Archiv: John Menadue


04.08.2022 - 21:33 [ John Menadue ]

The US lectures us about a ‘rules based international order’ but ignores rules when it suits – think Diego Garcia

– In 2017 the UN General Assembly voted by a large majority(94-15) to refer the request for an advisory opinion on Diego Garcia to the International Court if Justice.
– In September 2018, 13 of the 14 judges of the ICJ concluded that the Chagos Islands, including Diego Garcia were illegally separated from Mauritius.
– In May 2019 the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly(116-6) to endorse the Court’s opinion that the Chagos Islands, including Diego Garcia, belonged to Mauritius. Apart from the US and the UK only four countries AUSTRALIA, Hungary, Israel and the Maldives voted in favour of the British neo-colonial claim.
– In November 2019, Britain refused to abide by the ICJ opinion and for the US to leave Chagos/Diego Garcia.
– In 2020 the UN published a map showing Chagos/Diego Garcia as part of Mauritius.

Despite all this, the US sits tight on its key military base of Diego Garcia which is thousands of kilometres from its mainland. In contrast, China’s building of islands in the South China Sea is adjacent to its own territory.

04.08.2022 - 21:18 [ John Menadue ]

Canberra wants a new arms race in Asia

(Jul 22, 2022)

On his first visit to Washington, Australia’s new Defence Minister Richard Marles has warned the region is facing a military build-up “at a rate unseen since World War II” and is part of an “intensification of major power competition”.

What to do when we see a dangerous escalation? Well, escalate some more! Bring in as much military hardware as you can! Arm to the teeth, that’s what I take Marles to say. Not only does the United States need to commit even more military resources to the region, he urges, Australia itself must take “greater responsibility for its own security,” including enlarging its defence capabilities. “This will include capabilities such as longer-range strike weapons, cyber capabilities and area denial systems tailored to a broader range of threats.”