Pakistan
American special forces not only assassinated Osama bin Laden in their precision strike on Abbottabad. They also shot holes in Pakistan’s status as a credible and trustworthy ally in the fight against terrorism.
With the now-famous words “Geronimo EKIA”, the USA’s elite SEAL Team Six gave President Barack Obama the solution to a problem that had dogged the world’s major military power for close to a decade.
However, the success of the clandestine raid also handed Obama a new dilemma which may remain with the United States for an equally long period – the question of whether it can trust Pakistan as an ally in the fight against terrorism.
Continue reading "Pakistan has a long history of supporting terrorist groups" »
It’s unlikely John Howard will apologise, but he should at least feel deeply embarrassed.
Al Qaeda would be praying that Barack Obama became US president, Howard said in February 2007.
The comment—an obvious diplomatic gaffe then—looks particularly stupid now.
Continue reading "We officially don’t know what happens post-bin Laden" »
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Seano says:
“in simple terms, communications technology is best undertaken, progressed and implemented by the private sector not the public” That’s not what you said at all. Even on this you are still completely wrong. Australia does not have the critical mass of people to make such an undertaking viable for private… Read more »
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jf says:
“So is medical technology. No more hospitals. So is automotive technology. No more roads? It’s a stupid argument there is only so much you can do to future proof any piece of important infrastructure, technology is always going to change. But please do tell me what’s going to supercede optic… Read more »
This week Kevin Rudd is in New York City, this time not as Kevin 747, or even Kevin ‘07 but rather as Kevin 0.7.
In the year 2000 world leaders got together to discuss how we could eradicate poverty. The result was the heralded Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) a set of aspirational targets designed to alleviate poverty by 2015. This included goals such as halving hunger, progress on infant and maternal health and universal primary education.
Each developed nation was asked to give 0.7 per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP) toward achieving these goals, Australia has only committed to 0.5per cent.
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Steve Putnam says:
What about Joe Hockey as oddjob? Read more »
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Max Vaunted says:
Ah Emily, what a wonderfully innocent world you inhabit. Unfortunately official corruption is plainly visible at virtually every level in most of the third world countries I’ve worked in. You may be certain there will be a lot of shiny black Mercedes Benzes coming out of this and if not… Read more »
The flooding in Pakistan was an unavoidable natural disaster. The measures we take now will decide if we can avoid an ongoing humanitarian disaster.
Last Thursday I visited Pakistan to inspect the flood damage and the Australian response in Kot Addu, near Multan in the Southern Punjab.
The UN High-Level Meeting on Pakistan today met to discuss the adequacy, or inadequacy, of the international response. This meeting has one challenge – to prevent a natural disaster becoming a humanitarian calamity that could have been avoided.
Continue reading "What I saw in Pakistan, and why the world must help" »
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K King says:
Fran Fran Fran, Pakistani cabbies aren’t as wealthy and fortunate as some of us snobs. They, like any other cabbies from other ethnicities are deservedly earning their hard earned dollar, exposing themselves to dangers and working the odd hours while you and me sleep in our warm and cozy beds.… Read more »
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Austin 3:16 says:
Hey Denny, yeah Australia’s debt is about 6% of our income. Unlike Tony Abbott who’s personal debt is several times his income. Maybe we should also start a fund to help him out, what do you reckon? Read more »
Disease looms as the second wave of death behind virtually every natural disaster. It is why the first stages of relief efforts are best measured by what doesn’t happen rather than what does.
The response to the Asian tsunami was stunningly successful in halting thousands more deaths through disease.
The threat of disease is the reason why in Pakistan today, even though flood waters have peaked and are beginning to recede, the situation facing millions of survivors is catastrophic.
