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Section: Australia

  • AUSTRALIA

    US-backed Georgia pokes the Russian bear

    • Tony Kevin
    • 19 August 2008
    7 Comments

    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.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Aid worker deaths challenge NGO assistance model

    • Michael Mullins
    • 18 August 2008

    Last Wednesday's killing of three foreign aid workers in Afghanistan marked a new low point for non government organisations. NGOs must lose neither heart nor the support of their constituencies in developed countries.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Olympics a good time to start wars

    • Gillian Bouras
    • 15 August 2008
    5 Comments

    Politics is never far from the surface at the Olympics. Even at the so-called friendly Games in Melbourne in 1956, the famous 'Blood in the Water' water-polo match reflected tensions surrounding the Soviet invasion of Hungary ten days before.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    'Brilliant' Martin scuppered by party white ants

    • Moira Rayner
    • 13 August 2008
    11 Comments

    On Friday the Northern Territory lost one of too few politicians with integrity and courage. We will not see the like of Clare Martin again for a very long time.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Poultry parable for homeless youth

    • John Honner
    • 12 August 2008
    21 Comments

    Imagine a young person in State care trying to access the rental market with no money or employment history. Beryl the Chook was last in the pecking order, but through a 'constructive alliance' her strengths began to overcome her defecits.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Games won't tame China's internet guard dog

    • Cat Juan
    • 11 August 2008
    2 Comments

    The internet was once touted as a force for democracy. China has successfully turned this threat to its own advantage, and could show the way to other totalitarian nations.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Freedom fries not to Solzhenitsyn's taste

    • Michael Mullins
    • 11 August 2008
    1 Comment

    While he was best known for his unrelenting criticism of the Soviet system, Alexander Solzhenitsyn also provided a devastating critique of the excesses of Western capitalism.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Congo thrives under Chinese 'invasion'

    • Fernando Franco
    • 07 August 2008
    6 Comments

    European and US corporations are on the retreat in Africa, while the progress of Chinese and Indian companies is bearing positive results. They stand to fulfill the promise of 'development' that has remained a dream since independence.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Chinese burn for 'political' Games

    • Jeremy Clarke
    • 05 August 2008
    4 Comments

    The torch relay protests unexpectedly strengthened aggressive nationalism, as the Chinese people swung behind the government and its Olympic aspirations. Sport and politics will combine in weeks to come, making for interesting viewing.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Refugee reform: the next chapter

    • David Holdcroft
    • 04 August 2008
    8 Comments

    Last week's changes to Australia's asylum policy remove the worst aspects of a cruel system. The real test is if the Rudd Government is willing to take on the causes of forced migration, rather than continuing to shift the burden elsewhere.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Greedy Australia in a league of its own

    • Michael Mullins
    • 04 August 2008
    2 Comments

    Accusations of greed followed Canterbury Bulldogs star Sonny Bill Williams' decision to break his contract and accept a lucrative deal with a French union club. Greed is surprisingly pervasive in Australia. The reintroduction of death duties might keep it in check.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Singapore's cane can't restore justice

    • Michael Mullins
    • 28 July 2008
    4 Comments

    If Singapore's courts convict ABC journalist Peter Lloyd of drug charges, his sentence may include 15 lashes. In a better world, 'restorative justice' would allow him to do something positive to counter the social ills that led to his actions.

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