Politics
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George Pell: the Faith vs the Institution
Cardinal George Pell’s vision of a church beyond criticism, its edicts to be slavishly followed, and governed almost exclusively by elderly men sits very uncomfortably with Christ’s proclamation of the Kingdom of God and our contemporary world. Continue reading »
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West just cannot decide whether it actually wants China to fail
With Western ‘unity’ enabled by Iran’s nuclear scheme and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China must not oblige with ruinous cross-strait war. Continue reading »
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Japan’s military build-up met with suspicion, alarm: Asian Media Report
In Asian media this week: Developing world rejects nonsensical Cold War; Japan moves from ‘shield’ to ‘spear’; opinion against military build-up; court asked to review new penal code; vote-buying an investment in graft; and differing views of Xinjiang. Continue reading »
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How Hong Kong leader’s Middle East tour could herald seismic shift in China-Saudi Arabia relationship
As geopolitical winds tilt China and Saudi Arabia towards greater interdependence, Hong Kong could play a critical role in unlocking both countries’ strategic objectives. John Lee must position Hong Kong to deliver unique value in the emerging petro-yuan market in a way that complements Riyadh’s development as a trading centre for renminbi securities. Continue reading »
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US may help Ukraine launch an offensive on Crimea
In a new article titled “U.S. Warms to Helping Ukraine Target Crimea,” the New York Times reports that the Biden administration now believes Kyiv may need to launch an offensive on the territory that Moscow has considered a part of the Russian Federation since 2014, “even if such a move increases the risk of escalation.” Continue reading »
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New Zealand’s Prime Minister Ardern resigns
Jacinda Ardern who has led New Zealand with intelligence, kindness and humanity is leaving the stage. Her last day as Prime Minister will be February 7. Continue reading »
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Killing Times: Indonesia grapples with legacy of government-organised mass murder
When is a purge a genocide? When a young Australian researcher finds solid evidence that’s long eluded international scholars, proving the minds of millions have been poisoned with lies. Continue reading »
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Extremism and the sensible centre
The labelling of people as ‘extremists’ or ‘radicals’ – as abolitionists and women’s suffrage advocates were once called – is determined not by the soundness of the views expressed, but by the relative scarcity of the people expressing them in proportion to the amount of people holding different views in the ‘sensible centre’. Given the Continue reading »
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Russia consolidates in East Mediterranean
The curtain is coming down on the brutal 11-year old Syrian conflict, which former US President and Nobel Laureate Barack Obama initiated, as the Arab Spring swept through West Asia two decades ago. The United States has suffered yet another big setback in West Asia as the year 2022 draws to a close. The unfolding Continue reading »
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The Iraq war, Fallujah and Jim Molan
The late Jim Molan will be remembered for many things. Few will remember him for the widespread violence by Coalition troops under Molan’s command during the brutal assault on Fallujah and other Sunni cities during the illegal occupation of Iraq in late 2004. Continue reading »
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At war, the US dollar is on the brink of collapse
The US is at war, and the dollar is at risk of imminent collapse. Australia’s lobbying of the United States as a good ally should focus on these issues above all else. Continue reading »
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Broadening the Health workforce: Assisting primary care
The whole Health System – including patients – need to contribute to the important debate on primary care reform and the Health System of the Future. Continue reading »
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Cricket Australia’s ‘Afghanistan problem’
In cancelling its scheduled March series of three one-day matches against Afghanistan, Australian Cricket takes us into familiarly problematic territory. It brings to mind the battle, fought for two decades against South Africa’s apartheid regime, where cricket and rugby boycotts played a significant role. Continue reading »
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When ambassadorial style overshadows the diplomatic substance
Japan’s Ambassador to Australia, HE Shingo Yamagami, enjoys his media profile. He appears frequently on Sky News, advises Australia publicly on how it should manage its official relations with China, and describes himself as a former spymaster. Maybe the Ambassador aspires to be a legend in his own lunchtime. Continue reading »
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David McBride: the Army whistleblower. Read the full interview here
