Last Friday over fifty states at the UN rejected US-led attempts to introduce a lesser standard of arms control. Australia, however, was not one of them, writes NAJ Taylor.
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OBAMA
An inventory of Australian WikiLeaks cables relating to cluster munitions negotiations
As I explored at length in Al Jazeera in August, a series of WikiLeaks cables relating to cluster munitions demonstrate how Australia actively sought to water down treaty text relating to ‘military interoperability’ – that is, the ability for foreign militaries to conduct joint operations.
READ MOREThe language of ‘law’ and the problem of drone executions and torture
It may be time to acknowledge that governmental lawlessness in foreign policy has become a bipartisan reality for the United States Government, and that the face in the White House or the political party in control, while not yet irrelevant, is a matter of secondary interest, at least to those who are drone targets or torture victims.
READ MOREAssange case: it’s time for Gillard to ask Obama some important questions
It is time for Australia to stand up for its citizens, for its values and for itself as a nation. Gillard reassured the Australian public that our government was doing “everything it could” to get that 14 year-old Australian home from Bali. Can we say the same for what she is doing for Assange? asks Jennifer Robinson, Julian Assange’s legal advisor
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Theorising Darwin: US may stockpile and transit cluster munitions
A US military ‘base’ in Darwin will necessitate foreign weapons systems and armaments being stockpiled, retained and transited on and in Australian territory. That is likely to be yet another international embarrassment for Australian arms control, writes NAJ Taylor
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Must arguments for a denuclearised Middle East be “breathtakingly naive”?
Following my posts about Iran and Israel in relation to nuclear weapons over the past few weeks, I had a number of offline discussions which is always an incentive to reflect further on issues. One of the more critical exchanges took place on Twitter between Michael Brull - a blogger from Independent Australian Jewish Voices - and myself, which [...]
READ MOREThe “bomb Iran” contagion: don’t believe the hype
In the week since the nuclear watchdog agency, the IAEA, issued its report on Tehran’s alleged nuclear weapons programme, there has been an alarming amount of hype concerning the immediacy of any Iranian nuclear weaponisation. This pressure is emanating from governments of Israel (who in some circles want to “preemptively” strike Iran) and the US (who appear [...]
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Australia driving the push for nuclear disarmament? Hardly
Fifteen years ago in The Hague, the International Court of Justice – the highest legal authority in the world – handed down one of its most contentious advisory opinions. To the chagrin of the nuclear powers, it declared that all governments are legally obliged to disarm, and to do so without unreasonable delay. “The destructive [...]
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Remember, Tehran’s “nuclear ambiguity” was learnt from Israel
Consider this: you are a willing outcast, with few solid friends and many formidable enemies. How do you survive? By trying to convert enemies to friends, or by instilling fear in your many enemies? More than any other state on earth, Iran is presently keeping her enemies on their toes – expertly. Iran categorically and [...]
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The Bush Doctrine has been quietly revived by Obama
In a recent speech at the Harvard Law School, John Brennan, President Obama’s chief advisor on counterterrorism and homeland security, boldly declared: “I’ve developed a profound appreciation for the role that our values, especially the rule of law, play in keeping our country safe.” The most notable feature of the remarks that followed was the legal [...]
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