Keywords: National Security
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INTERNATIONAL
- Warwick McFadyen
- 24 July 2024
Following the assassination attempt, Donald Trump evidently sees his survival as a sign from God, in whom he very likely does not believe, that he is certain to achieve victory this November. It seems Trump’s religious road veers towards whichever destination offers him the greatest prize.
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AUSTRALIA
With homelessness rising and housing affordability plummeting, Independents propose a radical solution: a National Housing Plan. In challenging both major parties, can they create a system that provides a roof over the heads of all Australians?
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INTERNATIONAL
- Binoy Kampmark
- 01 July 2024
Julian Assange, once confined to Britain’s most forbidding maximum-security prison, is now free after pleading guilty to a single conspiracy charge. This unexpected twist in the WikiLeaks saga, involving complex negotiations and political maneuvering, could have profound implications for press freedom and the future of journalism worldwide.
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AUSTRALIA
- Binoy Kampmark
- 11 June 2024
Former Australian military lawyer David McBride was convicted for leaking documents to the ABC which exposed war crimes in Afghanistan. He is the sole individual to be convicted in exposing alleged atrocities in the Afghanistan campaign by Australian special forces.
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INTERNATIONAL
- David Halliday
- 11 June 2024
When Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records, it represented a long-awaited triumph of the rule of law in the United States. But the verdict may not mean much in the long run, and has not affected Trump's popularity among voters. Watching Trump’s conviction from afar prompts us to consider how good we have it.
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AUSTRALIA
In response to campus protests, universities erred on the side of free speech when every other day, the prevailing ethos is one of ‘safetyism’, namely suppressing speech or inquiry if an identity group frames it as ‘harmful’ to them. Universities should strive to be uncomfortable and ‘unsafe’ for all, with no identity immune from robust scrutiny.
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AUSTRALIA
- Barry Gittins
- 24 May 2024
In the latest Quarterly Essay profile of Peter Dutton, author Lech Blaine may well describe his work as character delineation, rather than character assassination. But we seem to be at an impasse in Australian market of ideas, and scorn gives greater bang for the buck than dialogue.
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AUSTRALIA
- Binoy Kampmark
- 30 November 2023
3 Comments
Charged with breaching national security for exposing alleged war crimes by Australian forces in Afghanistan, former Australian military lawyer David McBride's trial in Canberra rekindles a debate that tests the boundaries of military obedience and public interest. At the heart of this legal battle lies the question: when does the duty to expose wrongdoing outweigh the duty to follow orders?
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INTERNATIONAL
- Binoy Kampmark
- 10 May 2022
8 Comments
On May 3, the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, vented his fury in parliament at ‘the continual demonstration of lack of trust by the concerned parties, and tacit warning of military intervention in Solomon Islands if their national interest is undermined in Solomon Islands.’ The targets of the speech — Australia and the United States — were clear enough.
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AUSTRALIA
- John Warhurst
- 09 March 2022
13 Comments
Domestic policies are often regarded as more important than foreign affairs and defence policies in influencing Australian election campaigns. But national security campaigns by the government of the day, known as either khaki elections or reds under the beds, have such a long history in Australian federal elections that they challenge the conventional wisdom.
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AUSTRALIA
- Andrew Hamilton
- 02 March 2022
10 Comments
In the last few weeks the threat of a Khaki election has loomed large In Australia. The invasion of Ukraine and tensions in relations with China have focused attention on which party can best ensure national security. This question will surely be pressed during the election campaign.
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INTERNATIONAL
- Binoy Kampmark
- 16 December 2021
18 Comments
The legal pursuit of Assange is disturbingly unique not only for using an archaic law against a non-US national; it is also the first instance of an international application of it against a publisher. The law, if applied in the way suggested by the charges, criminalise the receipt, dissemination and publication of national security information, irrespective of motive. If the US Espionage Act 1917 were applied in this way, it would appear to subvert the free press provision in the United States Constitution.
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