World Affairs
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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The Deglobalisation Myth
Notwithstanding calls to divert supply lines from China this is not happening except for America. Continue reading »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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The Chilcot Report: John Howard should be held in contempt by every thinking Australian
Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard has visited on Australia the whole spectre of terrorism, through his craven and ill-judged support of the United States and its invasion of Iraq. Now we live perpetually with the spectre of terrorism and racial strife, visited upon us by his prejudices and lack of judgment. Continue reading »
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China is prepared for cross-Taiwan strait reunification
“I hope to get a Chinese passport and become a Chinese citizen,” a Taiwanese student of mine once told me. “Only by being Chinese can we have confidence and become the most powerful country in the world. If we remain only Taiwanese, we are but a mere vassal of the United States,” he said with Continue reading »
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Western democracy: failure of system
Western nations are always ready to proclaim their system of governance as superior, particularly in regards to China, dismissed as being authoritarian. Increasingly however, ‘western liberal democracy’ finds itself under scrutiny with trust in government falling. Continue reading »
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Ukraine and Palestine: A double threat to US hegemony
The outcome of US-led conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia will have a profound impact on the developing world order. Washington has already lost the former, and its major adversaries are vested in making sure it loses the latter too. Continue reading »
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International Court of Justice and the Global court of Public Opinion
South Africa has presented an overwhelming brief to the international Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocidal motivation and demanding immediate cessation of such activity. The decision of the court will soon be known, but the opinion of millions, probably billons of the worlds citizens is known. Israel has crossed an uncrossable line. Continue reading »
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We need to reverse the culture of decay and march on the street for a culture of humanity
The final months of 2023 pierced our sense of hope and threw us into a kind of mortal sadness. Continue reading »
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Who is the war criminal?
John Howard took Australia into the devastating war of aggression in Iraq in March 2003 but has still not been held accountable. Continue reading »
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Fears of wider war as US, UK reportedly plot ‘imminent’ attack on Yemen’s Houthis
One prominent critic warned that renewed U.S. strikes on Yemen mean that not only will the Houthi attacks “not be stopped, but the broader war that Biden seeks to prevent will likely become a reality.” Continue reading »
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Amidst preparations for long Ukraine war, peace may come quickly
It is possible now that peace could come to Ukraine rather faster than most Western analysts are predicting, but this will only be only on terms acceptable to Russia. Continue reading »
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Trump is not the only issue, America is too
The Chicken Littles wallowing in the Augean stables of the Murdochracy are obsessing about whether or not the sky will fall if Trump wins the presidential election in November. Trump is unquestionably a squalid creature – personally, morally, politically. However, he is by no means the whole story. Continue reading »
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Myanmar’s complex civil war
Myanmar’s situation is complex: since February 2021, there is a multi-party civil war between the military coup government, the NUG (National Unity Government; successor of the Bamar-majority civil government) and its People’s defense forces, and over 30 different ethnic armed organisations (EAO’s) with shifting alliances/coalitions/loyalties, intersecting with a variety of criminal enterprises that are opportunistic Continue reading »
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What will Beijing do if Lai Ching-teh wins Taiwan’s Presidential Election?
Taiwan will hold its national presidential and legislative election on January 13. Vice President Lai Ching-teh, the pro independence candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party, leads in the polls and will likely be the next president. Continue reading »
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Biden’s Valley Forge myth-making divides America and boosts Trump
President Biden’s Valley Forge address might have felt like a feat of oratorical brilliance to the coterie that is locked into a mythical America. However, it was wildly out of touch with the views of many voters. Dismissing the genuine grievances and discontent with politics-as-usual, and not recognising that Trump provides an appealing alternative to Continue reading »
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Will 2024 be the year to rein in the military-industrial complex, the biggest threat to global peace?
The complex, a key part of US political economy, fuels geopolitical tensions and enables countries and private actors to push for and capitalise on conflict. It’s time for societies to make concerted efforts to rein it in and build a movement to educate the world about the grave threat it poses to civilisation. Continue reading »