Some assistance is required for those trying to understand contemporary Australian foreign policy these days, especially those looking for consistency, principles and ethics which seem all too illusive. Below is a brief guide, one that generally holds regardless of whether the LNP or ALP is in power.

Crimes we aren’t concerned about because they are committed by friends and allies

• French state violence against the gilets jaunes in Paris

• Indian state terrorism in Kashmir

• United Kingdom and United States-backed Saudi and UAE atrocities in Yemen

• Washington’s attempt to overthrow the government of Venezuela

Crimes we didn’t or don’t care about or quietly support

• Indonesia’s occupation of East Timor

• Indonesian military and police violence against West Papuans

• Israel’s bombing of Syria

• Israel’s bombing of Lebanon

• Israel’s bombing of Iraq

• Israel’s attacks on civilians in Gaza

• the consequences of our invasion for the people of Iraq

Crimes we have never heard about or pretend we haven’t

 - Morocco’s illegal occupation of Western Sahara

• United States and European support for terrorists in Syria

• NATO’s attack on Libya

• Israel’s crimes in Gaza and on the West Bank

Freedom of navigation that must be upheld and maintained

• in the South China Sea

• in the Straits of Hormuz

Freedom of navigation that we aren’t interested in

• in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Gaza (illegal blockade by Israel)

Unacceptable racism and bigotry

• anti-Americanism

• anti-Semitism

Acceptable racism and bigotry

• Russophobia

• Sinophobia (more recently)

• Islamophobia

Media freedom, prisoners and journalists we support

• Peter Greste in Egypt

• Yang Hengjun in China

Media freedom, prisoners and journalists we oppose

• Julian Assange in the United Kingdom

• Edward Snowden in Russia

• Chelsea Manning in the United States

Foreign influence, spying and interference that concerns us

• from China

• from Russia

Foreign influence, spying and interference we don’t care about and never mention

• from the United States

• from the United Kingdom

• from Israel

• from Indonesia  

Countries we like to attack, invade and occupy

• North Korea

• Vietnam

• Afghanistan

• Iraq

• Libya

• Syria

Attacks on the ‘rules-based world order’ and international law that we oppose

- Russia’s annexation of Crimea

• China’s repression of the Uighur in Xinjiang Province

• China’s building of air strips in the South China Sea

• Iran’s seizure of ships in the Straits of Hormuz

Attacks on the ‘rules-based world order’ and International law that we support or stay silent about

• Israel’s illegal siege of Gaza

• Israel’s violent colonisation of the West Bank

• Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA with Iran

• Washington’s withdrawal from the Paris climate change agreement

• Washington’s recognition of the Golan Heights as part of Israel

• Washington’s embassy move and recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital

• Washington’s withdrawal from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty

• Turkey’s illegal occupation of northern Cyprus

• the ICJ ruling Israel’s separation wall illegal

• the ICJ ruling against the US for illegally mining Managua Harbor in Nicaragua

• US and UK ignoring ICJ opinion on Chagos Islands (aka Diego Garcia) 

• criticism of the United Nations

• Turkey’s invasion of Syria

Economic sanction we approve of

• against Iraq (previously)

• against Iran

• against Cuba

• against Venezuela

• against Russia

Economic sanctions we oppose

• BDS against Israel

Protests we support

• in Hong Kong

• the Uighur in China

• anti-Putin protestors in Russia

• the Rohingya in Myanmar

Protests we oppose and ignore

• those concerned about anthropocentric climate change

• freedom and self-determination for West Papuans

• anti-colonial protests by Palestinians

• self-determination for Kurds

• self-determination for Tibet

Terrorists and terrorism we oppose

• A Qaeda

• Hamas

• Hezbollah

• ISIS

• Syrian state terrorism

• Iranian state terrorism

• Taliban

• Boko Haram

Terrorists and terrorism we support

- Free Syrian Army

• Israeli state terrorism

• US state terrorism

• Saudi state terrorism

• UAE state terrorism

• Turkey’s state terrorism against Kurds

Separation walls we oppose

• the Berlin Wall

Separation walls we stay quiet about

• the US-Mexico wall

Separation walls we support

• Israel with the West Bank and Gaza

• US embassy in Jerusalem

Free trade we like and support

• traded commodities 

• money 

• foreign investment 

• tourism

• foreign students (except Chinese spies)

• globalisation

Free trade we oppose

• asylum seekers 

• refugees

-  immigrants

• anything that undermines our sovereignty (all trade)

• “negative globalism”

Countries which can do anything to us knowing we will always remain faithful

• Israel

• the United States

• Indonesia