Protecting Australia’s sovereignty was a central justification for Anthony Albanese’s critical minerals deal with Donald Trump. (more…)
Category: Politics
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Yes – he’s a dictator
The latest polling from the Public Religion Research Institute provides a stunning reflection on how Americans now regard Trump. (more…)
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The Australian moment is now
History, it could be convincingly argued, is a series of pivot points. It is rarely a progression of a sequence of events, but rather a series of critical moments where multiple pathways are made available and the eventual outcome is determined by the decisions that are made in that moment. (more…)
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Protest wave challenges Indonesia’s authoritarian drift
In late August 2025, Indonesia was shaken by a wave of protests following the death of Affan Kurniawan, a motorcycle taxi (“ojek”) driver who was struck and killed by a police tactical vehicle during demonstrations. His death became the spark for mass mobilisations across several cities. (more…)
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Gaza under siege: The continuation of Zionist demographic cleansing policies since the 19th century
Israeli propaganda tries to present the war on Gaza as a “defensive reaction.” Yet the historical record tells a very different story: systematic genocide, the destruction of civilian life and deliberate attempts to uproot entire populations. All of this is a direct continuation of Zionist colonial policies that began in the late 19th century. (more…)
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South Korea, Canada and a middle-power submarine: Can Australia join?
Sometimes, middle-power enthusiasts get overly excited about the potential for said states to work together. It’s almost as if you want to see those “little guys” grab the ball and run it all the way to the try line — or the end zone, for you Americans. (more…)
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The ABC and News Corp finally agree on something: China panic
Last week, a friend asked if I was worried about Chinese “nuclear threats”. (more…)
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The leader most capable of governing a future Palestinian state is languishing in an Israeli jail
As the future of Gaza hangs in the balance, the Palestinian Authority needs renewal if it’s to eventually govern the Strip and play a key role in making the two-state solution a reality. (more…)
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Taiwan as an integral part of China: A historical, legal and geopolitical analysis
The status of Taiwan remains one of the most contested topics in modern geopolitics and one of the most misrepresented. (more…)
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Open letter to David Marr on his interview with Chris Hedges
Well-known journalist Chris Hedges, whose talk scheduled to be delivered at the National Press Club was suddenly cancelled, was confronted by the ABC’s Late Night Live host David Marr in an unexpectedly ferocious interview. One reader took exception to this. (more…)
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Game, set and match to the property industry – unless we change everything
The contradiction at the heart of Australian politics has never been clearer. On the one hand, the Albanese Government has rediscovered the language of national renewal of making things again, of manufacturing revival, of “A Future Made in Australia”. (more…)
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Continuation in China’s five-year planning
The outline of China’s 15th five-year plan was released last week. Often the objectives of a new five-year plan are a disruptive departure from the previous five-year plan. They set new directions. (more…)
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Leo XIV: ‘Apostle of nonviolence’
Pope Leo isn’t just condemning wars, but also insisting that we “must reject the paradigm of war” itself and “prepare institutions of peace”. (more…)
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Gunboat hypocrisy in the Caribbean
Even as Donald Trump crisscrosses the globe, bringing his purported peacemaking skills to parts of the world that did not even know they were at war, his administration has openly been preparing for militarised regime change in Venezuela. Neighbouring Colombia too isn’t safe. (more…)
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The easy way or the hard way to the same result
National leaders deceive most people most of the time. Israel’s long, atrocious, US-backed assault on the Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon is the latest example, as are their joint attacks on Syria, Yemen, and Iran. (more…)
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Commonwealth administrative reform remains up the creek
The results of a recent survey of community satisfaction and trust in Commonwealth public services are not to be sneezed at. (more…)
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Why the annexation of the West Bank matters to all of us
Between 1 January and 30 September 2025, Israeli authorities carried out 1288 demolitions of Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. (more…)
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The (grossly misleading) Boyer lecture: Some things it forgot to mention
One of the lectures, entitled “Australia is fricking amazing!” by Justin Wolfers was an ecstatic eulogy celebrating Australia’s achievements and institutions. (more…)
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The morality we need, the asylum they seek
Like many grumpy hacks from an age of lost standards, I’ve belittled colleagues’ usage of the perpendicular pronoun. We’re not the Mums needing attention – only the midwives bringing the stories of others into the world. We report and depart. (more…)
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The fog of electricity price disinformation
The federal government should collect and make available data that shows comparative wholesale electricity costs on a global basis and where Australia sits. This information should show average spot prices, average industrial prices. (more…)
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ASEAN leads response to the threat of global economic disorder
Malaysia and ASEAN’s leadership in response to rising protectionism and the threat to ASEAN and global prosperity and security has so far been a masterclass, punctuated by the convening of a Leaders’ Meeting for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) on 27 October 2025. (more…)
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Trump’s risky American economy
Trump’s tariffs, migration and fiscal policies are endangering the American economy, and risk destroying American claims to global leadership. (more…)
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Whitlam dismissal secrets unearthed from the archives of the Canadian governor-general
This newly uncovered material, exclusively published by Crikey, is the first indication from Sir John Kerr himself that Queen Elizabeth II approved of the position he had taken during his dismissal of Gough Whitlam. (more…)
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Why the Coalition can’t win without losing itself
The Coalition faces not a messaging challenge but a structural impossibility. Voters abandoning them won’t be satisfied by marginally tougher rhetoric. (more…)
