1 day agoAUKUSWar, or more often the threat of it, has long been a necessary economic stimulus in state capitalist societies. In the twentieth century, the term military Keynesianism was coined to describe the transfer of public funds to privately owned military contractors who were largely shielded from market competition for the…7 min read7 min read
Nov 13Is the Gaza Strip really under Israeli occupation?Is the Gaza Strip really under Israeli occupation? In the mainstream Australian press, pro-Israel advocates continue to claim that Gaza is no longer occupied by Israel. Below is a brief summary of the legal status of Gaza with references for further understanding. ******** The Gaza Strip is a 360km2 piece…Gaza4 min readGaza4 min read
Nov 13Israel-Palestine: Do states have a “right to exist”?Israel-Palestine: Do states have a “right to exist”? Since the 1970s, Israel’s leaders have insisted that their Palestinian interlocutors acknowledge Israel’s “right to exist” as a pre-condition for negotiations on a final settlement of the conflict. Amongst other demands, the governments of Israel and the United States insist that Hamas…Israel Palestine Conflict14 min readIsrael Palestine Conflict14 min read
Feb 25Ukraine: Is it almost over?Despite celebrating 12 months of surviving the Russian onslaught, promises of more money and military equipment (including tanks) from the West, and a chorus of support for the courage and resilience of the people, the war appears almost over for Ukraine. There are four reasons for thinking this. First, as…5 min read5 min read
May 3, 2022Tactical voting and IndependentsIf you normally vote for the Greens or you are a traditional ALP supporter in a blue-ribbon Liberal seat such as Goldstein, Wentworth, Kooyong, Mackellar or North Sydney, at this election you face a choice between voting for your preferred party candidate or removing the Morrison Government from power. The…6 min read6 min read
Apr 21, 2022On Leaders’ DebatesSocial media and saturation coverage of politics has rendered leaders’ debates almost irrelevant. They rarely change the minds of voters en masse unless one of participants stuffs up badly. When this happens the mistake may go viral and capsize a campaign, but it is increasingly rare. Consequently, both leaders try…Auspol2 min readAuspol2 min read
Apr 18, 2022Problems in Australian Journalism(updated and expanded) Whether we are being directed to a news story by an editor or an algorithm, the task of filtering the dross from the insightful remains the most important challenge for those who ‘consume’ political information. This is a much more important concern than perennial angst about concentrated…12 min read12 min read
Mar 12, 2022The Ukrainian Crisis: Three PerspectivesThe Ukrainian Crisis: Three Perspectives It is sometimes said of the war in Syria that there aren’t even any bad ideas for resolving the conflict, let alone good ones. The war in Ukraine is quickly approaching a similarly intractable state. This is how it looks through Russian, Western and Ukrainian eyes. Russian perceptions From the…Ukraine8 min readUkraine8 min read
Feb 27, 2022A Moral Position on Ukraine?A Moral Position on Ukraine? The Russian attacks on Ukraine are both immoral and illegal under international law. They should be unconditionally opposed, regardless of how they have been rationalised by the Kremlin. Ukraine is an independent state, its sovereignty has been violated, and there is no “self-defence” justification for…Ukraine9 min readUkraine9 min read
Aug 25, 2021COVID and the electionIn polities without fixed electoral terms, where the prime minister can manipulate the timing of elections to confer additional advantages on his government, guessing when the next vote will take place is as fraught as forecasting the result. Recent political manoeuvrings and a public health crisis may, however, provide us…Auspol4 min readAuspol4 min read
