World Affairs
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Why did they shoot? Pakistan’s unprecedented incident of state-sanctioned violence
Of the two billion voters who set out to vote across 60 countries last year, 33 percent were from the Commonwealth, a 56-member union with 2.7 billion citizens. In 2024, demands for democracy and human rights characterised elections worldwide. But many voters within the Commonwealth faced more dangerous political environments, where peaceful resistance was met Continue reading »
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Hugh White is stirring the China pot again
For more than 40 years Hugh White has been an important analyst of Australian defence and foreign policy. Continue reading »
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Only pathetic bootlickers spend their energy criticising China
The buzz around Xiaohongshu and then DeepSeek has had an unusually high volume of westerners speaking positively about China for the last couple of weeks, which of course means we’re also seeing many westerners falling all over themselves to say “Well actually China is actually quite bad actually” in response. Continue reading »
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The Year of the Snake: unseen bogs; unbridled good-luck
Amidst colourful lion dances and whatnots, many Chinese community leaders will, once again, fete their white guardian angels at fanciful Chinese New Year banquets, at one venue or another, throughout this wide brown homeland of their heirs. These felicitous communions no doubt lend weight for many Aussie pollies to boast about ours being the most Continue reading »
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How can pro-Palestine protests be intimidating to Jews when Jews attend them?
Jillian Segal, a former President of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and now Australia’s controversial Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, has described weekly pro-Palestine protests as “intimidatory” to the Jewish community. Adding to this narrative, U.S. Rabbi Abraham Cooper has urged Kevin Rudd to move these protests away from the CBDs to “less disruptive Continue reading »
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Yoon’s fall sets up a comeback for South Korea’s progressives
South Korea is on the brink of major political upheaval following Yoon Seok-yeol’s declaration of martial law and subsequent impeachment. While there is a chance Yoon could be reinstated, his removal would pave the way for a new presidential election likely to be won by Lee Jae-myung. Lee’s sweeping parliamentary support could drive substantial domestic Continue reading »
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How the Chinese beat Trump and OpenAI
The hype around Artificial Intelligence, the now failed U.S. attempt to monopolise it, and the recent counter from China are a lesson in how to innovate. They also show that the U.S. is losing the capability to do so. Continue reading »
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Help defend the Jewish Council’s anti-racism work against Murdoch press smear campaign
Today marks 237 years since the commencement of the violent dispossession of First Nations peoples from this land. It represents a day of mourning and protest. We are reluctant to email you about anything other than this today, but we feel it is important to keep you informed about the vicious and escalating attacks on Continue reading »
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1st call between Marco Rubio and Wang Yi
Neither State Department nor MOFA is gonna like this piece. Continue reading »
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Donald Trump’s return: gloves off reset
Donald Trump’s return to power for a second term has sent ripples across the globe. On his first day in office, he wielded executive authority with vigour, signing many executive orders, including withdrawing the US from the Paris Agreement for the second time. This move reversed the country’s climate commitments yet again, signalling Trump’s prioritisation Continue reading »
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Trump ‘angling for deal’ with Xi – Asian Media Report
In Asian media this week: President links China to Panama Canal face-off. Plus: Weaknesses in America’s Asian pact latticework; Government, industry behind Tokyo’s RAN frigates bid; Thai support for Myanmar scams points to corruption; Beijing pushes soft power through video games; 57 arrested over Dalit schoolgirl abuse. Continue reading »
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China Media Watch
Reports of Uyghur forced labour imports to Australia: The mainstream media continues to produce China reports that are agenda driven, biased and based on poor or no research. There is no balance and rather than be constructive, there’s an all-out determination to be destructive. Continue reading »
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US “blunt force trauma” trade strategy treated with Chinese acupuncture
At this time it seems impossible to avoid discussing President Trump and his approach to China. What is less often discussed is China’s approach to Trump. Continue reading »
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Under Trump, the US and China may be greater friends than ever
Much has been said about the impending trade war amid Donald Trump’s threats to implement new tariffs against China, Mexico and Canada. But while many fear this could exacerbate tensions between China and the United States, we could find China is not as impacted as first thought. Continue reading »
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Whitewashing a dictator
Informed observers are amazed that the blackened legacy of Ferdinand E. Marcos has been sanitised to such an extent that his only son Bong Bong Marcos could become the 17th elected president of the Philippines in June 2022. Who on earth can take the Philippines seriously ever again? Continue reading »
