My story in Foreign Policy co-written with Ketan Joshi: Clean Energy Tech Needs Secure, Moral Supply Chains
The false allure of El Chapo’s capture
My book review appeared in last weekend’s Australian newspaper: El Jefe: The Stalking of Chapo Guzman By Alan Feuer Simon and Schuster, 256pp, $32.99 On the day in February 2019 that the world’s most notorious drug cartel boss, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was found guilty in a Brooklyn courtroom, the prosecution was ecstatic. Richard P.…
Sydney Writer’s Festival interview on Pills, Powder and Smoke
This year’s Sydney Writer’s Festival was cancelled due to Covid-19 so it’s now gone online. I’ve been interviewed about my recent book, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs, by criminologist Dr George (Kev) Dertadian. My other writer’s festival event this year is a conversation about the rise of far-right fascism.
The dark underbelly of Newcastle, Britain
In my recent book, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs, I spend time across the UK, including the city of Newcastle, documenting the often brutal ways that the state mishandles drug users and addiction. The UK Sun newspaper commissioned me recently to write about my experiences in Newcastle. It’s not a…
Disaster capitalism in the age of Covid-19
My 2018 film, Disaster Capitalism, investigates the reality of privatised forces in Afghanistan, Haiti and Papua New Guinea. Last week, the film’s co-producers, Media Stockade, hosted me in a public conversation/Q&A about the film, my book of the same name and how disaster capitalists are exploiting the current Covid-19 moment:
UK Times Radio interview on “ethical cocaine” etc
Every now and then, a politician desperate for attention announces a policy to be tough on drug users. The latest person is the Conservative candidate for London mayor, Shaun Bailey, who wants companies to drug test their employees. It won’t work. In light of my recent book, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War…
How to Sell a Massacre book launch
Back in 2019, Al Jazeera English released a stunning 3-year long investigation into the National Rifle Association (NRA) and Australia’s One Nation political party, How to Sell a Massacre. The journalist behind the story, Peter Charley, has written a fine book about it and I recently interviewed him at a (virtual) book launch.
Disaster Capitalism film now on Vimeo
My 2018 documentary, Disaster Capitalism, continues to resonate. I’ll be speaking about its ongoing importance, and how disaster capitalism is surging during Covid-19, at an online event on 3 September. The film is already available on multiple streaming platforms and can now be rented and bought on Vimeo: Disaster Capitalism from Media Stockade on Vimeo.
Sydney Writer’s Festival talk on the creeping rise of fascism
This year’s Sydney Writer’s Festival was cancelled due to Covid-19 but it’s gone online. Here’s my conversation with writer Jeff Sparrow about his new book, Fascists Among Us: Online Hate and the Christchurch Massacre, Trump, Biden, anti-Semitism and the rise of the far-right:
The future of cocaine is being written now
Cocaine is a hugely popular drug that causes global carnage. It should be legalised and regulated. I investigate these issues in the current edition of UK magazine Gentleman’s Journal: