How to nurture empathy through the Israel-Gaza Crisis – new podcast
“We are on the verge of the abyss in the Middle East…” António Guterres, UN Secretary-General…
culture / history / literature
New Article: Reflections on Patrick White’s Nobel Prize and Australian cultural history
My thoughts on Australian cultural history on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Patrick White’s…
Podcast on 1923 Nobel Prize for Literature, W.B. Yeats.
On the podcast this week I did the second of my series on the Nobel Prize, and featured the winner of the 1923 Nobel Prize for Literature, William Butler (W.B.) Yeats.
The G20 Falls to Earth in India
What does the G20 Summit (9-10 September, New Delhi) portend for the reassembly of the world’s institutions of power, diplomatic dialogue and cultural exchange. India has invested enormous effort into its leadership of the G20 this year. How well India has accomplished its vision for its G20 Presidency?
culture / history / literature
Endurance in War and Politics for Non-Political Souls
I wrote in my previous post about the rhetoric of “as long as it takes” on…
Stabs in the Back, Countered Knock-Out Blows, Ukraine and World War One
Meanwhile, in another cauldron of the unruly multipolar world, the Ruin of Ukraine continues. I am still holding back from commenting deeply on the Ukraine War, but there were some interesting comments I noticed during the week that coincidentally resonated with my reading 1916: A Global History. History it seems is repeating in 2023.
Latest Podcast: The rise and fall of the professions with Hannah Forsyth
My latest Burning Archive podcast is episode 116. Professions vs. Managers. The rise and fall of…
In geopolitics, BRICS is the ocean, and the USA is Canute
The tolling of the bell for the American dream of a single world order, made in its own image, however does not mean the story of an expanding BRICS is the rise of a new hegemon. The multipolar world is becoming less unruly, and more plural. But who is King Canute, resisting the tide of history?
Landmarks of a changing world: 2023 BRICS Summit and India on the Moon
No doubt the big story of the multipolar world this week was the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. It even managed to feature the Indian space mission landing on the moon Narendra Modi was gracious enough to declare this an achievement of the plural world.
Australia’s minor power mentality.
There has been a growing debate in Australia over its subservient defence and security relationship with the USA. This debate is also leading into a meeting next week, the Australian Labor Party (ALP) national conference.