Pearls and Irritations has been a source of enlightenment since its foundation in 2013. It has progressively increased in importance. What began as an interesting addition to the Australian media landscape has become an irreplaceable source of ideas and distinctive interpretations provided by a large collection of authoritative experts few of whom have access to Continue reading »
politics
It goes without saying, and even better with saying, that America’s destiny is now tied up with China, which means so too is Australia’s. There has, of course, been a lot of commentary on this and on the diplomatic role that middle powers play in an evolving relationship. What has been absent, to some degree, Continue reading »
It is time Australia made a big, if bold, shift in its foreign policy and put up its hand to be a part of the Non-aligned movement. It was refreshing to read ‘Now is the time for non-alignment and peace’ by Prashad and McKenzie in Pearls and Irritations. The Non-aligned Movement has attracted 120 nations Continue reading »
"[Healthcare] is a dysfunctional system that to my mind needs to be fundamentally changed to a Medicare for All system — but we ain’t gonna get it."
Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle are backing a bill that endorses Maryam Rajavi, an Iranian opposition figure who leads the Mojahedin-e Khalq.
The post Amid Ongoing Iran Protests, Congress Boosts Cultish MEK Exile Group appeared first on The Intercept.
An important feature of the new globalisation is China’s Global Development Initiative and a renewed, non-exploitative focus on the Global South. The other is the growth of the digital economy and non-dollar-denominated digital currencies that enable cross-border trade. The idea that globalisation has ended is growing in popularity with some economic analysts. Parallel to this Continue reading »
Pedro Castillo, the Peruvian president, overthrown in a coup 7th December 2022, and then sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, clearly represented a threat to some significant forces. Following the overthrow, mass protests have spread across Peru, to which the government have responded violently, with 60 deaths in the past weeks. As per usual with Latin Continue reading »
All countries are failing to look after their environments and their people. Long haul flights will continue to generate most CO2. The world’s youth are not happy. Biophysical boundaries and social thresholds This piece requires familiarity with two concepts: planetary boundaries and doughnut economics. The first posits that there are nine environmental factors that must Continue reading »
The blood bath that was 2022 in occupied Palestine claimed the lives of more than 230 Palestinians. The Israeli Occupation Forces and the heavily armed illegal Jewish settlers in the West Bank have continued their feral killing spree into 2023 unabated. In the first month of this year, Israel murdered 36 Palestinians. Ten of those Continue reading »
Progressives sat back when some clearly dodgy social change programs were being implemented, handing the right some easy wins.