The American republic today and the Roman republic in the years following Cicero’s consulship (63 BCE) have enough similarities to entertain an interesting comparison. They are also different enough as to make the drawing of firm predictions specious. Nevertheless, there are shared factors that offer warning signs for today from the fall of the ancient Continue reading »
politics
China will need Australian iron ore and coking coal for its booming EV industry. In 2023, the projected revenue in China’s Electric Vehicles market is expected to reach a staggering US$292.1bn. This forecast indicates a promising future for the industry. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the market will experience a steady annual growth rate of Continue reading »
The AJA is seeking to suppress Palestinian identification with the country … for political purposes from an exhibition entitled Ramses and the Gold of the Pharoahs. The Australian Museum, Sydney, is currently hosting an exhibition entitled Ramses and the Gold of the Pharoahs. A controversy – in one sense a little controversy, but in another Continue reading »
Let it be clear friends: silence is complicity. And empty calls for peace without a ceasefire and an end to the occupation, and the shallow words of empathy without direct action: all under the banner of complicity. So here is my message: Gaza today has become the moral compass of the world. If you are Continue reading »
For a long time, two of the great gerontocracies were the Roman Catholic Church and the Chinese Communist Party. It is quite a thought that if Joe Biden were a Catholic bishop, he would have been required to submit his resignation to the pope five years ago. If he were a cardinal, he would, when […]
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If the United States is serious about liberty and justice for all, respect for international law, and a rules based order that treats everyone fairly and even-handedly, it’s time to ditch the doctrine and its corollaries. When those of us of a certain age were in school, we learned that the Monroe Doctrine committed the Continue reading »
Henry Kissinger did not invent some novel doctrine of foreign-policy-by-barbarous-atrocity, he simply continued the family tradition. Henry Kissinger straddled US foreign policy across two presidencies from 1969-1977. Notable in the current moment is the framing that Kissinger was somehow uniquely evil–and that he shifted US policy in this direction. Christopher Hitchens described Kissinger as a Continue reading »
‘Alternative’ medicines and therapies comprise the biggest scam in the country. But if you think that industry is going to be cleaned up … you’re joking. According to the best estimates, Australians spend well over $5 billion a year on alternative medicines and therapies. Globally, the market is valued at $2.4 trillion, equal to the Continue reading »
There is greatness in a system that tolerates public grumbling. Australia’s brand of democracy is a wonderful thing, in which the integrity of every referendum and election relies on the care, commitment and community spirit of thousands of ordinary citizens. People like you and me. It is citizen civics (expertly coordinated by the AEC) and Continue reading »
Western Australia is famously a long way from everywhere. Given our isolation, it’s not surprising that politics can be a bit parochial. While this may have been forgivable in another era, at this current historical juncture it’s becoming rather embarrassing. But before ‘eastern staters’ start feeling too smug, it’s important to recognise that in many Continue reading »