World
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What are the possible endgames in the Ukraine war?
Prudent nations would do well to prepare for peace even in the midst of an armed conflict. Continue reading »
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Russia and China draw ‘Red Lines’ on their borders; US draws them on the other side of the planet
Reacting to China’s announcement that it will be putting forward a proposal for a political settlement to end the war in Ukraine, the US ambassador to the United Nations said that if China begins arming Russia in that conflict this will be a “red line” for the United States. Continue reading »
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The West’s grand Illusions in Ukraine
The Grand Illusions of the leaders of Western Democracies are crashing to defeat in Ukraine. Continue reading »
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A plan for human survival
Among the world’s many pressing needs, the most urgent of all is a plan for human survival. And Australia should be the country to lead its creation. Continue reading »
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What would war with China look like for Australia? Part 2
Australians could wake up one morning to the news that we are at war with China. Continue reading »
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Fighting to the last Ukrainian
On Tuesday, General Mark Milley, chair of the American joint chiefs of staff declared, in effect, that Russian had been militarily defeated in Ukraine. Russia, he said, was now a global pariah, and the world remained inspired by Ukrainian bravery and resilience. Continue reading »
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Murdoch media problems
The good news for the Murdoch media is that it’s not the most distrusted brand in Australia – despite the efforts of its journalists. Continue reading »
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In Kashmir’s cycles of violence, progeny of former counterinsurgents are trapped in traumatic past
Ganderbal, India – The sun has just come out on a grey wintery afternoon and the snow-clad peaks of Harmukh are shining in the distance, casting sharp reflections over the horizon. Continue reading »
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Troubled US could learn from its differences with China, rather than simply challenge them
Difference is intrinsically good, a vital force behind creativity and innovation, and an essential ingredient for international competition. It becomes a negative force only when people or governments try to impose those differences on others, and this is not something China has done. Continue reading »
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T20: blessing or curse to cricket?
Several developments in recent times suggest that T20 is a potential danger to cricket. Continue reading »
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The Japanese Ambassador in Canberra is being withdrawn
Journalists Matthew Knott and Andrew Tillett and other anti China hawks cultivated by Yamagami-san will be particularly disappointed that they will lose their anti China news feed as well as their sushi and sake. Continue reading »
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Marcos beware: US militarisation of the Philippines endangers regional peace and stability
When Ferdinand E Marcos was elected the 10th president of the Philippines in 1965, it was with the support of the United States. Laudatory articles about him appeared in the American media, and the US vice president, Hubert Humphrey, attended his inauguration. The US saw him as an amenable politician who was also popular, although Continue reading »
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Myths and a Ukrainian settlement
As the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches and an escalation in the conflict on the ground seems likely with the passing of winter, it is appropriate to begin to think about the terms of a possible settlement. Continue reading »
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Exposed: the US ‘atrocity fabrication’ industry demonising rival states
Shocking false narratives are concocted by the west to create animosity towards rivals, says 500-page study from University of London researcher. Continue reading »
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AUKUS: time to talk about time and submarines
Scheduled for the 2040s, while the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines might never eventuate, the theatre surrounding the announcement provides a publicly-digestible narrative for the surrender of Northern Australia to the American military in the present day. Continue reading »
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The Order of Australia system: a bunyip aristocracy
The Order of Australia system is a bunyip aristocracy that reflects the hierarchies of British society in which the high and mighty get the cream and others are left with the skimmed milk. Continue reading »
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China statecraft must avoid war with US and keep Taiwan peace
It would be a grave mistake for Beijing to respond in kind in the face of incessant provocations and escalations by America and its allies. Continue reading »
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Australia’s national security strategy: no room for peace, arms control?
In contrast to Labor politicians such as Paul Keating, Bill Hayden, Gareth Evans and Gough Whitlam, the four part series recently published by Keating and Stanford on Australian national security sees no place for arms control measures and peace initiatives. Continue reading »
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From cold war precipice to non-alignment and peace
It is time Australia made a big, if bold, shift in its foreign policy and put up its hand to be a part of the Non-aligned movement. Continue reading »
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The Frontier Thesis and the middle kingdom
It goes without saying, and even better with saying, that America’s destiny is now tied up with China, which means so too is Australia’s. Continue reading »
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An economy that shrinks quantity and grows quality
Recent debate on this site about economic growth and environmental protection highlights the very narrow and limiting framing of mainstream economics, and points to the far more positive prospect that is available to us if we can broaden our vision. Continue reading »
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My sources corroborate Hersh’s Nord Stream Report: notes from The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix
My sources corroborate Seymour Hersh’s report that the US was behind the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage. (My sources are logic, common sense, and public statements by US government officials.) Continue reading »
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Far from dying, a new globalisation is emerging – driven by China and the digital economy
An important feature of the new globalisation is China’s Global Development Initiative and a renewed, non-exploitative focus on the Global South. The other is the growth of the digital economy and non-dollar-denominated digital currencies that enable cross-border trade. Continue reading »
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The US sees China through the dark mirror of its own unbridled aggression
As China grows and prospers many in the US want us to believe that China will follow the same path that the US itself pursued- global military aggression, the overthrow of numerous governments around the world and persecution of minorities at home. Continue reading »
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China containment line buttressed: Asian Media report
In Asian media this week – Taiwan key to first island chain control. Plus: US fosters belief war is inevitable; why the West thinks it speaks for the world; independence anniversary but nothing to celebrate; balloon saga shows why US must act tough; nothing can live in Manila Bay. Continue reading »
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How much blood are we prepared to let extremists spill?
JK Rowling recently tweeted a defence of her bigotry, conflating trans people with, in her words, “violent, duplicitous rapists”. Continue reading »
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A sovereign SSN capability and Australia’s national security strategy
There is no way that the UK or the US would ever contemplate surrendering sovereignty over the control of its military operations to any other power. Australia should not either. If Australia is to acquire a fleet of SSNs, the government needs to negotiate an agreement that avoids counter-productive short cuts and ensures sovereign control Continue reading »
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Lessons from the earthquake disasters in Turkey and Syria
At personal, national and international levels, crises provide learning opportunities. How to adapt to loss by seeking change, how to think differently about family, community and nation by, among other things, pondering the meaning of security and sovereignty. Continue reading »
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Nuclear submarines: from “optimal” to “the best they can get”
The announcement of the Australian Government’s decision on the purchase of nuclear powered submarines is looming and it is timely to take a cold hard look at the “facts” rather than the inevitable spin. The more Prime Minister Albanese maintains this will be a momentous decision for Australia the more it should have been the Continue reading »
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The role of alliances in Australia’s national security strategy
While alliances and treaties offer some protection against an aggressor, they cannot be counted upon. Australia needs to maintain an independent military capability to deter possible future threats to our independence – not least because we cannot rely on the US in all possible future circumstances. Continue reading »
