October 29, 2023

A twist in Indonesias presidential election does not bode well for the countrys fragile democracy

On Valentines Day next year, Indonesia will go to the polls for its most important election in ten years.

October 24, 2023

US must curb Israels revenge instinct, end Palestinian suffering by wielding its power for peace

The world is appalled that the US has backed a war of vengeance by Israel on the captive Palestinian population. A US-led global peace process is critical to ending decades of violence in the Israel-Gaza conflict.

October 22, 2023

UN Secretary General throws support behind G77 and global multipolarity

The meeting of the Group of 77 developing countries (G77) plus China, held last month, 15-16 September in Havana, Cuba, passed with little note from our mainstream media, despite being attended by more than 100 countries, with thirty-one heads of state and 12 vice presidents present. That such should pass largely unnoticed by them however, hardly surprises.

March 10, 2023

They work so hard to manufacture our consent because they absolutely require it

_Australian media are awash with reporting on the war-with-China propaganda series by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that I’ve been writing about for the last few days. Which is really quite extraordinary, because it’s not an actual news story.

January 24, 2023

Zionist protesters in Tel Aviv forgot their Palestinian neighbours

The classmates of 7-year-old Rayan Suleiman sit near his body during the boys funeral in Tuqu, a village south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

December 14, 2021

Puff pieces harm one of Indonesia's most respected newspapers

A publication that emerged as a champion of democracy after the long years of dictatorship has allowed its principles to go up in smoke.

January 22, 2025

Donald Trump is the Empire unmasked

During his inaugural address, the new president of the United States was refreshingly open about the fact that Washington is the hub of a continuously expanding empire which is ruled by billionaire plutocrats.

January 8, 2025

China and America in 2050

In early December, 2024, The University of Hong Kong (HKU) hosted a lucid dialogue entitled: “China in 2050 – Two Perspectives”__. The presenters were recognised China scholars, Professor Rana Mitter of Harvard University and Professor Daniel Bell from HKU. “What might be a realistic and desirable future for China” was a primary question addressed. Although the focus was fundamentally on China, the discussion implicitly raised the question of where the US may find itself in 2050.

December 20, 2024

Chinese scholar reveals Vietnam's double-dealing in South China Sea dispute

When international discussions turn to the South China Sea, they often focus exclusively on China-Philippines disputes over islands and reefs, overlooking the complex web of overlapping territorial claims in the region. I seldom see Chinese media coverage or scholarly analysis from the Chinese mainland address the actions of other stakeholders in these disputes.

November 17, 2024

Trump Act II spells the end of the American empire

The re-election of Donald Trump indicates a fundamental change in the United States’ relationship with the world, reflecting a growing lack of confidence in international institutions, and a weariness of global responsibilities, likely leading to significant damage to multilateral organisations. Trump’s characteristically transactional approach and aggressive tariff policies will spell trouble for Asia. The consequences of a second Trump presidency are likely to include increased difficulty in maintaining security cooperation, issues surrounding defence budget financing, economic impacts due to increased tariffs, and further disconnection between the US and Chinese economies.

February 28, 2024

Jewish Council of Australia urges the Australian government to reject racism against Palestinian people fleeing persecution in Gaza

This week Sky News reported it had a list with the personal details of 500 Palestinian people who had obtained visas to flee overwhelming violence in Gaza, 81 of whom are in Australia.

October 25, 2023

How much killing is enough killing?

Israel has killed multiple times as many people since October 7 as were killed on October 7, has caused many times more destruction since October 7 than was caused on October 7, and has inflicted many times more pain and suffering since October 7 than was inflicted on October 7. How high does the pile of mutilated and dismembered children need to be before its high enough?

January 9, 2023

Faith leaders say Jan, 6 committee report downplays role of Christian Nationalism

“If we don’t confront Christian nationalism then we are leaving ourselves open to future attacks, like what we saw on January 6,” said one critic.

December 18, 2022

Opposing war is the first step toward moral Politics: notes from the edge of The Narrative Matrix

Forcefully opposing the warmongering and imperialism of your rulers is the very first step toward political morality. It’s not the only step, but it is the first step, because if you haven’t taken that step then no other ostensibly moral politics you might espouse are meaningful.

December 9, 2022

Xi Jinpings visit to Saudi Arabia and the overthrow of Atlanticism

The historic China-Arab Summit currently underway in Riyadh symbolises the emerging Eurasianism in the Persian Gulf.

January 29, 2022

Ill informed media led a merry dance by 'hack' on Morrison's WeChat account

The ‘hijacking’ of the Prime Minister’s account is a complicated story that, when simplified, fits neatly again into the anti-China narrative.

November 18, 2024

The role of the Gaza genocide in Kamala Harris’s loss

The cause of Kamala Harris’ disastrous failure in the 2024 presidential election will forever be debated, but there are good reasons to believe the Israeli genocide in Gaza played a significant role.

November 27, 2023

Is this the end of Americas sanctimonious ideology?

If somehow all those rules-based systems work overwhelmingly to the benefit of the US and its Western allies, the rest of the world may wonder why they should follow them.

January 15, 2023

Europe and the legitimisation of deception

The U.S., having no need of or gift for statecraft, has long practiced what Ive taken to calling the diplomacy of no diplomacy. You cant expect much from bimbos such as Antony Blinken or Wendy Sherman, Blinkens No. 2 at the State Department. All they can do is roar, even if they are mice next to any serious diplomat.

December 16, 2021

The West's diplomatic boycott of Winter Olympics is gold-medal hypocrisy

This petty action squanders an opportunity for positive engagement and is rooted in a sense of anxiety about the rise of a non-Western nation.

December 13, 2024

Syria’s Assad has fallen – just as the Pentagon planned 23 years ago

When westerners see ‘enemy’ governments fall, or civil wars erupt, they are led to think they are the geopolitical equivalent of a natural event. Nothing could be further from the truth.

October 30, 2024

Threat of North Korean soldiers is based on U.S. info campaign

Earlier this week I pointed to a Ukrainian (South Korean, U.S.) propaganda campaign which claims that thousands of North Korean soldiers will soon fight with on the Russian side against Ukraine:_

February 18, 2024

The world is fighting back against a real genocide

Now we know how racial mass murders are committed by watching one live on our computer and TV screens.

December 9, 2023

Nativity scene places baby Jesus in the Gaza rubble

This is what Christmas looks like in Palestine. A church in the occupied West Bank has changed this years nativity scene, not with shepherds but laying baby Jesus in the rubble, to show solidarity with the people of Gaza.

December 4, 2023

"Dear The Australian: Not all brown people are the same"

Women of colour continue to be mistaken for one another in the media and beyond.

November 21, 2023

America, why dont you get your bloodied hands off Hong Kong

Weaponising human rights against the city and mainland China only becomes more farcical when the US and its close allies are busy violating them.

November 9, 2023

Scott Morrisons heartless yearning for Armageddon

I was wondering what was taking prominent Christian Zionists so long to visit Israel. And then I saw himScott Morrison landing with the arrogance of someone totally convinced hes betting on the winning horse.

October 22, 2021

Expect to hear from Ita Buttrose as ABC faces uncertain funding future

It’s our ABC, but the national broadcaster remains at the whims of the government of the day, which headed by Scott Morrison is a long way from the friendly camp.

January 3, 2025

The fall of Israel

Dr Steinbock’s new book The Fall of Israel is a stunning look at the longstanding forces undermining the state of Israel and the lives of Palestinians, while fostering genocidal atrocities and regional escalation. His interview offers revealing insights about the ongoing catastrophe.

November 8, 2024

The mainstream western worldview pretends the Global South does not exist

Mainstream western politics and culture pretend the rest of the world does not exist. The mainstream western worldview shrinks the earth down to US-aligned countries and acts as though the billions of people who live in the global south do not share a planet with us.

October 12, 2024

Israeli snipers routinely, deliberately shoot Palestinian kids in the head

There’s yet another doctor testimonial about Israeli forces constantly shooting Palestinian children in the head, this one published in The New York Times.

April 5, 2024

The 'human shields' lie has been conclusively, irrefutably debunked

One aspect of the recent revelations about the IDFs Lavender AI system thats not getting enough consideration is the fact that it is completely devastating to the narrative that Israel has been killing so many civilians because Hamas uses human shields.

February 14, 2024

A deeper look at Hamas and what terrorism means in Israel-Palestine

When one side in hostilities lacks an army, that side often finds its only recourse is to use what the other side calls terrorism.

February 4, 2024

The BRI gets it right

Chinas Belt and Road initiative (BRI) operates on a huge scale and is the focus of rarely halted negative coverage across many prominent outlets in the Global West. A new extended article in the leading US journal, Foreign Policy, however, provides a measured, informed exception to this general rule.

October 30, 2023

Chinas EV industry future reflects solar powers extraordinary past growth

It is a serious mistake to underestimate the strength and capacity of China’s commitment to its green new dream.

