Category Archives: Articles

Posted on 15 January 2019 We are a nation in denial that we are ‘joined at the hip’ to a dangerous ally that is becoming even more dangerous with the increasing privatisation of the US ‘war complex’  The complex is less Continue reading JOHN MENADUE. Joined at the hip to a very dangerous ally that is almost always at war. An update→

ROBERT D KAPLAN. The case for leaving Afghanistan (The New York Times International Edition). Posted on 9 January 2019 on Pearls and Irritations blog America is spending beyond its means on a mission that might only be helping its strategic Continue reading The case for leaving Afghanistan, Robert Kaplan, NY Times International, 9 Jan 2019→

Posted on 27 December 2018 The Mission of the Australian Defence Force is to defend Australia and its national interests. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2018 Report assesses that climate change presents a global ‘risk to heath, livelihoods, food security, water supply, human security and Continue reading CHRIS MILLS. Australian Defence Organisation Combats Climate Change Effects in Australia.→

There are said to be no votes in defence or foreign affairs in Australia. Years of bipartisanship on both, and an Alliance that is unquestionable, have disempowered debate. The time for change may be in 2019.   The ALP national conference Continue reading Most favoured notions just take time, Alison Broinowski, 21 December 2018→

BEVAN RAMSDEN. Caught in the middle of US-China contention, Australia sides with the US in their efforts to contain and keep China out of the Western Pacific.

CALL TO ACTION AGAINST APRIL 4, 2019 NATO SUMMIT IN WASHINGTON DC The Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases joins in the calls to action made by the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC), World BEYOND War, and Black Alliance for Continue reading CALL TO ACTION AGAINST APRIL 4, 2019 NATO SUMMIT IN WASHINGTON DC→

Honest History, Another wrinkle on why the Australian War Memorial will not commemorate the frontier wars.  David Stephens  

Irresponsible Australian mining in the Philippines persists By Reyvi Mariñas In 2008, I met Manoy Tony, an elder from the island of Rapu-Rapu in Bicol region, and Frances Quimpo, from the Centre for Environmental Concerns in the Philippines (CEC), in Continue reading Irresponsible Australian mining in the Philippines persists, Reyvi Mariñas, 12 November 2018→

What can Australia do to help build a world  that will be at peace with itself? Allan Patience,  The University of Melbourne Within this question is an assumption (which is all too plausible) that Australia has done – and still Continue reading What can Australia do to help build a world at peace, Alan Patience, 11 November 2018→

11 November: Armistice Day   –  Or, Making the World Safe for Big Oil The guns fell silent on the Western Front at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month while they continued to blaze on the Continue reading 11 November Armistice Day, Humphrey McQueen, 4 November 2018→

MACK WILLIAMS. New Cold War: Just how independent can Australia be ?

These recent articles by investigative journalist Michael West show the recent increases in arms spending, which now overshadows all other Government purchases, and is increasingly spent with no tender processes. Defence spending keeps spiralling as embarrassed government blocks data Government Continue reading Defence spending keeps spiralling as embarrassed government blocks data, Michael West, 24 October 2018→

Boycotting Eurovision: Why Aren’t Progressives Doing More For Palestine?

Coalition hiding criticism to help arms manufacturer a dangerous precedent – auditor Inquiry told government protected manufacturer’s commercial interests by omitting details on $1.3bn contract The Coalition’s decision to protect a global arms manufacturer’s commercial interests by suppressing criticism of Continue reading Coalition hiding criticism to help arms manufacturer, Guardian 18 October 2018→