Antisemitism, like all forms of racism, is a scourge and Australia has not been immune to it. Traditional antisemitism is not hard to identify or call out whether it is in graffiti, slogans or slurs. However, when it comes to debate over Israel and Palestine, what is or is not antisemitic is a highly political Continue reading »
International Relations
When the ALP Government led by Anthony Albanese came to power in 2022 it was confronted by the AUKUS minefield laid by its predecessor, the LNC Government led by Scott Morrison. It did, however, have options, one of which was to reject outright the Babylonian extravagance and complexity of arrangements consequent to a process marked Continue reading »
Reform has its limits. Even as the Labor Government makes good several of its promised changes in economic and social policy, the boom-gate has dropped on defence and foreign affairs. Anticipated by Labor in Opposition since 2018, a review of how Australia goes to war began last September. A Parliamentary Committee worked hard for six Continue reading »
One of the many, many signs that Australia is nothing more than a US military and intelligence asset is the way its government has consistently refused to intervene to protect Australian citizen Julian Assange from political persecution at the hands of the US empire. In a new article titled “Penny Wong moves to dampen expectation Continue reading »
Why is Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong vocal about Australian-Chinese journalist Cheng Lei, jailed in China, but silent on Australian journalist Julian Assange, jailed in the UK? Senator Wong tweeted on 31 March 2023, “It is one year since Australian citizen Cheng Lei faced a closed trial in Beijing on national security charges. She is Continue reading »
China’s calls for calm stand in stark contrast to US provocations. “No war really comes unexpectedly; the drums are beating long before a single shot is fired,” said Margaret Case Harriman, the American author, and history bears her out. In the run-up, for example, to the Great War in 1914, belligerence was in the air. Continue reading »
The United States’ issue with TikTok is uncannily reflective of its ongoing problem with China. It grew too fast for their comfort, is too economically and technologically successful and so deeply enmeshed in their lives that they felt the impulse to disengage. It evokes the same suspicion that engaging with something Chinese in origin must Continue reading »
By some strange reasoning NATO, the US and the pundits seem to think the current war between Russia – Ukraine is a precursor to hostilities they expect to see between Taiwan and China. It is an unlikely scenario. Travel between Taiwan and China is frequent. Official Taiwan figures for people permitted to work in China Continue reading »
One of the world’s oldest unresolved international issues, Kashmir, has experienced many stark vicissitudes over time. In 2019, it made headlines due to India’s controversial revocation of Article 35A and 370, which essentially eliminated Kashmir’s special status and autonomy. This led to overarching vehemence amongst Kashmiris who protested in droves. To subdue them, thousands of Continue reading »
Britain’s Oxford Dictionary and America’s Webster’s have moved quickly to shut down further nominations for the 2023 “Word of the Year”. They’ve declared “aukustrate” the unbeatable winner. Unsurprisingly, Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary found no reason to disagree, and fell into line. The announcement followed the Global Public Relations Institute giving its Marx/Goebbels Award for the Propaganda Continue reading »