April 28, 2024

Cruelty of language — the NYT’s leaked Gaza Memo

Ramzy Baroud responds to revelations about The New York Times “guidance” on language about the Israeli mass slaughter in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7.

August 3, 2023

Capitalism with a conscience? Social stock exchanges could be the answer

Instead of serving markets, we should have markets serving our needs for a fairer, greener world. Enter social stock exchanges the institutionalisation of doing good.

June 19, 2023

Hawks only become doves in election season

Any plan to try and end the Ukraine war needs to be welcomed if sincere, well-considered, unencumbered, and authored by a respected source. None of those criteria applies to the peaceproposal from Prabowo Subianto at the 20th Asia Security Summit this month.

May 9, 2023

Money makes the world go round and development succeed

The key to economic development and ending poverty is investment. Nations achieve prosperity by investing in four priorities. Most important is investing in people, through quality education and health care. The next is infrastructure, such as electricity, safe water, digital networks, and public transport. The third is natural capital, protecting nature. The fourth is business investment. The key is finance: mobilising the funds to invest at the scale and speed required.

April 14, 2023

Francia Mrquez: It is not possible to speak of climate change without racial and gender justice.

Francia Mrquez Mina is a renowned land defender and the first Afro-Colombian to be elected Vice President of Colombia.

June 18, 2022

Ilhan Omar says 49 million facing famine 'Should be the biggest story in the world right now'

A United Nations study finds that Russia’s war on Ukraine and the intensifying climate emergency have pushed the number of people facing famine globally to an all-time high.

April 23, 2022

The fantasy that haunts our cult of the fallen

According to the fantasy, there is a moral obligation toward dead Anzacs but not to democratise the decisions that would throw live Anzacs into war.

May 1, 2021

Capitalism, COVID, and Climate

The pandemic alliance between Big Pharma and governments foreshadows how the market-based capitalist system will fail to address global warming. Just finding low emissions technology is not an answer.

January 30, 2021

Indonesias pandemic policy: Pray and pay

Indonesia’s former health minister, a medical doctor, predicted the satanic infection would fly over the country because the people below were so pious. The world’s fourth most populous nation has a huge vaccination task ahead.

May 13, 2024

The coming theatre of jiu-jitsu international conflict

Jiu-jitsu is a martial art in which one leverages one’s opponent’s strength in order to subdue them. It is increasingly likely to become the predominant mode of international conflict in the future. It will deploy the adversary’s greatest strength, its internal network of digital interconnections, as a wrecking ball. It is difficult to know if this will be a less destructive or more destructive form of international combat. We need to think carefully about this.

July 13, 2023

The art of vassalisation: the new middle kingdom of the United States

An EU paper explains how traditional Western allies on the continent are being turned into vassal states of the US as part of Washingtons strategy to contain the rise of China.

June 13, 2023

The mass media used to publish perspectives on Ukraine they would never publish today

The other day I stumbled across a 2014 opinion piece in The Guardian titled “It’s not Russia that’s pushed Ukraine to the brink of war” by Seumas Milne, who the following year would go on to become the Labour Party’s Executive Director of Strategy and Communications under Jeremy Corbyn.

May 26, 2023

The South China Sea: countries in glass houses should not throw stones

The Philippines publicly announced that it is deploying navigational buoys near some of the rocks it claims and occupies in the South China Sea. It says the buoys signify the countrys sovereign rights and jurisdiction over our EEZ and has warned of serious repercussions if China removes them. This was just its latest provocative and hypocritical action in the South China Sea.

April 11, 2023

Nihilism in Israel, what possible response?

April 5, in Jerusalem, Israeli police using stun grenades and firing rubber coated steel bullets invade the Al Aqsa Mosque. Hundreds of worshippers are arrested. Fourteen Palestinians are wounded by bullets, beatings and tear gas inhalation.

August 9, 2024

“Well-run machine”: New Hamas leader Sinwar governed Gaza from 2017-2023

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar ran Gaza so well, Benjamin Netanyahu once spoke in his own cabinet in favour of supporting Hamas against the Palestinian Authority, Marwan Bishara reminds us.

May 29, 2024

As China-Australia ties fray, should Canberra keep its friends close, its enemies closer?

