My following investigation is published by the Guardian: Afghanistan faces an existential crisis over its untapped natural resources. After decades of war and insecurity, the Afghan government and foreign investors are pushing to exploit minerals under the ground but real dangers exist with little enforced regulation. Like Papua New Guinea and Haiti, two other nations…
Showing all posts tagged Australia
Interview about my documentary-in-progress, Disaster Capitalism
I was recently interviewed by Green Left Weekly newspaper: Independent journalist and author Antony Loewenstein… has made a name for himself writing about war crimes, human rights abuses and corporate profiteering. For the first time, he is seeking to speak truth to power through the medium of film — with his first documentary… Disaster Capitalism now in…
Papua New Guinea must be more than mines to Australia
My weekly Guardian column: After years of uncertainty, the once-profitable copper mine on Bougainville, an autonomous province of Papua New Guinea (PNG), could well be reopened. The chairman of Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL), Peter Taylor, told the Australian recently that “the Bougainville government seems to want the mine reopened, but we have to sit down…
Punishing migrants is a sure way towards greater unrest
My weekly Guardian column: Surely bombing yet another Muslim country is a mistake. But that’s exactly what Italian foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni has called for – attacks on Islamic State (Isis) positions in Libya to stem the flow of refugees streaming into Europe. Calls for tough action, like Gentiloni’s, are growing in response to refugees…
Why Western leaders love dictatorships
My weekly Guardian column: Western-friendly dictators can die in peace, knowing they’ll be lauded as soon as they stop breathing. So it was for Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew, who recently passed away at the age of 91. Tributes poured in from across the globe. Barack Obama called him “visionary” while Australian prime minister…
Opposing Washington's violence against Venezuela
I’m happy to have recently signed this statement on… Washington’s unprovoked aggression against Venezuela (via Telesur): WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has added his name to a growing list of Australian journalists, academics, politicians, trade unionists and solidarity activists calling on U.S. president… Barack… Obama to… revoke his executive… order against Venezuelan . On March 9, Obama issued… the order which… imposed sanctions… on…
ABC Radio Adelaide on disaster capitalism
This week I’ve been in Adelaide for its literary festival. The events, outdoors and free, have been huge, drawing well over 1200 people per session. I was interviewed by ABC Adelaide about my work, including my recent book Profits of Doom:
Speaking at Adelaide Writer's Week 2015
I’ve just returned from South Sudan (very briefly) to speak at Adelaide Writer’s Week. What a culture shock coming from Africa. Everything here is so shiny. Anyway, I’ll be speaking about Israel/Palestine, my investigative work over the years, interviewing British writer John Lancaster… on financial shenanigans… and running a masterclass with the South Australian Writer’s Centre. Here’s…
What South Sudan faces on a daily basis
My Guardian column: The creaking Russian helicopter lands in an open field in remote Wai, a town in South Sudan’s Jonglei state. The sky is perfectly clear; the temperature reaches 45 degrees. Women wave the South Sudanese flag to welcome the UN’s top humanitarian official, Valerie Amos, who arrives with Unesco peace envoy and American…
South Africa's Noseweek interview on vulture capitalism
During my 2014 visit to South Africa, as a guest of Cape Town’s Open Book literary festival, I was interviewed by one of the country’s leading independent publications, Noseweek. The feature has just appeared: Nose183loewenstein