Believing in their military might, neither Putin nor Trump considered the consequences of their attacks on Ukraine and Iran. Now their wars are failing. (more…)
Category: Politics
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“Please try to enjoy each fact equally” – Severance and the fragmentation of modern identity
Whether you’re an ‘innie’ or an ‘outie’, the television series Severance resonates so deeply because its vision of fragmented identity, emotional suppression and corporate control no longer feels futuristic. It feels uncomfortably familiar. (more…)
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Turning a blind eye to climate risk threatens derailment
The 2026 budget is a continuation of the Labor Government’s denial of the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions before the climate reaches a tipping point. (more…)
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Tom Uren – no ‘woke’ warrior
The morality Tom Uren learned on the Burma railway stayed with him all his life. He believed in the collective spirit. That did not make him weak. (more…)
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The leader of the ‘free world’ is no longer the leader of the world
Trump’s visit to Beijing reveals how the balance of power – bilaterally and globally – has shifted to China’s advantage. (more…)
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Our intelligence services need to break free from excessive US influence
Australia is part of the white man’s intelligence network, Five Eyes. That means too much CIA input into anti-China perceptions in recent years. It also helped bring down the Whitlam government. (more…)
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Compassion does not end at the front gate – Message from the Editor
Like many I was revolted by the video of Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting and humiliating courageous international citizens determined to get supplies to Palestine. If you haven’t seen it, the video shows the Israeli Minister humiliating Gaza flotilla activists, who are shown kneeling in rows, heads bowed, hands cable-tied behind their backs.
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New China-US rules, region’s Taiwan anxiety, Sri Lankan scam hub – Asian Media Report
Xi’s latest terms for the American relationship, Trump’s post-summit verbal meandering, cybercrime operations’ new base, the west’s dominance is an historical ‘aberration’, and the Modi government’s all-veg banquets.
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Taunting and degrading civilians in armed conflict is a clear violation of international law
The public humiliation and mistreatment of Gaza flotilla activists violated core protections under international humanitarian law governing the treatment of civilians and detainees during armed conflict.
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Could China, Russia and the United States work together?
Observers in China detect the possibility of ‘trilateral coordination’ between China, Russia and the United States, with the US the biggest variable. (more…)
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Allowing loved ones to rest
A formal apology in Tasmania’s parliament for the past practice of taking human specimens from autopsies and displaying them highlights the importance of repatriation. (more…)
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Angus Taylor may have just created half a million new Labor voters
The Coalition’s plan to strip welfare access from non-citizens could accelerate a surge in citizenship and voter enrolment across migrant-heavy suburban seats critical to the Liberal Party’s electoral future. (more…)
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Government CGT changes structurally sound
Paul Keating says the Howard-Costello capital gains tax discount distorted the tax system, inflated housing prices and entrenched inequality between wage earners and wealth holders.
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US condemns Israel’s Ben-Gvir while sanctioning Gaza flotilla organisers
A rare public rebuke of Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir by US Ambassador Mike Huckabee has highlighted growing international condemnation over the treatment of Gaza flotilla activists, even as Washington continues sanctioning Palestinian groups and organisers.
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Catch 22? A problematic definition of antisemitism
The greatest single cause of the recent rise of antisemitism in Australia is the behaviour of Israel, which the Australian Government has not condemned. (more…)
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Are this budget’s tax changes really an ‘assault on aspiration’?
The government’s capital gains tax reforms are likely to increase tax for some investors, but claims they will destroy wealth creation or aspiration for younger Australians may be overstated.
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Inside the Senate’s revolt to stop Trump’s war
A bipartisan Senate vote to advance a War Powers Resolution against Operation Epic Fury marks a significant challenge to the Trump administration’s attempt to wage war against Iran without sustained congressional authorisation. (more…)
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Freedom Flotilla Coalition says Israeli forces attacked aid boats for 35 hours
In a statement from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s US arm, organisers say Israeli forces carried out a prolonged assault on civilian aid boats in international waters, using gunfire, water cannons and violent boardings against unarmed volunteers attempting to reach Gaza.
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Trump goes to Beijing: what’s in it for Australia?
The recent Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing may not have resolved major geopolitical disputes, but renewed dialogue between the United States and China represents an important step toward reducing tensions and strategic misunderstanding.
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UN report details systemic torture and sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees
A United Nations special rapporteur has documented extensive allegations of torture, sexual violence and abuse against Palestinian detainees held in Israeli custody since October 2023.
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Chance for a fresh start in patching up the Commonwealth Public Service
The appointment of a new Commonwealth Public Service Commissioner highlights deeper structural problems inside the Public Service Commission, from flawed remuneration policies to weak accountability and confused reform priorities.
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The aid budget ignored a deepening global crisis
Despite the economic and humanitarian shock triggered by the Iran war, Australia’s latest foreign aid budget failed to deliver the kind of substantial regional response the country mounted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Elon Musk lost his case against OpenAI – but the bigger questions remain
A US jury dismissed Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI on procedural grounds, leaving unresolved deeper questions about whether the company has abandoned its original nonprofit mission in pursuit of commercial dominance.
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Lady Justice: the scales, the blindfold and …. the social media post
The ACT Director of Public Prosecutions’ increasingly emotive and promotional social media presence raises broader questions about whether prosecutorial offices should market themselves like modern corporate workplaces.
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What Nakba Day feels like for a Palestinian in Australia
A personal reflection on Nakba Day, intergenerational trauma, exile and the experience of carrying Palestinian identity and grief while living in the Australian diaspora. (more…)
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Cutting tobacco tax will not stop Australia’s illegal cigarette trade
Proposals to slash Australia’s tobacco excise ignore the basic economics of the illegal cigarette market, where untaxed products would remain dramatically cheaper even if tobacco taxes were heavily reduced. (more…)
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The American mis-imagination of China
In a speech to a colloquium on John Hay’s Open Door Policy, former US diplomat Chas Freeman argues that America’s current approach to China is strategically self-defeating and increasingly detached from geopolitical reality. (more…)
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Why the next Trump-Xi summit could be in Australia’s backyard
As Washington and Beijing reshape the Indo-Pacific order through direct negotiation, Australia risks remaining strategically reactive instead of positioning itself as a trusted diplomatic bridge between the two powers. (more…)
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A Hungarian playbook for defeating populists?
Advocates of liberal democracy everywhere are celebrating Péter Magyar’s triumph over Viktor Orbán. But among the lessons to draw from the Hungarian experience, the most important may be that toppling an illiberal populist is not as straightforward as much of the press coverage has made it seem. (more…)
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Australia keeps feeding a housing system that cannot deliver
Australia’s housing crisis reflects not just a shortage of homes but the structural limits of a system that relies overwhelmingly on private developers and speculative market incentives to deliver essential social infrastructure. (more…)