Dearer drugs and the demise of Aussie drama?
There was a good segment on the ramifications of a free trade agreement between Australia and the US on ABC TV’s 7.30 Report tonight.
There was a good segment on the ramifications of a free trade agreement between Australia and the US on ABC TV’s 7.30 Report tonight.
A thoroughly good read is to be had in The Guardian today. Simon Tisdall in his article, What Europe has to do to avoid becoming a US vassal, ponders the future for the EU (and the UN) in the wake of the reassertion of US hegemony.
It was only a matter of time, I suppose. As the number of days accumulate since the liberation, and WMD remain conspicuous by their absence, people are starting to shift uncomfortably in their seats.
John Quiggin posted on the opportunity cost of the Iraq war recently which stimulated a fair bit of discussion.
There has been a lot of rhetoric from the leaders of the Coalition of the Willing regarding the purpose of the invasion of Iraq, but there has been a discernible change of emphasis over the course of the last four weeks.
As the sight of Saddam statues toppling dominate our TV screens, and Iraqis celebrate in the streets, the visible sense of relief is evident on the faces of those leading the Coalition of the Willing. Indeed, one could be forgiven for thinking that this conflict wasn’t quite so bad after all. OK, so no weapons of mass destruction have been discovered, but the Iraqi people have been liberated haven’t they? Suzanne Goldenberg’s story in the Guardian yesterday provides a disturbingly graphic description of what this ‘liberation’ means for some Iraqis.
Further to my post on this topic on 31 March, there is an interesting article in the Australian Financial Review this weekend by Julie Macken, entitled So much for American cultural imperialism. Unfortunately, you have to be a subscriber to the Fin to access the full electronic edition, but here are a couple of extracts …
The latest wave of demonstrations against the war around the world has caused me to reflect on the future of US hegemony.