World Affairs
-
China extends full diplomatic recognition to Taliban in blow to US
The diplomatic recognition of the Taliban government in Afghanistan on January 31, 2024 by China must be bracketed with two other far-reaching regional policy moves by Beijing in the post-cold war era —the Shanghai Five in 1996 — later renamed as Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in 2001— and the Belt and Road Initiative announced by President Continue reading »
-
China’s worrying economic policy drift
The Rhodium Group, an independent research organisation with a focus on China, says the nation’s economic policymaking process has stalled with it refusing to announce meaningful actions to overcome its pressing property and share market crashes let alone forge a clear path for the future. The full paper can be accessed here. Continue reading »
-
An opportunity for parliamentarians to work for peace
“If wars can be started with lies, peace can be started with truth,” Julian Assange: Petition EN5846 to the House of Representatives calls on the Australian government to suspend Australia’s ‘autonomous sanctions’ on Syria. A considered, conscientious response to the petition could have major implications for Australia’s foreign and defence policies. Continue reading »
-
Why Yang Hengjun should be released – he’s Walter Mitty not James Bond!
The standard media news bite is that Yang Hengjun is a Chinese born Australian pro-democracy writer who was unlawfully detained and now jailed for life in China. But the full story is murkier than that. Continue reading »
-
Is there a problem with Australia’s approach to human rights in the PRC?
Human rights in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are under increased threat. The PRC government ignores international representations. This begs the question: should Australia even attempt to intervene? What do we risk by doing so? The easy course would be to do the minimum and restrict our representations to cases where Australian citizens and Continue reading »
-
Hold the outrage
We need to be careful with the outrage over the sentencing of Yang Hengjun in China. Continue reading »
-
Why is Christian persecution often met with indifference?
It has never been more dangerous to be a Christian than today. According to the newly released 2024 World Watch List – an authoritative survey by Open Doors, an organisation that supports persecuted Christians – 365 million Christians, or one in seven, are at high or extreme risk of persecution every day because of their Continue reading »
-
A looming China-US collision – can détente come to the rescue?
The call issued by Bob Carr and Gareth Evans for a ‘comprehensive détente between the US and China is timely and constructive. But as with all things to do with peace and war, the issues are complex and the way forward strewn with difficulties. Continue reading »
-
Assange’s very life at stake
Julian Assange will soon find out whether he will be granted a final appeal in the UK in his fight against extradition to the US. He may soon be on a plane to the US where he will face the full wrath of US vengeance and cruelty. The all-rights-reserved-to-revoke ‘assurances’ provided by the US fail Continue reading »
-
The BRI gets it right
China’s Belt and Road initiative (BRI) operates on a huge scale and is the focus of rarely halted negative coverage across many prominent outlets in the Global West. A new extended article in the leading US journal, Foreign Policy, however, provides a measured, informed exception to this general rule. Continue reading »
-
‘Fire arrow’ missile: Is Kim ready for war? – Asian Media Report
In Asian media this week: Debate gets serious about North Korea’s intentions. Plus: Another Thai progressive party beaten by the court system; Pakistan’s shameful history of removing PMs; India’s Hindu temple celebration will help government; HK’s security law at sprint stage; Interest surges in Oppenheimer’s devastation Continue reading »
-
Australia must not join the US in goading China to war
There is clear evidence that US efforts to build a coalition of allies in our region is directed at containing Chinese power and developing the capability to eventually confront the Chinese military. That scenario is a nightmare for Australia. We now find certain elements of a Labor government flirting with containment and confrontation with China Continue reading »
-
Indonesians likely to vote for change
Indonesia, Australia’s largest neighbour, will go to the polls on 14 February 2024 to elect a new President. Some 160 million eligible voters are expected to turn out in the largest single-day contest. Continue reading »
-
Finding a way forward: A review of Australia’s relations with China
Let’s not reject forty years of cooperation and exchange with China. Australia has greatly benefitted from trade, investment, cultural exchange and collaboration over these decades. Now, as the United States and Europe threaten to raise tariffs, erect barriers to exchanges and prioritise security concerns, it is time to remember when we espoused multilateralism and openness. Continue reading »
-
Toxic effects of censorship on Gaza
Doctors, Teachers, Journalists, Academics are being disciplined, hauled before disciplinary bodies and even sacked for criticising the slaughter in Gaza and, most heinous sin of all, for mentioning genocide. Arrayed against those professionals is a lobby promoting the notion that criticism of Israeli government policies is anti-Semitic, hence the need to censor commentary about the Continue reading »
-
Shafted by etiquette: Gibran deploys western sarcasm in Indonesian election
Just a fortnight to Indonesia’s big 14 February election and the mood is shifting as more than 200 million electors realise the reality – they’re being played by the oligarchs like puppets. Continue reading »
-
Japan’s diplomatic wisdom: Seizing the moment with China’s visa-free proposal
Japan finds itself at a crucial juncture in its relationship with China, with an opportunity to recalibrate and enhance bilateral ties through a seemingly simple yet impactful diplomatic tool: visa policy. Continue reading »
-
Stark lessons for Australia in ICJ Genocide Ruling: But is anyone listening?
