Articles – Archive

With the progress made so far in the Iraq war, so the attention is now being focussed on what will be necessary to rebuild the country. There are many lessons to be learned from the relief operations in other countries. ...

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Computers are now playing a role in monitoring war crimes and helping to apprehend war criminals. No doubt they will eventually be useful in helping to follow up on all the war crimes associated with the Iraq conflict. The...

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Is there any alternative to war? While President Bush is arguing that somehow September 11 changed the world, for many people we just seemed trapped in the same old culture of violence. If it is not this war, then it is some other. ...

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One of the features of the Iraq crisis has been all the public debate over whether there should be the use of force, and if so what should be done. The public's right to know has been accepted as a fact of life and no one has suggested otherwise. But it has not always been l...

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The 18 judges of the world's first permanent war crimes court at The Hague were sworn in on March 11. This is another important step in the protection of human rights and the maintenance of internat...

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With so much attention on Iraq, it is worth recalling that the Afghanistan situation is still far from sorted out. International Alert...

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There is a great deal of talk about human rights. But one very large group of people continue to miss out: people with disabilities. A scandal concerning the 2004 Athens Paralympics shows how far we need to go. On February...

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The fighting in Afghanistan has largely stopped (for the moment, anyway). But up to 300 people per month are still maimed or killed. These are the victims of landmines. One of the country's largest employers is the MAPA, the Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan, a coalition ...

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Business schools are now catching up with the Bible. They think that they have found some new ideas - but Christians have known about them for thousands of years. Wesley Mission has just had a conference for its senior sta...

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The passing of Rev Dr Sir Alan Walker has triggered a flood of memories of his considerable contribution to so many areas of Australia's public life. It is worth noting that right up to the time of his passing he remained the Chairperson of a unique organization: the Nationa...

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Australia Day is a good opportunity to reflect on where Australia is heading. I spoke at an Australia Day ceremony at The Alan Walker Village and I identified three signs of hope for this country. First, Australia in the p...

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With all the speculation of an Australian involvement in a war against Iraq, there has been some suggestion that conscription should be reintroduced. There are not too many certainties in politics. But here's one: conscription will not be reintroduced. ...

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70 years ago in Britain, when there was an unemployment crisis, some Catholics began a campaign to find alternative employment opportunities for people. Their work contains some lessons for today. Dr Valerie Flessati, a wr...

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We have moved from an age of innocence to an age of anxiety. Innocence ends when an awareness of danger in a situation arises. Thus, the era of terrorism has ended our sense of innocence. Professor James O'Connell spoke at...

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There still seems to be a high risk of war against Iraq in the next few months. I have just been reading a report on what war has already done to Iraq and what it could do in the next round. ...

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At this time of the year, with all the crass commercialism in the shops, there is a tendency to forget that Jesus is the reason for the season. Indeed, Jesus is almost invisible in many of the stores - it is Santa Clause who gets the attention. But Jesus has staying power; f...

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50 years ago this week - on December 4 - a dense fog settled over London. It turned out to be one of the world's worst examples of air pollution. But it is only now that we are learning the full details of it. The current ...

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There has been a great deal of controversy recently about a report on the possible future size of the Australian populations. What ever will be the future, Sydney will be the capital city of the South Pacific. The Commonwe...

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The mass movement of peoples is going to be one of the most important problems for the 21st Century. I was in Turkey last month for a meeting of ...

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There is much talk about "Aussie battlers" who have a daily struggle to survive. I have just been reading a wonderful book about some of these genuine Australian heroes. PP Cranny has edited a book entitled "Lodging: Conve...

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There is a great deal of attention to the prospect of war in Iraq and the continuing violence in Afghanistan. But it is worth recalling that there is an entire region that is in crisis. I have just returned from the annual...

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The United Nations has declared the year 2003 as the International Year of Freshwater. This is a timely decision because of the global concern over the shortage of drinking water. The world's population lives on the 2.5 pe...

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Linda Donahue is a fine arts photographer based in Miami and Paris. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and private collections around the world. For more information, visit the Linda Donah...

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The world has had about a century in the "petroleum era". There is speculation about the looming end of that era and its replacement with the "hydrogen era". President Bush in this year's State of the Union Address (which ...

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The Howard Government has overturned a tradition in Australian foreign and defence policy. It has decided to get involved directly in the internal affairs of a South Pacific neighbour. The Australian-led intervention force represents a new era in Australian policy. I have ju...

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Reform fatigue is gripping Australia. People are getting tired of all the changes. They see themselves as the casualties of change. Well, unfortunately, the pace of change has only just begun. There's a wave of nostalgia s...

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Australia is an oasis of peace in a world of turmoil. It is necessary to get this country's problems in perspective - they are not nearly as bad as they are in other parts of the world. It is important that we do not become overwhelmed with fear. This is particularly so in A...

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There is now virtually no risk of a deliberate World War III between the Americans and Russians. But there is a risk of local nuclear wars. There is currently concern about India and Pakistan: they have fought three wars in the last 51 years: are they about to have another?....

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There is always a great interest in leadership. But what is required of leaders in the current world of great change? ...

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With so much concern about corruption, it is encouraging to report that there is now an international non-governmental organization campaigning to lift standards. The magazine Transitions, which is the standard publication...

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One of the problems with the land rights debate in Australia is the impression it gives that this has been an Australian problem only. In fact, other countries have also had to come to terms with the ...

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While we are so concerned about the "war on terrorism" and all the other conflicts underway, there is yet another area to worry about: the threat of space weapons being deployed in the not too distant future. Such weapons are already in the development and testing stages....

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The Bible has a great deal to say about the importance of wealth and how it should be handled. This month we are celebrating the 300th anniversary of John Wesley's birth. He ...

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Britain was the centre of Western civilization at the end of the 18th Century. It was starting point of the Industrial Revolution, the emerging economic system called ...

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This month is the 300th anniversary of John Wesley's birthday. Wesley Mission is part of an international network of churches and other organizations holding commemorative events. John Wesley lived for most of the 18th Cen...

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October 24 is the 53rd birthday of the United Nations - and it is on the brink of bankruptcy. Many of the UN's member-governments are failing to pay their subscriptions to the org...

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Last month's NSW Summit on Alcohol Abuse, held at Parliament House, was an historic event. At long last there was a general recognition of the danger that alcohol presents to the community. Drugs like cocaine may get the publicity - but alcohol does the damage. ...

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Iraq is back in the news again this week. There are renewed concerns about a confrontation over the international inspection of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. What are the lessons for the mass media arising out of these periodic confrontations? ...

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Iran has been back in the news this week, with some indications that there may be an improvement in its relations with western countries. But there are also other indications that the conservative Islamic clerics, who have such a major say in how the country is governed, may...

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December 10 was Human Rights Day. It was partly marked in NSW by a campaign to guarantee the existence of a body which has earned respect and credibility for its effective protection of the human rights of disadva...

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Now that Australia is going to have a federal election fought partly on a Goods and Services Tax, it is worth looking at the taxation debate that will come after the GST one. I have just returned from Germany. I was a guest at last week's luncheon at the Rotary Club of Hambu...

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European cathedrals developed stained glass windows as "visual aids". They told Bible stories, which members of the congregations could "read" during the service. I have just returned from a conference New Zealand, held at Wellington University's historic old library. That h...

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Is foreign aid from governments on the way out? Some Australian politicians have criticized the foreign aid that the Australian Government gives. There is a global trend whereby all foreign aid may have stopped by the year 2015. ...

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Reading government reports is not always an interesting activity. But I have been reading one document that I am happy to recommend: "Advancing the National Inte...

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One of the world's biggest scandals is the way that children are starving so that their governments can repay old debts to bankers. Australian churches are part of an international campaign to help those children. ...

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40 per cent of the world's population is aged below 20. 85 per cent of young people live in the developing world. The global unemployment rate for young people is two or three times more than that of adults. The world economy will need to create close to 500 million new jobs...

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The Australian Government and Opposition have both promised to give more attention to the concerns of rural Australia. One of the problems is how to deal with the shortage of rural doctors. The ...

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The only thing we seem to learn from history is that we never learn. The current spate of corporate crashes are in many respects similar to previous ones. One of the biggest in British history was the 1720 South Sea Bubble...

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At this time of the years we have been thinking of the world's most famous homeless family, for whom "there was no room at the inn". Last week, I spent an inspiring evening with over a hundred people, most of whom were also homeless, celebrating the birth of Jesus. ...

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Schools are finishing and now the drinking begins. The annual "schoolies week" is underway and the police are busy making arrests. I have just returned from Brisbane. The Queensland ...

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