A ‘draft’ cabinet document suggests the idea that refugees are a potential source of terrorism and radicalisation will soon shape Australia’s humanitarian resettlement policy.
Arnaud Mercier spoke with Stephen Brady, Australia’s ambassador to France, about Australia’s role in the fight against terrorism, and his own country’s approach to creating a multicultural society.
There is no guarantee that a partitioned Syria would create a more stable environment. Many Syrians would reject partition and would attempt to reverse it.
Turkey is the one of the U.S.’s most important allies in the Mideast, but recent actions such as the downing of a Russian fighter raise important questions about its reliability as a partner.
Settlements are illegal on occupied territory. They undermine the widely acknowledged right of Palestine to statehood. Yet Israel violates international law with near impunity.
2016 will be a year of transitions in the Australia-US relationship. Against a backdrop of change are three important issues: the fight against Islamic State, China, and passage of the TPP.
Demographic changes have made the idea of a two-state solution obsolete. The Israeli population is becoming more religious and more conservative. That makes the army more difficult to command.
The executions on the weekend are notable for the sheer number of people killed. However, they maintain a policy of political crackdown that was reinvigorated in Saudi Arabia during the Arab Spring.
There is little of Gareth Evans’ sweeping analysis in the cabinet papers of 1990-91 of a rapidly changing world order or of his vision of good international citizenship.