I doubt if any Australia political leader was watching the International Court of Justice President Judge, Joan E Donahue (United States of America) deliver the ruling in South Africa’s case alleging Israel has committed genocide on Palestinians in Gaza. Continue reading »
-
China: learning from Canute
Regularly, Western media claims that China’s run is near an end and that collapse is just around the corner. So constant has this become, it is like a broken gramophone record. Recently predictions of this collapse have been couched around the indebtedness of some major players in the Chinese property market. The ‘inevitable collapse’, however, Continue reading »
-
The last flurry: The US Congress and Australian Parliamentarians seek Assange’s release
On February 20, Julian Assange, the daredevil publisher of WikiLeaks, will be going into battle, yet again, with the British justice system – or what counts for it. The UK High Court will hear arguments from his team that his extradition to the United States from Britain to face 18 charges under the Espionage Act Continue reading »
-
The Deglobalisation Myth
Notwithstanding calls to divert supply lines from China this is not happening except for America. Continue reading »
-
Why I believe what I believe about the Chinese Revolution
Late last year, a colleague sent me a letter decrying some of my writings about China, notably the last newsletter of 2023. This newsletter is my response to him. Continue reading »
-
Groups intensify global push for Gaza cease-fire after ICJ ruling
“An immediate cease-fire by all parties remains essential and—although not ordered by the court—is the most effective condition to implement the provisional measures and end unprecedented civilian suffering.” Continue reading »
-
The January riots in Papua New Guinea
On 10 January, Port Moresby was rocked by riots, looting and arson on an unprecedented scale. Rioting also occurred in Lae and several other towns. More than twenty people died and there has been extensive damage to property. Continue reading »
-
Is China an economic threat?
America insists on treating China as an economic threat, but the reality is that China’s economic advancement has benefited us all. Instead, the stagnation of wages and manufacturing job losses experienced by Trump supporters in the US largely reflects the impact of technological change. Continue reading »
-
Israel now ranks among the world’s leading jailers of journalists. We don’t know why they’re behind bars
Israel has emerged as one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists, according to a newly released census compiled by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. Continue reading »
-
The obstacles that now face Chinese FDI in Australia are only partly Australia-made
In the increasingly geopolitically charged waters of international trade and investment, Chinese technology enterprises are navigating a particularly turbulent current in Australia. The growing scepticism and regulatory scrutiny they face reflect a techno-geopolitical uncertainty, with Australia caught between its economic interdependence with China and strategic alignment with the United States. Continue reading »
-
The politics of emergency time and the emerging threat of fascism
The underbelly of contemporary violence is colonialism, the politics of disposability, religious fundamentalism, neoliberalism, and raw militarism. Continue reading »
-
When Yemen does it it’s terrorism, when the US does it it’s “The Rules-Based Order”
The Biden administration has officially re-designated Ansarallah — the dominant force in Yemen also known as the Houthis — as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity. Continue reading »
-
History damns John Howard on Iraq war
Missing cabinet documents relating to the 2003 Iraq war are unlikely to reveal the impulses that drove John Howard to a disastrous foreign policy decision. Continue reading »