Continue reading "Why Australians need to do more for Pakistan" »
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A Nobody says:
Being a muslim and donating to 5 local charities locally in Australia I just can’t believe some of you are so heartless. Maybe I should stop giving locally and give to Pakistan instead. I am a low income earner. I just get by most of the time. I always find… Read more »
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Robinoz says:
I wouldn’t give Pakistan a cent. It’s full of Taliban who are killing off those whom they think are Christians, denying food aid to those who aren’t muslim. Pakistan isn’t a friend of Australia’s. Let the numerous muslim countries help Pakistan and put our money to better uses. Read more »
It’s hard to imagine a politician more comfortable with the convoluted parlance of international diplomacy than Kevin Rudd.
The freshly-minted Foreign Minister just held his first press conference to announce he’s zipping off to Pakistan enroute to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly Leaders’ Week (that’s “the UNGA” to the cool kids).
It was a very different Kevin Rudd to the surly-looking outcast at yesterday’s ministerial swearing-in ceremony (you can read Sam Maiden’s account of yesterday here.)
Continue reading "Rudd like a pig in mud in the Foreign Ministry" »
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Michelle says:
Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t the G20 group decide on a lock-step stimulus across all countries involved? So why didn’t the US and UK stimulus work so well as Rudd’s magical mystery (shh, don’t mention China, and don’t mention our stable banks) stimulus? The fact that the US… Read more »
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James says:
Oh gawd, can you imagine the agony of being stuck in a room with this pair of bloated narcissistic windbags .... Read more »
The Indian army invaded West Pakistan today in 1965 and while both parties agreed to a UN-initiated ceasefire three weeks later, both countries continue to lay claim to the state of Kashmir.
And it’s Monday at The Punch. What’s on your mind? Share it here.
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Wilma J Craig says:
My wish is that the New Three Amigos,Katter,Oakeshott & Windsor would actually act like Independents! At present they most certainly are not. They are posturing & grandstanding as if the were a united political party. The idea that they hold the balance of power, until July 2011, seems to have… Read more »
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Shane From Melbourne says:
Considering that Australia claims quite a lot of Antarctic territory. And given there are Great Powers greedily eyeing Antarctica for resources, does anyone think it may be a good idea to have a cold weather training unit based possibly on Heard Island? Read more »
ActionAid, Plan Australia and Save the Children have joined forces in a national newspaper advertisment campaign today to raise the profile of the Pakistan flood disaster. But it’s not your money that they’re after.
All three charities have come together in response to what they’ve described as a dire “lack” of media coverage of the emergency situation and are rallying their efforts to bring our attention to the situation at hand.
So what exactly is going on in Pakistan?
Continue reading "Why have we abandoned the people of Pakistan?" »
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Vidyut says:
I donated twice. I’m not rich. In fact, I’m almost dysfunctionally short on money, but I could see that devastated lives were in far worse shape and needed a heck of a lot more than was going to be available. Then ashamed as I am to admit it, I regretted… Read more »
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Dan says:
They are a friend, and nota ne enemy. The problem is corruption. It has nothing to do with the people. Read more »
As a new year begins we should look at where we are with the struggle against Jihadi terrorism.
Retrospectively, we can now see a pattern in the role of Pakistani based Jihadists and new potential threats to Australia.
Three Australians, Gareth McEvoy, Nathan Verity, and Craig Senger, were murdered in Jakarta on July 17 by al-Qaeda’s South East Asian franchise, Jemaah Islamiyah.
Continue reading "On terrorism, we need to tell Pakistan enough is enough" »
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Davido says:
Yes Sri… a hard time. India needs to stop pretending it is the victim all the time. In the twelve months up to Mumbai there were 13 terrorist acts in India (there may be more of that I am not aware of). ALL of these were perpetrated by Indian terrorists.… Read more »
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ChrisJ says:
I believe Jezza is believing the propoganda and false history spread to justify zionist apartheid and land theft. There are tens of thousands of Muslims living in Iran despite strong efforts by Israel to frighten them into moving to Israel “to make up numbers” and displace those who have… Read more »
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