Monthly Access June 2011 (Issue 18)

A monthly newsletter by ACCESS, the AIIA's Network for Students and Young Professionals. All the views expressed in this newsletter are solely those of the individual writers and that the AIIA, while providing a forum for discussion and debate on international issues, does not formulate its own institutional views, and eschews political bias.

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Message from the Editor

By Rachel Hankey

Amnesty International, in the 2011 State of the World’s Human Rights report, criticises Australia’s record on the treatment of indigenous people and asylum seekers. In this edition of Monthly Access we examine some of the key issues concerning the safeguarding of an individual’s human rights, both at home and abroad.

Q&A with Dr Gideon Boas

By Rachel Hankey and Eliza Nolan

Dr Gideon Boas is a Senior Lecturer at Monash University Law School. He was formerly a Senior Legal Officer at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Career Spotlight with Kon Karapanagiotidis

By Rachel Hankey and Eliza Nolan

Archbishop Desmond Tutu once declared that he was “not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.” This sentiment aptly describes the current Australian policy towards asylum seekers.

Global Snapshot for June 2011

By Sharna Thomason, Marcus Burke and Richard Griffin

A round up of key events across the world over the last month.

Human Rights and “The Responsibility to Protect”

By John Varghese

The human rights agenda has once again clawed its way into public discourse after a decade of marginalisation and oblivion in the post 9/11 era. The Libyan crisis and the broader Arab Spring have been met with fierce resistance by the authoritarian governments of the region.

National security and whistle-blowing: a paradoxical tenet of democracy

By Timothy Lawson

On April 20^th, 2011 alleged whistle-blower Bradley Manning was transferred to the Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility, a new medium-security facility in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Noam Chomsky – A controversial choice for the 2011 Sydney Peace Prize

By Craig Butt

American linguist and political commentator Noam Chomsky was awarded the 2011 Sydney Peace Prize by the Sydney Peace Foundation last week. As is invariably the case, the Foundation’s choice of recipient proved controversial, particularly among right wing commentators who claimed Chomsky was undeserving of the award.