Imminent elections in France, the United States, and the United Kingdom are affected by two long-running concerns: Palestine and the decline of the West. Responses to them will also affect the 2025 elections in Australia. Here, ALP voters are already being lured to listen to the Coalition’s siren song of nuclear power, Sinophobia, and refugees, Continue reading »
International Relations
For goodness’ sake, negotiate! For the fifth time since 2008, Russia has proposed to negotiate with the U.S. over security arrangements, this time in proposals made by President Vladimir Putin on June 14, 2024. Four previous times, the U.S. rejected the offer of negotiations in favour of a neocon strategy to weaken or dismember Russia through Continue reading »
So I guess we should probably talk about the way NATO powers are rapidly escalating toward hot war with Russia at the same time the US is expanding its draft policies to make it easier to force more Americans [to] go and fight in a giant war. In an article titled “NATO: 500,000 Troops on Continue reading »
China expertise – including that of our huge Chinese diaspora – has increasingly become a source of suspicion. China scholar Angela Lehmann offers three policy responses to promote Australia’s capability to engage with our biggest trading partner. The visit this week by Chinese Premier Li Qiang is a reminder of an old dilemma at the Continue reading »
Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s visit underscores the significance of the Australia-China relationship, especially given China’s status as Australia’s largest trading partner. A deeper relation should develop, but that will take time. Trust needs to be reestablished not only at diplomatic and business levels, but also in the Australian mass media, whose China opinion writers have Continue reading »
Historically ignorant strategists urge people to their deaths to sustain the illusion of American primacy. But the problem of dealing with a belligerent, crumbling, supremacist USA is the true geopolitical challenge of the age. Michael Pezzulo’s warcry, “The challenge of Communist China”, is a dangerous pose to straddle world history and a sign the USA’s Continue reading »
In answer to Chas Freeman’s devastating question: “Does Israel deserve to exist?” 9 JUNE—Chas Freeman’s question has haunted me since he first articulated it three months ago in a conversation with Aaron Maté and Katie Halper on Useful Idiots podcast: Does Israel have a right to exist [is] a rather strange question because it does Continue reading »
As the Ukrainian war appears to be nearing its conclusion, the question is what a peace could look like. 1.The Worsening Situation. The window to a compromise peace with Russia is fast closing. Western hardliners are urging Ukraine to expend its remaining military resources in the vain hope of stopping and reversing Russia’s most recent advances, Continue reading »
Last week activists in Brisbane CBD took their voices and violin to the doorstop of giant American weapons and aircraft company Boeing. To denounce Boeing, along with other US, Australian and UK based ammunition and weapons manufacturers for prolonging the wars in Gaza and the Ukraine in order to make huge profits from civilian suffering Continue reading »
I dug a hole in the garden I don’t why just felt like digging Just broke up with my girlfriend I needed something … something to do Soon I’d dug so deep The sky was just a window above me But I didn’t care … mmm Looking for something deeper Jackson Jackson (2006) The parallels Continue reading »