If China is indeed a power to be worried about, wouldn’t Australia want to know as much about it as possible, perhaps even know what it is up to? Blocking or reducing interaction with China or other countries only reduces Australia to a petty, hollow state that is susceptible to misunderstandings.

August 18, 2023

US government pressured Pakistan to oust democratically elected Imran Khan

US Secretary of State Tony Blinken tweeted in celebration of Pakistans preparations for free and fair elections on Wednesday, a week after it was revealed that the US pressured Pakistan to oust its popular democratically elected prime minister Imran Khan last year.

April 15, 2023

Its 2050. How is our health system holding up?

Introduction by Croakey_**:**So much of our day-to-day attention is focused on the problems facing healthcare systems now. Lifting our gaze to envision the likely future challenges say in 2050 can help set a course forward._

September 21, 2023

War profiteers are a sign of a profoundly sick society

War is good for business. So reads a quote from an arms industry executive in a recent Reuters article titled At London arms fair, global war fears are good for business about Europes biggest arms show, the biennial Defence and Security Equipment International. You will probably be unsurprised to learn that Reuters does not name the war profiteer whose quote inspired their headline.

August 27, 2023

Leaked docs suggests someone is reading TikTok user records, but not who you think

The US government secretly told TikTok that it would not be banned in the country - if it allowed American agents access to the records of TikTok users, Forbes reported.

April 25, 2023

Does the Vatican's road to Beijing run through Hong Kong?

An invitation to visit Beijing was issued late last year to Stephen Chow, Sau-yan, the Catholic Bishop of Hong Kong. His recently completed visit is the first by a Catholic Bishop of Hong Kong to the Mainland since the recovery of Hong Kong by China in July, 1997. It may help provide a strengthened framework for the continuing dialogue between the Vatican and Beijing as they each proceed with their diplomatic long-game.

May 4, 2021

WTO and climate change - a clash of treaties

The emission reduction measures proposed by governments to meet their Paris Climate Agreement commitments will violate their legally binding WTO obligations. This clash of treaties will have deleterious consequences for both.

September 29, 2024

Federal seat redistribution implications of bias to small tweaks

The Australian Electoral Commission has announced proposed redistributions of the boundaries of federal election seats with NSW losing a seat (North Sydney), while Victoria and Western Australia each gained a seat with the average number in a NSW seat, increased from the current 118,000 to 121,000 and expected to grow to about 130,000 by 2028.

April 10, 2024

Australian military refuses to disclose arms deal with Israel to protect its 'reputation'

Australia’s Defence Department has refused a Freedom of Information request about the details of an arms deal with Israel on the grounds that such information “could harm Australia’s international standing and reputation,” which suggests the details must be pretty damning. Equally as scandalous, this refusal was reportedly made in consultation with the Israeli government.

July 24, 2023

A most severe national security law you will have never heard of

When it comes to a ‘pivot state’ in Asia against China, the security apparatus of South Koreas Yoon Suk-yeol is ignored or given a free pass by the West.

July 16, 2023

Ambitions of NATO in Asia are simply a delusion of grandeur

The North Atlantic military alliance has no business in the continent and it should just stop going on about the so-called China threat.

May 22, 2023

In Xian, a meeting of five Central-Asian leaders marks a changing world order

Itd be fair to say that there are two competing entities on the world stage right now. One composed of the G7, and the other a less structured group of countries that were once exploited by the G7.

April 24, 2023

ANZAC day: a call to honest examination

Commemorating ANZAC Day this year again under a shadow promises to be an interesting experience.

April 22, 2021

Media in the Asian Century: Belting Victoria

The federal press gallery continues to give the Morrison government a free ride on its handling of foreign policy.

March 2, 2021

Thin-skinned Widodo in Indonesia: Messengers beware

The first who told of Lucullus’ coming so angered Tigranes that he had the messengers head, effectively ensuring no one brought bad news. Deprived of fresh intelligence Tigranes watched while war raged, listening only to flatterers.

July 9, 2024

Biden: ‘I’m running the world’

The comment by the sitting U.S. president in Friday’s interview has been ignored by the mainstream, but its megalomania is at the heart of why Joe Biden is defying his party and remaining in the race, writes Joe Lauria.

April 20, 2024

What does China's electric vehicle rise mean for the global market?

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi recently unveiled its first electric vehicle (EV), the SU7, igniting a spark of excitement. At the launch event, Xiaomi’s founder and CEO Lei Jun, whose vision includes creating “a dream car on a par with Porsche and Tesla,” said that from design to batteries, intelligent driving to cockpit controls, the SU7 was a product of pushing boundaries.

September 4, 2023

Expanded Brics will continue to chip away at US dollars dominance

How the US has used its dollar privilege for its own interests, without regard to the damage it causes others, has not gone down well with developing countries. The BRICS formation and expansion must be seen for what it is: a rallying cry for a fairer world order.

July 5, 2023

Old Australian politicians speak truth about sleepwalking into war

The manufactured China threat is really about Taiwans hidden drive for independence and Americas need to preserve regional dominance.

June 2, 2023

3 reasons why China is not a threat

The recent Red Alert series, along with statements by some U.S, and Australian military leaders would have us believe that Chinese military forces could soon in waves be running up Bondi Beach invading our erstwhile peaceful land. Strange then, given this immediacy of threat, our military preparations are increasingly linked to AUKUS, its central plank being Australias acquisition of nuclear powered submarines some 20 or more years hence. In an atmosphere of hyped up Sino-phobia I hope to allay fears by recourse to history, logic and military realities.

September 21, 2022

The Queen complained that Gough Whitlam was rude to the lesser Royals

_In 1974 in Kingston, Jamaica, aboard her yacht The Britannia, the Queen told me that your Prime Minister had been rude to my family. I was the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet at the time.

July 3, 2021

Australia ranked dead last in world for climate action in latest UN report

Australia has been ranked dead last for climate action in the latest Sustainable Development Report, which assesses the progress of countries towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

June 16, 2024

When the powerful control public opinion

“Under existing conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio, education). It is thus extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of his political rights.” – Albert Einstein, 1949.

August 22, 2023

Self-destructive stupidity, New Zealand style

Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad What a pity it is that we no longer believe in capricious gods because that would offer a good explanation for the otherwise quite perplexing habit of governments, with intelligent and informed people theoretically at their disposal, to embrace policies which are manifestly an example of self-destructive stupidity. Clever people doing stupid things.

August 10, 2023

The illusory truth effect and the "unprovoked" invasion Of Ukraine

Arguably the single most egregious display of war propaganda in the 21st century occurred last year, when the entire western political/media class began uniformly bleating the word unprovoked in reference to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

May 14, 2023

'Nearly a third of the world economy is now subject to sanctions'

The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) just published a study about:

August 12, 2022

Tackling junk food

Australias Children a report from the Australian institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), was published in 2019 and updated this year. It struggled to find data that would enable a comprehensive understanding of our childrens nutritional and physical activity status.

February 15, 2021

Understanding today's USA

To understand a nation, look at its origins.

May 5, 2024

Israeli Finance Minister denounced for calling for 'Total Annihilation' of Gaza

“But… did he say it on a college campus? Otherwise, it’s just not news. Sorry, them’s the rules,” said one journalist sardonically.

August 20, 2023

China-India talks pledge peace and tranquility, swift border resolution

The 19th round of the China-India Corps Commander Level Meeting was held at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side from Sunday to Monday, theChinese Defence Ministry announced on Tuesday. The ministry said in a joint bilingual news release that the two sides had a “positive, constructive and in-depth” discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector.

May 20, 2023

Long live the Palestinian resistance

A song that goes out to the courageous Palestinian people and their supporters around the world.

April 26, 2023

Japans 'strike north' military faction

As a Quad member Japan is supposed to be focussed on Taiwan and the South China Sea.

October 29, 2020

Treasurer Josh Frydenbergs misuse of his position.

JoshFrydenbergannounced a$2.5 million grantfor the further development of the Adelaide Holocaust Museum and a$3.5 million grant to build a holocaust museum in Brisbane. On the other hand, he reduced Australias contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) from $20 million to$10 million, as reported in the Australian Jewish News.

February 16, 2020

PETER RODGERS. Trump's peace 'vision'- be careful what you welcome.

Rather than just welcoming Trumps plan and keeping quiet, now is the time for Australia to speak up about the plans absurdities and contradictions.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal