tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-135859032011-12-13T19:57:04.978-08:00Analysis of Australian Strategic Policy and Regional DevelopmentsJill Wnoreply@blogger.comBlogger81100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13585903.post-1137822892907635512006-01-20T21:54:00.000-08:002006-01-22T20:48:38.043-08:00

One of the great under-reported political debacles of the South Pacific region is the issue of West Papua (aka Irian Jaya).It came sceaming into the Australian headlines this week when a boatload of asylum seekers showed up on Australian shores and were immediately flown by the government to Christmas Island for "processing." Well, now it looks like the reprisals are starting and the Indonesians

Jill Wnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13585903.post-1136689113268649802006-01-07T18:58:00.000-08:002006-01-07T18:58:37.443-08:00

It has been reported that Thai police have recently found DNA evidence in the case of a Welsh backpacker murdered in Thailand.The whole event is yet another blow for that nation which is struggling since the Tsunami to keep the tourist dollars flowing.All they can hope for this time is to find the murderer and have them convicted with as little controversy as possible.That will at least enable

Jill Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13585903.post-1123283611923255372005-08-05T16:10:00.000-07:002005-08-05T16:13:31.926-07:00

So it looks like the national debate on ID cards will be reopened... again. With the PMs new push to strengthen anti-Terrorism laws, it's one of a raft of ideas that will be considered.I guess advocates will then have to explain how an ID card would have stopped Bali, London or S11, all of which were perpetrated by "clean skins" or people with no prior criminal record.Good luck with that.

Jill Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13585903.post-1123251381083790462005-08-05T07:10:00.000-07:002005-08-05T07:16:21.086-07:00

Nobody panic - the Australians and Australian companies in Mauritania are OK! That's the news in Australian papers after last week's coup by the military in Mauritania. Well thank god for that!Why is it that the Australian media will only ever report a story if they can find an Australian angle? So too the news of last month's elections in Bougainville barely raised a murmur in local papers or

Jill Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13585903.post-1118890920786193762005-06-15T19:54:00.000-07:002005-06-17T05:31:53.976-07:00

While other SE Asian countries seem to be making some progress in stemming Islamist insurgents and terrorists, Thailand seems to be standing out as a comparative failure in this area. The last few years have seen a slew of policy and counterpolicy regarding the insuregency in the South of the country that has left almost everybody a little puzzled and has seen the violence continue, seemingly

Jill Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13585903.post-1118663826124554122005-06-13T03:45:00.000-07:002005-06-13T05:02:29.726-07:00

The decision in late 2003 by Japan to commit troops to Iraq was widely welcomed by America and her allies (especially those already engaged in Iraq) as the beginning of Japan's efforts to take wider responsibilities for world security and stability. While certainly there are many obvious benefits to having the second largest economy in the world contribute its fair share to the "on the ground"

Jill Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13585903.post-1118535573529967302005-06-11T16:46:00.000-07:002005-06-11T17:26:02.160-07:00

A study on suicide bombers by Robert Pape of Chicago University has examined the common characteristics of every suicide bombing in the world since 1980. Pape's database of suicide bombings has included information on groups responsible, number of attacks, terrorist goals and the response of the intended targets. These findings have been published by Pape in "Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of

Jill Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13585903.post-1118482845895035932005-06-11T01:37:00.000-07:002005-06-11T04:18:38.926-07:00

The Chinese diplomat Chen Yonglin's attempt to defect to Australia towards the end of his diplomatic posting at the Chinese Consulate in Sydney has created a furore that is not surprising. The lengths to which the Howard government has gone recently to ensure smooth relations with Beijing means that such a high-profile dispute could throw a spanner in the works of mutually beneficial political

Jill Wnoreply@blogger.com0