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Marwan Barghouti – the world’s most important hostage – must be released
A litmus test of Israel’s commitment to abandon genocide and start down the road towards lasting peace is whether they choose to release the most important of all the hostages, Marwan Barghouti. During the past 22 years in Israeli prisons he has been beaten, tortured, sexually molested and had limbs broken. What hasn’t been broken Continue reading »
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Australia must choose between economic prosperity and subservience to the US trade and military agenda
Australian Government cabinet papers from 30 years ago show that Australian leaders suspected that the claims of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq were probably false. However, Australia committed troops because Australia wanted to ingratiate itself with the United States and was prepared to break international law to do so. This sets the standard for Continue reading »
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Elitists touched up by one of their own – The Callick case
The Murdoch Press sure knows how to whip up an eye-catching headline – it may be its longest suit. True to form, on 19 January 25 The Weekend Australian ran a corker – “HOW THE AMERICAN HATERS IN OUR MIDST GO EASY ON CHINA.” Continue reading »
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Yesterday’s man is stuffing up
Trump Two is the world’s big story – will he fly high and take the dollar aloft – or crash and fry? Whatever, he’s shading the sun from the right-wing blusterer next door who isn’t doing well after three months. Duncan Graham reports. Continue reading »
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From Kabumba to Uganda: A story of survival, advocacy, and hope
Mulumehoderwa Balangalizi, also known as Jean Peter, was born in 1999 in the village of Kabumba, located in the Kanyola zone of Walungu District in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). For much of his early life, Kabumba was home to his family’s farmland and a mountain rich with minerals—resources that eventually brought turmoil to Continue reading »
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Will Trump’s hard line on Beijing ‘blow up’ Canberra’s China policy?
Canberra insiders fear the second coming of Donald Trump could bring pressure on Australia to disown its “stabilisation” policy with Beijing. Continue reading »
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Pakistan’s Imran Khan: will he be ‘liberated’ by Trump?
On the day a court in Pakistan finally pronounced its verdict in one of the more credible cases against Imran Khan, The New York Times published a report from its Islamabad correspondent Salman Masood about the “messianic certainty” among the former prime minister’s supporters in the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) that the incoming US president will Continue reading »
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Thanks Trump, for helping make China great again
Donald Trump’s second term may not be all bad for all nations, including and especially China. For many Chinese internet users, Trump’s policies have unwittingly strengthened their country. This is why he has earned the popular nickname “Chuan Jianguo,” which means “Make China Great.” Continue reading »
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Humpty Dumpty and the Rules Based International Order
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.” Lewis Caroll-Through the Continue reading »
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“Black Myth” in the Festive Season: Write your own journey to the East
Dumplings on the dinner table, festive greetings everywhere, and an intriguing online adventure that keeps you hooked from start to finish. Continue reading »
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Can Trump trump China (or vice versa)?
Gaza, Haiti, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela: President-elect Donald Trump will face no shortage of foreign-policy challenges when he assumes office in January. None, however, comes close to China in scope, scale, or complexity. No other country has the capacity to resist his predictable antagonism with the same degree of strength and Continue reading »
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A garden of civilisations
Humanity stands at a crossroads, its future bound not to conquest but to synthesis. The world before us is not one of irreconcilable opposites locked in perpetual conflict but an intricate ecosystem of human Adaptive Systems, each defined by its strengths and vulnerabilities. Continue reading »
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President Trump and Australia’s National Security
Australia needs to try and persuade the Trump Administration that no country can expect to dominate our region and the benefits of cooperation. But if, as is likely, Trump refuses to accept a multipolar region then Australia must be prepared to act on its own and seek its security within Asia. Continue reading »
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All at (sixes and) sevens and eights: Taiwan policy
The fate of the world may well rest on Taiwan but our policy is at sixes and sevens, or rather, according to recent statements in the Australian press, at sevens and eights. Continue reading »
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The fragility of South Korean democracy
South Korea is in a dangerous political mess. President Yoon Suk-yeol has been arrested, but his dismissal and imprisonment are far from certain. His toxic ambition to eliminate ‘despicable pro-North Korean and anti-state forces’ has numerous supporters. As have his hostility towards China and his plans to develop nuclear weapons. Continue reading »