We’re MAD if we do not rein in Iran
November 18, 2007 | Colin Rubenstein
Most analysts agree that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. There are many reasons why Iran shouldn’t be allowed to do so. Iran is already the chief source of instability throughout the Middle East – it funds and arms Hezbollah, Hamas, Shi’ite terrorists in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Slow steps to solve Arab-Israeli conflict
November 14, 2007 | Bren Carlill
The history of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is littered with the corpses of failed talks or quickly failed agreements. They failed, by and large, because adequate preparation wasn’t made in the lead-up to talks or implementation of agreements.
That road does not lead to peace
October 17, 2007 | Colin Rubenstein
VISITING British-Palestinian intellectual Ghada Karmi referred frequently to Middle East peace in her recent article, (“Israel’s power is roadblock to peace in the Middle East”, The Age Opinion, 10/10) but also perfectly illustrated one reason why achieving a viable and lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace has been so hard.
The war that led to terror
October 6, 2007 | Bren Carlill
In a region blighted by violence, one conflict stands out as the war that changed how the world deals with the Middle East. That was the Yom Kippur War, which started 34 years ago today.
Lowering the heat on terrorists would be a fatal mistake
September 24, 2007 | Colin Rubenstein
A few weeks ago, former High Court Chief Justice Gerard Brennan told a Law Council of Australia conference that our counter-terrorism laws had made “substantial incursions on individual freedom and the values of the common law” but that such incursions “may be essential to combat the risk of terror.
Doing our bit to stop nukes post-APEC
September 13, 2007 | Colin Rubenstein
Russia and China are the key to a new UN Security Council resolution to pressure Iran to stop its illegal enrichment of uranium. Because of our recent deal to sell uranium to those countries, Australia was in a particularly strong position to ask them to play a more positive role than they have so far.
Negotiation alone won’t fix the Middle East
August 29, 2007 | Colin Rubenstein
Futile talks can provide propaganda victories for rogue actors and help them portray their methods as successful.
Still time to stop Middle East arms war
August 21, 2007 | Bren Carlill
Israelis are petrified of Iran going nuclear, but why should that bother the rest of us? The fact is, a nuclear Iran would be harmful for everyone.
