If you believe that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was unprovoked, then perhaps you should read no further. And, if you believe that Vladimir Putin will allow the United States and Europe to bring Ukraine into the Western security orbit, then once again you should read no further. But if you acknowledge the provocations that Continue reading »
Defence and Security
Australia’s security policy is a mess. We have been betrayed by our national leaders. Without exception, from Prime Minister Gillard on – with Anthony Albanese shaping up to join – the sell-out to America’s war neurosis is complete. Our leaders have been party to the fabrication of China as a military threat to Australia, by Continue reading »
Soledar has fallen to Russian troops. Bakhmut (Artymovsk) will follow soon. This constitutes the breach of Ukraine’s second defence line within the Donetzk and Lysichansk oblasts. I will discuss those lines with the maps below. The first map shows the range of land taken by Russian forces by April 1 2022 (Kiev region not shown). Continue reading »
It’s been a year since I last visited Russia. Back then, most people I met thought the prospects of a war with Ukraine were very remote, despite the massive troops build-up on the border. So I was curious to see how attitudes had changed since then. Equally important was to see for myself how the war has Continue reading »
It is difficult to reconcile the public documents and statements relating to the AUKUS nuclear-power submarine project. Unlike the usual procurement process the defence policy justification is opaque, the schedule and costs are unclear, and the implications for Australian industry vague. Industry considerations arise in relation to both existing US and future Australian capacity and Continue reading »
What is the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), what are its sources of funding, and why does it so consistently advocate for positions favourable to the United States and the weapons industry? Follow the money trail. Throwing something at the T.V. could become an expensive habit. Yet how often I feel like it, especially so Continue reading »
In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, does his best to show how he was no ornament of the British Army, one merely there to make up the numbers. During six helicopter missions in Afghanistan, he killed a number of Taliban fighters. Aided by “laptops” and precision, he was even certain about the Continue reading »
The US-Australia Force Posture Agreement has opened the gate for the US to set up Australia as a launching pad for its next war against China. The Albanese government must invoke Article XXI to terminate it and reclaim sovereignty. When it comes to military activities or agreements between Australia and the United States, the ANZUS Continue reading »
A recent New York Times commentary by conservative columnist Bret Stephens asks this question: “Are We Sleepwalking Through a ‘Decisive Decade’?” To which he answers resoundingly, in so many words, yes. “We” is all of us: American society as a whole — but, more precisely, the policy officials and military leaders who purport to guide Continue reading »
Middle East Eye analyses figures of record Israeli violence in 2022 in which the majority of victims were civilians, including children and journalists. Israeli forces have killed more Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in 2022 than they have in a single calendar year since the Second Intifada, according to data compiled by Middle East Eye. At least 220 people have Continue reading »