My following article appears in today’s ABC Unleashed: Fidel Castro controlled Cuba for nearly half a century. His rule was defined by defiance and dictatorship, brutal repression against dissidents and the management of an immoral American embargo. Free speech has always been the Achilles’ heel of the regime. During my visit to the island last…
Showing all posts in June 2019
The Tibetan word is getting out
China continues to restrict media access to its citizens over the brutal crackdown of Tibetan protesters, but a new international poll finds massive support for the Tibetan cause: A poll of three western and three Asian countries finds widespread criticism of Chinese policies toward Tibet. This critical view is held by large majorities in all…
Endorsing dull orthodoxy
Iran’s conservatives consolidated their grasp on the levers of power in last week’s election and seem determined to drain the life from the country’s media: Iran has launched a fresh offensive on the media after the country’s election in which the conservatives strengthened their hold on the parliament at the expense of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.…
How to attract the finest
While Chinese internet users moan about their regime’s heavy-handed censorship during the current crisis in Tibet, Israel’s domestic spies embrace the new technology: Israel’s domestic security agency, Shin Bet, has allowed some of its staff to blog in an attempt to win over hi-tech recruits. Four employees, none of whom appear to be frontline agents,…
The sound of freedom
As China tries to defend its aggressive behaviour against protesting Tibetans – calling them “criminals” and arresting hundreds of people – the regime’s battle against the internet is temporarily successful but ultimately futile. The Times London explains: YouTube, the video-sharing website which has become a home to amateur footage of news events, has been blocked…
Must have missed the first day of training
The Wikileaks website has released before information about American activities in Iraq, but now two new documents have surfaced. One discusses the “Lessons Learned” from the battle of Mosul in July 2004 and the other analyses similar lessons from the battle of Samarra in 2004. The American army are portrayed as utterly incapable of waging…
Kill them all (but make sure they’re Arabs first)
Following my recent article in Crikey – discussing Australia’s parliamentary motion celebrating Israel’s 60th anniversary as well as the local Zionist lobby’s shenanigans – a number of letter writers responded yesterday: Bren Carlill, analyst at the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, writes: “Re. “Our “passionately pro Israel” PM throws compassion out the window” (13 March,…