World Affairs
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Brian Johnstone. The Right to Freedom of Speech
During his flights to Sri Lanka and the Philippines, Pope Francis spoke of the massacre of the staff of a French magazine Charlie Hebdo and others at a kosher supermarket, which killed 17 persons. The attack was in reprisal for satirical depictions of the prophet Muhammad. “One cannot make war [or] kill in the name Continue reading »
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War on terror leads to unusual friendships.
Paul McGeough in the SMH of January 31 draws attention to our dubious links to Middle East countries that have appalling human rights records. Our Governor General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, having given advice to Prime Minister Abbott on a knighthood on Prince Philip decided that he need not be in Australia for Australia Day, but Continue reading »
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Clive Kessler. A rage against history.
The Ottawa parliament, Café Lindt, Charlie Hebdo and so many others too: these are all separate incidents. But they are all part of the same global phenomenon. They are all expressions of a rage against history that lurks within modern Islam and animates Muslim militants worldwide today. It is a rage that has its source Continue reading »
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High Court decision on Tamil asylum seekers
The majority decided that the detention from 1 to 27 July 2014 was lawful at all times and thus there was no claim to damages for the detention. Continue reading »
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Brian Johnstone. The right to freedom of speech.
The recent murders perpetrated in France have been rightly condemned by all people who take seriously morality and human rights. However, the accompanying discussion of the right to freedom of speech has reflected different points of view. For some the right to freedom of speech means the claim to be free to say whatever Continue reading »
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Ian Coller. Liberty, equality, fraternity: redefining ‘French’ values in the wake of Charlie Hebdo.
Beyond the tourist fantasy of the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, France today is a fabulously colourful mixture of Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, atheists. This is the situation all over Europe. Yet many Europeans are deeply uneasy with this diversity. The names of Charlie Hebdo victims reveal the diversity hidden by the Je suis Continue reading »
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Wendy Sharpe – Asylum seeker portraits and stories
The Asylum Seekers Centre is presenting an art exhibition – ‘Seeking Humanity’ – by renowned Australian artist, Wendy Sharpe. It opens in Ultimo, Sydney, on 17 February, for four weeks, before moving to Canberra on 20 March, and then Penrith. It is not about politics, but puts a human face to those who have fled situations of great Continue reading »
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Héctor Abad Faciolince : Against Submission
I am forever indebted to the Catholic Church and Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo. When I was a happy and irreverent twenty year old student at the Pontifical University, I published an article in which I openly insulted the Holy Father. “The Meddling Pope”, it was called. I say that I am forever indebted to the Continue reading »
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Charlie Hebdo – Freedom of expression in an imperfect society.
In this article, Paul McGeough in the SMH says ‘Yes, it is utterly inappropriate to go round shooting those who cause offence, but is it appropriate to go round causing offence?’ Paul McGeough also recalled that when Charlie Hebdo republished the controversial Danish cartoons of the prophet Muhammad in 2006, then French President Jacques Chirac Continue reading »
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John Menadue. Mission creep in Iraq again
I have reposted below my blog of September 1 last year about the developing pattern of mission-creep in Iraq. Now, four months later, we are seeing it happening again. Last week in Iraq Tony Abbott made it clear that Australia was receptive to any further requests to send more Australian military to Iraq. Tony Abbott, Continue reading »
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Charlie Hebdo and Algeria.
Robert Fisk of The Independent traces the Charlie Hebdo massacre back to the French occupation and disaster in Algeria. See link to this article below. http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/charlie-hebdo-paris-attack-brothers-campaign-of-terror-can-be-traced-back-to-algeria-in-1954-9969184.html Continue reading »
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Walter Hamilton. Crunch Time for Abenomics
Is it time to declare Abenomics, the recession-busting strategy of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a failure? If so, was the recent Japanese election purely an exercise for Shinzo Abe to protect himself and the ruling coalition from a half-awake electorate before the deluge? Launched with much fanfare in 2012, Abenomics promised to cure deflation, Continue reading »
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Allan Patience. Liberty or Narcissism?
On the Need for a Wider Debate about Charlie Hebdo No one can justify the recent brutal murders of the French journalists and police in Paris. However, the belief that this act constitutes an attack on free speech and freedom of the press is in grave danger of being over-stated. What is missing in Continue reading »
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John Menadue. Australia and the White Man’s Media
I have said many times that a person from Mars who read and listened to Australian media would conclude that we are an island parked off London or New York with little relationship to Asia. Our news and media coverage is so derivative, relying heavily on the BBC, CNN and other news and entertainment houses Continue reading »
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Israel must be its own worst enemy.
The Palestinians have requested that they join the International Criminal Court. It could be a double-edged sword if both Palestinian and Israelis were brought before the International Court. But most people would believe that joining the International Court would be an important way to demonstrate that the Palestinians wanted to join the international community and Continue reading »
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The Chinese are coming.
