamin Franklin, wisely wrote: “No good war; no bad peace.” Yet for 20 years, the United States waged all-out war against this small, remote, impoverished state whose only weapons were old AK47 rifles and the boundless courage of… Continue reading »
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Biden promised diplomacy, but he’s overseeing military buildup against China
Shortly after Joe Biden took office, the president delivered a speech at the U.S. Department of State, declaring, “I want the world to hear today: America is back…. Diplomacy is back at the center of our foreign policy…. By leading with diplomacy, we must also mean engaging our adversaries and our competitors diplomatically, where it’s… Continue reading »
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Allah is calling; loudly in Indonesia.
The new word on the block is Isoman, a portmanteau of isolasi and mandiri, meaning self-isolation. It’s another place to die in Indonesia along with hospitals…. Continue reading »
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Pegasus-India’s Watergate moment
A journalist hacked by Pegasus says he will survive, but Indian democracy may not…. Continue reading »
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Australia’s alliance with the United States: passed its use by date
Australia’s alliance with the United States has become an unthinking custom and practice. It has already cost us dearly in both blood and treasure with little to show for it. It is time to look at the alternatives…. Continue reading »
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China: A big threat to our future or misunderstood hegemon?
David Brophy and Jocelyn Chey speaking at the Politics in the Pub Forum on relations with China…. Continue reading »
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Israel and Apartheid: Language matters
George Browning’s critique of Israel as an apartheid state is highly critical of Labor Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese’s refusal to deploy that label. Like Browning, I agree that words matter. Which is why I contest his commentary. This article highlights the background to Browning’s remarks, offers a brief analysis of the apartheid analogy, and offers… Continue reading »
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“No one is safe”: phone numbers of 14 world leaders on Pegasus List
The Washington Post on Tuesday revealed that three presidents, 10 prime ministers, and a king are among the more than 50,000 individuals whose phone numbers appeared on a leaked list of potential targets of Pegasus, the military-grade spyware licensed by Israeli firm NSO Group, prompting human rights defenders to call for a global crackdown on the surveillance industry’s invasive technologies…. Continue reading »
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Mandela Courage for a Dangerous World
Not for Mandela the contemporary, pragmatic tactic of polling by sticking a finger in the air to test in which direction voters’ interests are blowing…. Continue reading »
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After a century of achievements, the CPC’s next critical phase begins now
The Communist Party of China (CPC) commemorated its 100-year anniversary on July 1, 2021, a day that was met with celebratory Chinese introspection and no small amount of criticism from China’s detractors. I had the privilege of being invited to speak at two international conferences to mark the celebration, one of which was attended by… Continue reading »
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A Flight with Henry Kissinger to Beijing that Changed the World
On this particular night in July 1971, we were told to get ready for a 3 AM departure…. Continue reading »
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The Cuban protest and the sixty year illegal US blockade
The US and its allies talk loudly about maintaining a rules based order but in a recent UN General Assembly deliberation there was a vote of 184 to 2 (US and Israel) demanding an end to the illegal 60 year economic boycott of Cuba. The US will ignore the UN vote.The US cherry picks the… Continue reading »
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Biden’s Business Advisory: Hong Kong withstands US attempts to harm China
When Joe Biden replaced Donald Trump as the US President on Jan 21, 2021, there were hopes he would abandon his predecessor’s discredited policy towards Hong Kong, and reestablish good relations with China. However, the pair of them have turned out to be as alike as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, albeit that Biden is less uncouth…. Continue reading »
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“You’re Gonna Have a Fucking War”: Mark Milley’s Fight to Stop Trump from Striking Iran
The last time that General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with President Donald Trump was on January 3, 2021…. Continue reading »
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The harmful myths we live by about the US.
Defence Minister Dutton has upped the ante in some interesting comments on China and Afghanistan. He reinforces some myths we accept and states unequivocally our dependence on the US to protect us from evil for Thou art with us, Thy nukes and Thy military they comfort us…. Continue reading »
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The Afghanistan failure is history repeating itself but there may be profound consequences.
Afghanistan’s fall to the Taliban will do much to change the balance of power in Heartland central Asia…. Continue reading »
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Covid 19 has revealed the weaknesses but also the importance of globalisation.
If enough of us ever get vaccinated to get over the immediate emergency, it will be useful to take time to reflect on the medium-term implications of the global pandemic for the governance of Australia and the world. There is much to be done and much we can learn…. Continue reading »
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