Timothy Lawson

On May 31st 2010, the Israeli navy conducted a pre-dawn raid on the ‘Gaza Freedom Flotilla’ - a group of six ships carrying over 10 000 tonnes of aid supplies and over 600 pro-Palestinian activists from 37 countries.  

At 4:30 am, Israeli Shayetet 13 Special Forces descended upon the ships while they were in international waters; the operation was dubbed ‘Operation Sea Breeze’ by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). On board the main ship, the MV Mavi Marmara, activists engaged in combat with Israeli commandos who had abseiled onto the deck of the vessel. 

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Andrew Zammit

Through ABC Television’s program Four Corners, Sally Neighbour has gained wide repute for her investigative journalism, and has also won three Walkley Awards. She now writes for The Australian newspaper.

Over the past ten years Sally Neighbour’s work has focused on Islamic militancy. Her reporting on terrorism in Indonesia led to her first book, In the Shadow of the Swords: On the Trail of Terrorism From Afghanistan to Australia. This book remains one of the most comprehensive journalistic accounts of the emergence and development of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), which is best known in Australia as the group behind the Bali bombings. Her book tells the story of the people who became involved with the organisation, the agencies that raced to stop them, and the events – historical, modern, local and global – that contributed to this unanticipated terrorist campaign in Indonesia.

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Dale Jasper

Children in Nepal face stark realities in their daily lives. Since the end of the Maoist insurgency and the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Accord at the end of 2006, the rebuilding process has been arduous. With the attention on the re-structuring of the government, child protection and development services have been neglected. According to UNICEF’s most recent Humanitarian Action Report, the conflict has destroyed many of the networks that supported disadvantaged children, and poverty amongst youth remains rife. Around 43 percent of children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition and over five percent do not even make it to that age.[1]

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Eyal Halamish

Green city dwellers are lobbying their politicians to increase renewable energy targets in today’s carbon-constrained world. Yet wind power, the most economically viable renewable energy source, is facing ongoing community opposition and has limited political support. A new approach is needed to manage expectations.

One of the best examples of community opposition to wind farms was recently exposed on Australia’s nightly news programs. Both A Current Affair and The 7:30 Report broadcast the story of how local residents in Waubra, Victoria were fighting a development on the basis of the potential health impacts of wind turbines.

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Jane Hingston

Eighteen months ago as an International Relations student, I had the opportunity to travel to Louisiana in the United States to work in a capital assistance/defence law office. Here, I was able to contribute to the extremely important legal and humanitarian work to assist those who are ultimately defenceless in their situations, to restore a little hope and dignity. This was within an environment that considers the death penalty a necessary vehicle in delivering justice.  

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Andrew Forrest

The nature of the US-Japan security alliance has changed extensively over the last decade, causing difficulties for China both domestically and in its relations with Japan and the United States. Since the turn of the new century, official Chinese thinking on what constitutes a suitable role for Japan on the regional and global security stage has become increasingly linked to Chinese popular nationalism, perceptions of the evolving structure of power in Asia, the sources of Japan’s renewed assertiveness, and US strategic policy towards China. This article outlines how Japan’s evolving security role has created new avenues for Washington and Tokyo to undermine the legitimacy of China’s top leaders, by drawing attention to Japan’s identification with the United States and its perceived hostility towards China.

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Travel article by Evan Schuurman

Mexico City has had to bear almost every negative label: dirty, dangerous, boring, corrupt, drug-infested, and disease-ridden. It has been advised against, avoided and officially left-out. A casualty of US immigration laws and trade policies, Mexico City gets a bad deal in so many ways. But if you give it time, like a pesky dog, it will grow on you. It will nuzzle its little head right up under your arm and lick your face. Like a credulous owner, your job is to let it happen, and let yourself love it.

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Benazir Bhutto (2008)

Reviewed by Trini Espinosa Abascal

After eight years of exile in Dubai, Benazir Bhutto, Pakistani Prime Minister between 1993 and 1996 and first female prime minister of a Muslim nation, came back to her homeland to liberate it from tyranny: “This is the beginning of a long journey for Pakistan back to democracy, and I hope my going back is a catalyst for change.  We must believe that miracles can happen.” 

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