After WWII the financial hegemony of the US and Europe in the IMF and International Bank was established. Later, the Japanese came to dominate the Asian Development Bank. That is now being challenged by China. See article below by William Pesek in ‘Bloomberg View’, subject ‘China steps in as world’s new bank’. John Menadue. http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-12-25/china-steps-in-as-worlds-new-bank Continue reading »
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Richard Butler. Russia.
Tony Abbott and Julie Bishop have been playing loosely in our relations with Russia even thought those relations are quite modest, at least as far as the Russians are concerned. Threatening to ‘shirt-front’ President Putin is not a dignified way to behave with a major nuclear power. Our recent behaviour towards Russia underlines that prejudices Continue reading »
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Malcolm Fraser. Australia’s dangerous ally.
The National Interest, in its January/February 2015 edition has just published an article by Malcolm Fraser, ‘Australia’s dangerous ally’. The National Interest is not sold on news stands in Australia, but it is available online. Malcolm Fraser concludes his article by suggesting several steps that Australia should take to address problems in our relationship with Continue reading »
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What a disgrace! Australia at the UN on Palestine.
Concluding our two year term on the Security Council, Australia voted against the proposal in the Council demanding Israel and the occupation of Palestinian territories end within two years. For the resolution to pass, nine votes were needed. Eight countries voted in favour of the resolution, including China, Russia, Luxembourg, France and Jordan. Five countries Continue reading »
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Brian Johnstone. Terrorism and torture – the Catholic tradition.
In Australia today, we accept that a person who has expressed ideas that justify terrorism may be restrained from acting out those ideas. But we would not justify torturing a person suspected of harbouring such notions to force him to reveal them or to reject such ideas. However, surveys in the Western world find that Continue reading »
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What will Israel become?
In the International New York Times of December 20, Roger Cohen focuses on the future of Israel. He says ‘Every day … another European Government or parliament expresses support for recognition of a Palestinian state … In the space of a few weeks something has shifted. The Leader of the Labor Party, Isaac Herzog has Continue reading »
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John Menadue. The accident prone Julie Bishop.
I have written before about Julie Bishop’s mistakes as Foreign Minister despite the media spin that she has successfully generated. Those articles were: ‘Julie Bishop – Substance and Style’ on the 18th November; and ‘Julie Bishop -‘Undiplomatic, politically partisan and wrong’ on 22 November. Just recall her foolish attack on President Obama over the Great Continue reading »
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Brian Johnstone. How to Respond to Terrorism?
How can we make sense of the contemporary situation of increasing violence? Some groups engage in terrorism against other groups and these engage in torture as a means of defeating the terrorism of the others? In liberal states torture is condemned as immoral; some seek to prohibit it by law, others defend it as a Continue reading »
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Kerry Murphy. Intra-religious conflict.
Most violent deaths of Muslims in the world are due to others claiming to be Muslims. The conflicts in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria are all predominantly conflicts within the Islamic community. This is strongly felt within the communities but not usually reported in the mainstream media. This week in Peshawar in north western Pakistan, Continue reading »
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John Menadue. The Sydney seige and social misfits. Will we ever learn?
I posted the following blog ‘Will we ever learn?’ on 27 October this year. Amongst other things it highlighted the domestic risks that would result from the Abbott Government’s decision to join the war in Iraq and Syria. Keysar Trad from the Islamic Friendship Association has today described the hostage taker and killer as a Continue reading »
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Cavan Hogue. Petroshenko visit.
President Petroshenko should be received courteously and his visit should be used to seek further trade with Ukraine. There is no reason to avoid cordial relations with Ukraine but our Government is going a lot further than that. Ukraine is a distant European country where we have limited interests. The Prime Minister appears to be Continue reading »
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Walter Hamilton. Japanese election.
Four more years of… Oh, by the way, Japan is having a national election on Sunday. Has anyone told the Japanese? Some are calling it the “Seinfeld election”––the election about nothing. Which probably suits Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who called it two years early, with no apparent justification. Others have cynically observed that some in Continue reading »
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John Menadue. Temporary Protection Visas and the Senate cross-bench.
I wish that the Rudd, Gillard and Abbott Governments had done things very differently on refugee policies. But faced with the impasse at the present time, I welcome the compromise arrangement which the government has negotiated with the senate cross benches – two senators from the Palmer Group, Nick Xenophon, Ricky Muir, Bob Day and Continue reading »
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John Menadue. Our Environment Minister is not going to Lima
Almost all countries will have their climate change or environment ministers at the UN Climate Change Conference which commences this week in Lima, Peru. This conference is in preparation for the crucial conference on climate change in Paris next year. But our Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, will not be there. Tony Abbott is sending his Continue reading »
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Refugees – some middle ground is opening up.
See below a speech made in the Senate on 4 December by Senator Xenophon. The Senator was one of six cross-bench senators who negotiated with the government for a compromise on the contentious Migration Bill. Senator XENOPHON (South Australia) (12:17): Australia’s migration policies have always had a long and vexed history. They have been, and Continue reading »
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