World Affairs
-
The Chinese seem to have given up on Morrison
We think it can’t get worse, then it does. Scott Morrison mocks the idea of talking to the new Chinese Ambassador, at least not until China agrees to have dialogue with Australian government ministers. Continue reading »
-
To end war, a language of peace, for Ukraine and for Russia
Despite hatreds generated by aggression and slaughter, a ceasefire in Ukraine depends on respect for the dignity of all parties and on their potential to recognise a common humanity. Continue reading »
-
In Indonesia the past is another country
Nationalism in the world’s fourth largest nation is rising – but so far unthreatening. Indonesian passions are being driven not by demagoguery but through discovery of the country’s pre-colonial, pre-Islam heritage with added ghosts. Continue reading »
-
Ukraine and the Americanised future of Western Europe
The proximate cause of the war in Ukraine, Wolfgang Streeck argues in a recent article, is Russia’s murderous assault on a neighbouring country with which it once shared a common state. Continue reading »
-
Vladimir Putin made a terrible mistake, and his concessions on Ukraine are a sign of his weakened position
For the first time the Russia-Ukraine negotiations look as if they might produce a peace deal as a top Russian defence official says that Russia will “dramatically” reduce its military activities around Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv. Continue reading »
-
Time to talk peace terms with Russia
On March 7, Russia stated three aims for its invasion of Ukraine: official Ukrainian neutrality, recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, and recognition of the independence of pro-Russian separatist regions in Luhansk and Donetsk. Continue reading »
-
How Russia teaches China by counter example about the weaponisation of the global economy
Moscow may have launched a hot war in Ukraine, but the West has declared total financial warfare on Russia. That is a unique learning experience for Beijing, one it will take full advantage of in the years ahead Continue reading »
-
China’s military expansion
China’s military expansion is modest .It was recently reported that there are now four Chinese military installations outside of China’s borders and Wikipedia was used to support the claim. Continue reading »
-
Australia-China relations: will “face” trump trade?
China’s refusal to deal with Australia at Ministerial level is likely to frustrate its effort to join an important Pacific trade agreement. Continue reading »
-
In Asian Media: Imran Khan hits turbulent point in Pakistan politics
In Asia Media: Blinken draws an admission from Myanmar; US has big problem in India; food security a looming concern; South Korea logs a sad COVID record; and HK food goes back to basics Continue reading »
-
Keep calm and carry on with President Widodo
There’ll be few Valentine’s Day greetings and faux flower mall displays in Indonesia two years hence. That’s not because Muslim scholars will again warn followers not to celebrate ‘values that are considered to be against the Islamic Sharia.’ Continue reading »
-
Quad in trouble in new cold war.
For those in Australia clinging to the ‘‘Indo-Pacific’’ as the titular proof of a new regional zeitgeist, where India is concerned, they are relying on a strategic partner that simply does not exist. Continue reading »
-
Ukraine’s tragedy and its implications
My observations (and worries) about the escalating war in Europe’s biggest breadbasket and largest country by area (after Russia). Continue reading »
-
ASEAN/US summit postponement raises serious questions for ASEAN about relations with US and China
ASEAN and its members want to be courted on their own merits and not as part of a scheme targeting China. Continue reading »
-
Western media hypocrisy in reporting from Ukraine
For eight years Ukraine’s military and ultra-nationalists militias have felt free to try to ravage the two Donbas hold-outs, beginning with the total destruction of a large modern airport of Donetsk. Continue reading »
-
China’s elite gag on ‘Vlad the Toxic’
China’s top people see a successful country standing tall in the world. Now their leader is tarring it all by association with the wrecker and war criminal in Moscow. Continue reading »
-
Is it people with disability or people with disabilities
The term “people with disability” as it is so often used when discussion turns to the “rights” of people sounds misleading and incorrect to me. Continue reading »
-
China’s Ukraine dilemma
China has clearly been vacillating about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, abstaining from votes in the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly and in various public pronouncements avoiding any reference to “war” or “invasion.” Continue reading »
-
Hong Kong’s assured future beyond 2047 by China is a fillip for everybody
Local people, foreign investors and the commercial world can now put their minds at rest. It will be business as usual after 2047, not least for the common law legal system and the rule of law Continue reading »
-
Jake Johnson-Ukraine, Russia reportedly making ‘Significant progress” on a 15-Point peace deal
“Our position at the negotiations is quite specific—legally verified security guarantees; ceasefire; withdrawal of Russian troops,” said an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Continue reading »
-
Tobias Debiel and Herbert Wulf: Escalation and de-escalation in the Ukraine War-A German perspective
Demonization and humiliation do not pave the way to the negotiating table. Continue reading »
-
Russia and Ukraine
Moscow (read Putin) had his reasons for wanting to invade Ukraine. Continue reading »
-
Jim Green-Nuclear facilities targeted in Russia’s war on Ukraine
Several nuclear facilities in Ukraine have been attacked by the Russian military over the past fortnight: a nuclear research facility at Kharkiv; two radioactive waste storage sites; the Chernobyl nuclear site (which no longer has operating reactors); and the operating Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Continue reading »
-
Rodney Lewis -The Morrison Government is proposing astounding discrimination against vulnerable aged care residents
When our Parliament is presented with a Bill which removes fundamental rights and liberties of a discrete cohort of Australians only, a cacophony of objections may be expected. In this case however, the victims have no voice. Continue reading »
-
Double standards by the International Criminal Court
Are the people of Ukraine more worthy and valuable than the people of Yemen? Continue reading »
-
Russian, Western and Ukrainian perspectives on the crisis
It is sometimes said of the war in Syria that there aren’t even any bad ideas for resolving the conflict, let alone good ones. The war in Ukraine is quickly approaching a similarly intractable state. This is how it looks through Russian, Western and Ukrainian eyes. Continue reading »
-
Measuring the decibels of piety in Indonesia
Visitors to Indonesia beware: Sound off about visual pollution from billboards or trash in rivers or the CO2 assaults on lungs and listeners will nod. Continue reading »
-
Russia, China and the Game of Weiqi. Ukraine is not a predictor of Taiwan
Scott Morrison is beating up fear of an Arc of Autocracy in a bid to boost his electoral chances. This short-term objective will not help Australia win the complex game of Weiqi chess currently being played in our region. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is not a predictor of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, and Continue reading »
-
Giving peace a chance in Ukraine
The final possibility would be a negotiated peace whereby the parties address the main issues in contention and come up with treaty language to resolve them. Continue reading »
-
One SWIFT motion and the Israeli occupation is over
Imagine that Israel is invading the Gaza Strip once more. The usual killing, destruction and ruin. Continue reading »
Top 5 most read
- Strategists admit West is goading China into war
US military experts say a war over Taiwan is desirable,… - The destructive Rupert Murdoch
The grim news is that Rupert's heir, Lachlan, is a… - Even if the Liberals win, Morrison won’t
Since television arrived (and probably a bit before) it has… - The track record of Peter Dutton’s incompetence
Failing up is a common phenomenon in many organisations -… - Morrison Government’s high risk visa switch for…
We are on a very slippery slope with these visas…
