Russian claims to Crimea based on historical ownership, language or the illegitimacy of past decisions are weak. They provide no justification for its invasion and annexation or continued possession of Crimea. Several myths about Ukraine and Russia’s invasion keep doing the rounds. One such zombie thesis is the idea that Crimea is historically and rightfully Continue reading »
International Relations
On Sunday 28 April, Defence Minister Richard Marles announced $100 million in military aid to Ukraine. It was said to raise Australia’s support to $1 billion in support of Ukraine’s attempt to counter “Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion”. I have hitherto addressed the issue of the “morality”, at least, of Russia’s invasion: Ukraine: The other Continue reading »
Israel: Hey Joe, just letting you know Hamas has retaliated to our decades long Occupation and repression and have broken through the prison gates and attacked Israelis. Go figure. US.: Here’s your chance. It’s going to be a tough media manipulation, but we’ll do our best. Good luck. Israel: We’re going to bomb the shit Continue reading »
In a failing quest to maintain its ‘primacy’, the US has cast China, Russia and Iran as global villains. The US intelligence community recently released its annual threat assessment, which focuses on worldwide threats to the country’s national security. The document reflects the collective analyses and insights of the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Continue reading »
In Northeast Asia a system of confronting military alliances – US/Japan/South Korea/Philippines vs China/Russia/North Korea – gradually takes shape, calling to mind nothing so much as the alliance system constructed in Europe in the decade leading up to 1914. The one today is no more likely to lead to peace and regional cooperation than was Continue reading »
The regimes in Israel and Palestine both claim to be victims in the violence that engulfs them. Interpreting the situation through “victimhood” assists in understanding the human forces that arise from age-old conflicts and that continue to cause so much horrific suffering. Pope Francis is calling on people of goodwill to raise their voices for Continue reading »
The Democrats and the Republicans are outdoing each other to prove who can get us to World War III fastest. Joe Biden and the Congressional Democrats are making a convincing bid to be the leading warmongers. The Congressional Democrats just voted unanimously in a vote of 210 – 0 to extend the Ukraine War with Continue reading »
"President Biden’s comments contribute and are a testament to the broader misunderstanding and this fantasization from the West about cannibalism in Papua New Guinea."
As tensions flare with Iran, the US continues to provide full support for Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip. The events of early April seem to bear out the first line of T S Eliot’s “The Wasteland”, that “April is the cruellest month”. On 10 April, on Eid al-Fitr, the celebratory end of Ramadan, Israel killed three Continue reading »
The complex interplay of vision, power, and governance in innovation districts, precincts, and hubs. The 21st century has been characterised by remarkable technological breakthroughs that have fundamentally altered how we interact with each other and the world. With this in mind, countries, regions, and industrial clusters create visions of a technology-driven future. Quite often, they Continue reading »