Category Archives: International

The Pandora Papers show the scale of global web of deceit for the rich and powerful

By Joe Montero

The attest trove of leaked documents to go public have become known as the Pandora Papers. Those that have been released implicate 35 current and former world leaders, and the list includes about 400 Australians. Continue reading The Pandora Papers show the scale of global web of deceit for the rich and powerful

Detention of diplomat for extradition to the US is wrong and illegal

By Joe Montero

Most Australians have not heard of Alex Saab. His case has not made headlines here. Most likely reason is that he is the Ambassador to the African Union for Venezuela.

The matter began on 12 June last year. Police, acting on a political direction, forcefully abducted Ambassador from a plane at the Cabo Verde airport and put into solitary confinement. Continue reading Detention of diplomat for extradition to the US is wrong and illegal

Defeat in Afghanistan was completely predictable

By Jim Hayes

As the fallout from the hasty retreat of the United Sates forces from Afghanistan continues, are those things have been made perfectly clear.

This is the biggest defeat  the United States has suffered since Vietnam and is looking vulnerable. The flow on is that it will give encouragement to those in many other countries, fighting Washington’s pressure on their turf. Continue reading Defeat in Afghanistan was completely predictable

The war on Afghanistan has ended in the defeat of the invaders

By Jim Hayes

So, the Taliban are now in Kabul and have almost secured their complete control over Afghanistan. Unpopular President Ashraf Ghani and other high officials fled the country, as the Presidential Place and airport fell. U.S. Embassy staff were evacuated by helicopter, in scenes reminiscent of the pull out of Vietnam in 1975. Continue reading The war on Afghanistan has ended in the defeat of the invaders

Video: Julian Assange and CIA backed assassination plots

In an explosive, rare long form interview UK hip hop legend and activist Lowkey speaks to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s partner Stella Moris.

In the interview, Stella Moris speaks to Lowkey about huge new revelations about the case “The key witness is a diagnosed sociopath, a fraudster who was already convicted of embezzling Wikileaks for 50 or 60 thousand…The key allegations against Julian have been fabricated by him..

He admits he did that in exchange for total immunity. Under the protection of the US government he then continued his crime spree” Moris speaks about fearing for Assange’s mental and physical health “I am always concerned for Julian’s health…

“What’s happening to Julian is monstrous. It’s the worst forces attacking the greatest virtues… “It’s the vision of us being reunited. Of him being able to be a father to our children and this injustice to end that helps us get through every day” Stella Moris on US security services spying on Assange in the Embassy “One of the security guards at the Embassy told me that I shouldn’t bring our baby anymore because he had been told to steal a nappy.

These people were acting on instruction. They are receiving emails saying install that camera there, install a microphone under that fire extinguisher, steal that nappy, look at ways to poison Assange” “A case like Julian’s which is the most significant press freedom case of our century which raises the most fundamental issues about what it means to live in a democracy, about our ability to know what governments do in our name, with our money. The fact that governments cover these things up and if there exposed they will go after you.”

Video from a/political

The Olympic Games would be much healthier if not subject to the control of big money

By Joe Montero

The Olympic games will end in a few days. The mighty achievements of the athletes, pushing to the limits of human capacity, is a monumental achievement that draws in the world. They are also big business, and this creates a contradiction between the stated values  of  excellence, friendship, and respect and the crass greed of commercialisation and cheap politics. Continue reading The Olympic Games would be much healthier if not subject to the control of big money

Europe’s flooding shows climate solutions must be driven by people power

Lesley Rankin is a researcher at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). She wrote the following article (Open Democracy 28 July 2021), and argues that the failure to do enough to tackle the climate crisis is a failure of political leadership and the to involve the population as active participants. This means that dealing with the environmental challenge and preparing for future shocks are inseparable from the battle for justice.  

Continue reading Europe’s flooding shows climate solutions must be driven by people power

Why huge wealth threatens U.S. economy

In this article Robert Reich  ( 27 June) puts forward his view on the impact on the economy of the growing wealth gap in the United Sates, between the few at the top and everyone else. This gap, he says, is reminiscent of what happened before the Wall Street crash in 1929 and Great depression. The risk of another similar meltdown is possible. It will also make the United states vulnerable to the next demagogue.

Continue reading Why huge wealth threatens U.S. economy