Diplomacy is required, and examples such as South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission provide an example and an opportunity for all Israel and Palestine representatives to genuinely meet – to resolve this tragic situation and negotiate a fair and peaceful outcome. Continue reading »
World Affairs
One hopes that the story of Majdal Shams and its courageous people could prompt Australia’s policy makers to stand up for international law and take a principled stand against lies that exacerbate hatreds and fuel war talk. Continue reading »
Peter Dutton’s politicised dog-whistling about visas for people fleeing the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza ignores the devastation and extreme risk for innocent civilians trapped in a violent conflict. In a crisis, moving away from danger is a natural and rational human response. While some people have the financial resources, immigration documentation and networks to get Continue reading »
Australia is not immune to the global trend to nationalism. Politicians here as elsewhere pepper their talk with terms such as “sovereignty”, “national values” and “our way of life”. These are all relative, only defined by reference to other peoples and other nations that are “not like us”. The uniqueness of Australian nationalism is that Continue reading »
One would’ve had to have been living in a cave not to have been aware of the recent street violence in the United Kingdom. For those of us who lived through the riots here in Hong Kong in 2019 and 2020, there was an extreme feeling of déjà vu as we watched attacks on police, Continue reading »
Iran may be about to launch a proper missile strike on Israel for the first time ever – in retaliation for the attack on Tehran last month which killed Ismail Haniyeh. Israeli intelligence says an attack is likely to come within days. The Jerusalem Post on 11 August quoted Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of Continue reading »
Progressive party scuttled as protection of the monarchy overrides the verdict of the voters. A peculiarly Thai political ritual is playing out in the kingdom this week. In Act 1, the courts disband a popular party that is seen as a threat to the monarchy and ban its leaders from politics. In Act 2, the Continue reading »
The question of who is responsible for causing the Ukraine war has been a deeply contentious issue since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022. The answer to this question matters enormously because the war has been a disaster for a variety of reasons, the most important of which is that Ukraine has effectively been Continue reading »
“Tectonic shifts are underway in global politics, economy, and other spheres of international relations. A fairer multipolar world order is being born.” Opening words of the SCO 2024 declaration, Astana, Kazakhstan. “A fairer multipolar world order is being born”. Eight words that sum up what is being created at pace and yet is being largely Continue reading »
The ICJ delivered its advisory opinion on 19 July regarding the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. Readers are by now familiar with the basic rulings of the Court, not from mainstream media, I might add. The ICJ’s judgment has been reported, but its consequences, and particularly for Australia, have barely raised a comment. Continue reading »