Cold War

South Korea China US

Youngsu Won is a socialist and coordinator of the International Forum in South Korea. Speaking to Green Left’s Federico Fuentes, he discusses how rising tensions between the United States and China impact South Korean politics.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s new Strategic Concept, which Australia has signed up to, risks provoking another major war in the Asia-Pacific and should be opposed, says Socialist Alliance.

Renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky recently spoke with Alternative Radio’s David Barsamian about the war in Ukraine.

Given the potential for Putin’s horrific war on Ukraine to grow, an understandable impulse is to frame him as ‘evil’ and a threat to us all. Aleks Wansbrough argues that this bolsters the narrative that West cannot accede to any of Putin’s demands, thereby dooming Ukraine to Putin’s violence.

The federal government has announced a new funding package to increase strategic and scientific activities in Antarctica. Rupen Savoulian argues that while the funding will benefit science, geopolitical considerations are behind it.

Russia possesses the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons. The US has only slightly less. This makes the escalating crisis in the Ukraine all the more terrifying, argues Markela Panegyres.

Countries are vying for their slice of ice, sometimes citing reasons of scientific collaboration but more often it is about national self-interest. Binoy Kampmark reports.

Thirty years since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War the promised peace and harmony has been illusive, writes William Briggs.

 

Alex Miller reviews The Jakarta Method, a powerful book examining the US-backed anti-communist program of extermination in Indonesia.

On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall fell. Or, to be more precise, the border guards opened the gates and allowed crowds from East Berlin to cross into the west. People celebrated by climbing onto the wall and dancing.

The fall of the wall was widely seen as a victory for freedom. But things are not that simple.

In the three decades since 1989, new walls have gone up, and existing walls and other barriers to the free movement of people have been strengthened, in many parts of the world.

If history is any guide, it is reasonable to assume that Greece’s recently-elected left-wing SYRIZA government will be subjected to a foreign-backed destabilisation campaign and possible attempts to install a new right-wing authoritarian regime. There is a long history in Greece of the left being suppressed by the oligarchy collaborating with outside forces.