“When a soldier dies, the one thing we need to be able to do is to look their widow in the eye and say, “Your husband didn’t die in vain”. If that is bullshit and their husband died for nothing, then that is an outrage.” Continue reading »
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What ails Britain? Don’t mention Brexit
I’ve been asked to come out of blogging retirement, temporarily, to explain why Brexit has been at the root of Britain’s most serious problems since Brexit was decided in 2016 and which a growing body of commentators rate as a colossal mistake. Contrary to Boris Johnson’s repeated assertions, Brexit has not yet been done and Continue reading »
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Militarised Japan and the Biden-Kishida summit signal moment in the New Cold War
Across the Indo-Pacific, as well as in the escalating Ukraine War, humanity stands an accident or miscalculation away from the calamity of nuclear war. Continue reading »
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Japanese Ambassador breaches protocol, pushes Australia to embrace ‘China threat’
As a nation Japan would not win many Nobel peace prizes. Continue reading »
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HIMARS: Australia’s missile fetishism
The announcement this month by the Albanese government that Australia would be acquiring HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) batteries from the United States can be put down to a few factors. One is that sense of being left out of the club. If European states can have such launchers with seemingly devastating effect, why Continue reading »
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Are allegations of bogus asylum claims valid?
Hannah Dickinson, an asylum lawyer from the Asylum Seeker Rights Centre, is reported in The Canberra Times to “have rubbished suggestions people are seizing on huge backlogs of asylum applications to lodge bogus claims for protection”. Continue reading »
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The Voice is an invitation to the Australian people
The nation is approaching a watershed decision. Are we brave enough to try and correct the wrongs of the past? Continue reading »
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The biggest threat to Venezuelan democracy is the USA
“The U.S. government believes that the only democratic institution in Venezuela is an assembly that has not met in seven years and whose term has expired,” writes Vijay Prashad, an Indian historian, editor and journalist in a recent article from Consortium News. Continue reading »
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All warfare is based on deception
“All warfare is based on deception”. Sun Tzu, The Art of War Continue reading »
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Israel’s ‘most right wing government’: Who are they?
What do we know about the new Israeli government apart from the now much touted ‘the most right wing government in Israel history’? And what does this new government mean for Israel, Palestine and the so called ‘two state solution’? Continue reading »
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My dinner with Dr. Martin Luther King
It was 1967 in America. I was a student at Drew University and it was my role on the Student Council to invite speakers for the student forums. I wrote to Dr King. Would he come to speak to us? He wrote back to say he would. Continue reading »
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Can the United States provide an off-ramp for Putin?
If you believe that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was unprovoked, then perhaps you should read no further. And, if you believe that Vladimir Putin will allow the United States and Europe to bring Ukraine into the Western security orbit, then once again you should read no further. Continue reading »
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Israel helps Ukraine whitewash its Nazis
Representatives of Ukraine’s neo-Nazi Azov Battalion have been touring Israel to drum up support for the unit’s imprisoned fighters. They have been meeting with Israeli politicians and soldiers. Continue reading »
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Europe and the legitimisation of deception
The U.S., having no need of or gift for statecraft, has long practiced what I’ve taken to calling the diplomacy of no diplomacy. You can’t expect much from bimbos such as Antony Blinken or Wendy Sherman, Blinken’s No. 2 at the State Department. All they can do is roar, even if they are mice next Continue reading »
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Albo is in denial. He seeks protection and reassurance
Instead of thinking through and independently acting in Australia’s best interests, Prime Minister Albanese has followed in the footsteps of his discredited predecessors and outsourced defence and foreign policy to the US. Continue reading »
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Will engaging China in WTO multilateral trade discussions help reset relations?
The current WTO rules were negotiated during the Uruguay Round without China involved or even in mind. The expectation was that China would evolve into a market economy and WTO rules would apply. China has not evolved as expected; should China change its state-controlled economy, or should WTO rules be rewritten to accommodate China? Continue reading »
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