Syria
Syria: It's what isn't being said that's of interest
The Government's announcement yesterday that it would conduct air strikes inside Syria is notable more for what it didn't say than what it did. It was long on rhetoric, but short…
The US needs to take the fight in Syria more seriously and Australian involvement will help
Very few people would have been surprised at the Australian Government's announcement that the RAAF will extend its operations to ISIS targets in Syria. The announcement was made…
Commentary
Refugee crisis calls for regional response
Refugee crisis calls for regional responseRodger ShanahanThe Australian9 September 2015 Rodger Shanahan
Forget Greece and the Euro: Migration is the real challenge for Europe - Part I
Well over a million political refugees and economic migrants from Europe’s Southern and Eastern ‘near abroad’ are this year making their way to, and through, borderless Europe…
The Australian Government needs to go back to basics on ISIS and radicalisation
For many people around the world, ISIS represents a new terrorist phenomenon. The truth is, however, that militant groups like ISIS are not new, and nor are their bloody tactics…
Syrian refugees and the Gulf states' lack of charity
The humanitarian tragedy unfolding daily in Europe has forced the West to again try and redefine its obligations to those who have been made vulnerable as a result of conflict in…
Will the RAAF be assisting the Syrian Army?
The Syrian Arab Armed Forces (SAAF) are fighting ISIS in eastern Syria. Australia is planning to bomb ISIS targets in eastern Syria. But Australia will not be involved in the…
To combat ISIS, refocus international attention on Assad and revive the Geneva process
In March 2011, the Syrian people started their national uprising, motivated by the Arab Spring and following decades of oppression under the dynastic Assad regime.
The peaceful…
While the West panics about ISIS, the Middle East is fracturing
The Syrian conflict, now in its fourth, unrelenting year, is an unmitigated disaster. By any measure – strategic, humanitarian, political, social or environmental – the conflict…
Commentary
President and his party attempt to Islamise Turkey through stealth and hardline alliances
President and his party attempt to Islamise Turkey through stealth and hardline alliancesRodger ShanahanThe Australian15 August 2015Rodger Shanahan