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The relationship between Australia and Russia is over 200 years old. It began with great promise, but relations cooled following the Russian Revolution. The financial crisis presents an opportunity for both countries to look to each other with optimism once again.
It is hard to imagine any solution to the discontent in Xinjiang without a general change in the political culture of China. That seems a distant prospect indeed. For Australia's part, a soft and friendly voice may do more than condemnation or contention.
It is strange to see so many symbols of the Soviet past alive and well in Russia. It is too simplistic to say this reflects nostalgia for Soviet times. Much of it is personal nostalgia. The intertwining of private and public memory is complex.
Sex scandals can make celebrities out of the most unlikely figures. But just how similar is the case of the Oxford poetry professorship candidate accused of sexually harrassing his students, and Australian Rugby League's group sex scandal?
The Russian language has two words for whisperer: one who whispers behind others' backs, and one who whispers for fear of being heard. Government forces wish emphasise Stalin's achievements as the builder of the country's glorious Soviet past.
When asked if America was winning the war in Afghanistan, Obama answered: 'No'. His call for dialogue with the Taliban reflects a form of inter-religious dialogue that goes beyond a lovey-dovey, 'underneath we're all the same' approach.
When it comes to political debate, being a foreigner can be difficult. Former president Vladimir Putin's recent State of the Nation address, made on the eve of his departure from the presidency, called for national unity and 'stable development' to the exclusion of foreign influence. (March 2008)
Benny Morris, Israel's best-known revisionist historian, led more and more Israelis and Diaspora Jews in the 1980s to accept the legitimacy of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Morris has changed his spots. (September 2008)
Gunnar Bergstrom returned to Cambodia last week hoping to atone for his one-time approval of the Khmer Rouge's Year Zero. In 1978 he and his comrades from the Sweden-Kampuchea Friendship Association were hosted by a gracious and grateful Pol Pot.
Benny Morris, Israel's best-known revisionist historian, led more and more Israelis and Diaspora Jews in the 1980s to accept the legitimacy of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Morris has changed his spots.
The US Polish-Czech missile defence system will be both futile, and provocative to Russia - an irresponsible initiative typical of the outgoing Bush administration. This is dangerous baggage that Obama or McCain will now have to deal with.
Provocation by the US and the Saakashvili government has realigned the balance of power between Russia and the West. The Georgia conflict is the most important event in East-West relations since the fall of Soviet Communism.