What the media should be doing

This letter was just published in the Williamsport Sun-Gazette newspaper in Pennsylvania: Oscar Wilde said, “In the old days men had the rack. Today they have the Press.” We are bombarded with what the media says is news, but, in most cases, does not identify a real source, or attribute the facts to a specific…

How much do we owe Afghan refugees?

My new piece for Declassified Australia on the disparity between Afghan and Ukrainian refugees and how Australia (and the US) view the neediest people on the planet: Around 6,000 humanitarian visas have been granted to Afghan refugees in the 12 months since the end of the US occupation in August 2021. This is from a total of…

Twenty Years plus since Taliban takeover of Afghanistan

The Twenty Years project is a collaboration between Afghan artists, journalists and a number of Australians, including me, about the legacy of the US-led war in Afghanistan. There was recently a major exhibition at Blacktown Arts gallery in Sydney, Australia featuring Afghan artists Khadim Ali, Elyas Alavi, Orna Kazimi, Najiba Noori, Melbourne-based artist Tia Kass…

The war on drugs from a Slovakian view

My book, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs, was recently released in a Slovakian edition. It’s been reviewed in Slovakia’s biggest newspaper, SME, by Lubomir Jasko, and it’s very positive. Here’s the Google Translate version: Anti-drug campaign or war against people? Antony Loewenstein, The War on Drugs, translated by Samuel Marec,…

Twenty Years of the Afghan war

I’m excited to announce the launch of Twenty Years, a project more than two years in the making: Twenty Years is an artistic and journalistic project to assess the legacy of the post 9/11, US-led war in Afghanistan. Originally conceived in 2019 by journalist, author and film-maker Antony Loewenstein and artist Tia Kass alongside Afghans…

Investigating the War on Drugs: recommendations for the future

Here’s my keynote lecture at the 2021 Australian & New Zealand Addiction Conference on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. I spoke around my 2019 book, “Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs“. The Australian & New Zealand Addiction Conference was hosted by the Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association, a non-government,…

The dark legacy of the post 9/11 Afghan war

This year is the 20th anniversary of the post 9/11 Afghan war. I was recently asked to speak at an event organised by the Institute of Modern Art in Brisbane, Australia. It was held during an exhibition of amazing Afghan/Australian artist Khadim Ali. In the Q&A, Khadim spoke along with a number of Afghans from…

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