January 5, 2023

Awakening from the Western Narrative

Western analysts spent years warning that western actions would provoke a war in Ukraine, westerners spent four years being propagandised into hating Russia, then Russia invades and now western imperialists say the war is advancing US interests. But remember: it was an “unprovoked invasion”.

February 1, 2025

Does CHINA really want to invade Australia?

That China may want to invade Australia is a silly idea promoted by certain people in Australian media. For example, in early 2023, Sky News Australia published an hour-long documentary claiming China’s “aggression” could start a new world war. This may be linked to the huge $1.5 billion fund set aside by US Congress to project China in a bad light, the sum including $500 Million for media outlets to produce journalism critical of China. Nevertheless, as shown in a Lowy Institute Poll in 2024, its influence is clear; two-thirds of Australians think China will become a ‘military threat’ in the next 20 years.

January 2, 2025

A rogue reporter vs. the American Empire

The American material life is taken for granted. Things just appear. There is no consideration for what country the Empire destroyed to fuel their cars, which people are earning pennies inside sweatshops for their clothes or how many children’s hands touched the lithium in their phone batteries fresh out of the mine. The U.S. Empire makes sure these realities are out of the public consciousness and only the shiny, finished products end up in the public view, no questions asked. Matt Kennard, founder of the independent investigative outlet Declassified UK, joins host Chris Hedges on this episode of The Chris Hedges Report to talk about his book, “The Racket: A Rogue Reporter vs The American Empire.”

December 21, 2024

The US is about to launch an open attack on global trade stability. Can China defend the existing order?

The threat by president-elect Trump to place 100% tariffs on any country that backs any other currency to replace the US dollar is an open attack on global trade stability.

November 22, 2024

A new global economic order

Over recent decades, the Western economic system has undergone a profound transformation, veering increasingly toward financialisation—a framework that privileges speculative gains and the accumulation of paper wealth over tangible economic output. This shift reflects a structural prioritisation of elite interests, as financial markets serve as mechanisms for wealth extraction rather than wealth creation for the broader population. The consequences are stark: staggering disparities in wealth distribution, stagnation in living standards, and neglect of critical infrastructure, all symptomatic of an economic model driven by concentrated power rather than broad-based development.

October 28, 2024

Be wary of “foreign crocodiles”, Pope Francis warns Timorese in Dili visit

The papal messages will likely shape the country’s spiritual and cultural landscape for years to come. Pope Francis’ Sept. 9-11 visit to Timor-Leste was a landmark event for the nation and a moment of immense significance for the Catholic community there.

October 24, 2024

What is Israel's 'Generals' Plan' and what does it mean for the war on Gaza?

Also known as the Eiland Plan, the strategy was published in a military forum critical of the army’s efforts against Palestine. Why is it being discussed now?

March 27, 2024

US-China electric vehicle dispute shows old trade rules imperil climate action

“The climate crisis is too urgent for the U.S. or any country to allow outdated trade rules… to distract us from enacting bold climate policies,” argued one campaigner.

February 22, 2024

Will Netanyahu bring down Biden?

The cabinet of Israels Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is filled with religious extremists who believe that Israels brutality in Gaza is at Gods command. According to the Book of Joshua in the Hebrew Bible, dated by scholars to the 7th century BC, God promised the land to the Jewish people and instructed them to destroy the other nations living in the promised land. This text is used by extreme nationalists in Israel today, including by many of the 700,000 or so Israeli settlers living in occupied Palestinian lands in violation of international law. Netanyahu pursues the religious ideology of 7th century BC in the 21st century.

November 11, 2023

A remote sanctioning of infanticide learnt from the US playbook

The practice of remotely and vicariously bombing cities and civilians is a longstanding technique of war over which the Israelis certainly have no ownership. Secretary of State Blinken has been trying to call time out. But the US has been the modern day architect of this brutal and destructive weapon of war.

March 24, 2023

ASPI takes exception to media scrutiny

ABCs Media Watch backs down, following complaint from Australian Strategic Policy Institute, after it aired a segment of Channel Nine political reporter Chris OKeefe berating both ASPI and Nine Newspaper over the Red Alert series.

February 2, 2023

An apology to my grandkids for not fighting in the war of our times

While I was on holiday, I noticed a tweet that left me in no doubt about the subject of my first column back. It said: I genuinely think the next generation will not forgive us for what we have done to them and the world they will have to live in.

January 20, 2023

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.”

December 19, 2022

'A moral and political disgrace': Just 11 Senators vote no on $858 billion military budget

“At a time when we spend more than the next 11 nations combined on defence, we should invest in healthcare, jobs, housing, and educationnot more weapons of destruction,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Pearls and Irritations

John Menadue's Public Policy Journal