Secretary-General António Guterres has limited his role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to that of a town crier, expressing “grave concern” from time to time regarding the terrible Hamas attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 and Israel’s collective punishment of the Palestinian people in Gaza every day since then and long before. To change his Continue reading »
politics
There is no doubt that multimedia technology can tell stories dramatically. These stories particularly resonate with a generation raised on video games and social media, which are now an intrinsic part of their lives. The problems with this technology in relation to armed conflict, though, are whether it conveys reality or distorts it and what Continue reading »
Collecting, sifting and presenting information on national security is not the toughest job in the world although it can be tricky. There are now oceanic quantities of the stuff available. Modern technology can serve it up more or less in “real time” in ways that would startle, and probably charm, Sir Francis Walsingham, one of Continue reading »
In addition to physical or psychological abuse, bullies use power in relationships to pressure others to adopt their world views. The bullying may appear in letters, lobbying, radio and television interviews, secret meetings with politicians and business leaders and even in legal action against those who criticise the bullies’ points of view. As we write, Continue reading »
Opposition leader and part-time member for Dixon, Peter Dutton, has made an emergency dash to Paris after mining magnate, Gina Rinehart, complained that her shoes need cleaning. ”Gina is such an important person and I pledge that any Government I... Read More ›
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar ran Gaza so well, Benjamin Netanyahu once spoke in his own cabinet in favour of supporting Hamas against the Palestinian Authority, Marwan Bishara reminds us. “It’s very important to recall the last six years from 2017 to 2023, until when the October 7 attack happened – for six years Yahya Sinwar Continue reading »
In the last several years, democracies around the world have been led by leaders of low calibre, who displayed little vision, not much courage and in whom voters had shown no confidence. But in strife torn Bangladesh, a country of over 174 million people, the inaugural (1998) Sydney Peace Prize recipient Professor Muhammad Yunus, a 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 Albanese Government’s apparent unwillingness to properly implement the recommendations of the Parliamentary inquiry into online gambling is, as the Alliance for Gambling Reform puts it, ‘bitterly disappointing’ in the view of St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia. Commenting on media reports suggesting the government will only respond half-heartedly to the Parliamentary Committee’s report “You win Continue reading »