Human beings are notable (according to other human beings, mostly anthropology professors) for a sizable brain, for walking upright and for using tools. But when we try to act collectively, we don’t always show the wisdom one might expect of the planet’s primo primate We Can See, But Not Far Enough
Eye on Politics & Law Lords: So True It Hurts
What is more horrifying is that while the entire world looks helplessly on, there was nothing anyone or any other nation could do.
Or perhaps, no nation or no other people wanted to do anything. All they did do is apparently, watch you suffer, cry, run, and die. How sad, lonely and confused were those who only days before were hailed as the courageous, fearless, future leaders of a bright new China! Even today, leaders of nations appear to refuse to do much more than vex rhetorical about “concerns for human rights issues” and other platitudes.
That is why although the Tiananmen Square Incident as it is sometimes known, is not only China’s problem, as is often assumed. Sure, China and her leaders bear much of the responsibility for the incident and for the aftermath. Even today, there is much that ought to be done - coming forward with the facts, restitution, redress and so on. Yet, it is not just China who is the culprit. The world, and leaders of nations in the world, who can and ought to do something about this, have not done so and apparently have sat still in this matter. Everyone seems more excited about the economic reforms, but other than merely articulating their concerns no one seems to be trying to change anything substantial. It is the world’s problem because it is not just an isolated incident inside a dark, Communist regime, but it is an event played out on the world stage, and an event seemingly swept under the carpet by the nations and leaders of today. It is also a world event because it was in many ways symbolic of a troubled world and the responses of the different people to those events are also symbolic with much wider ramifications.
The world up until that point had a growing faith in the power of the people. When students started to stand up for justice, democracy and freedom from the mid-eighties onwards, the world over were hoping for a replay of People Power.
For someone, somewhere, sometime, all these moments might just rally together to bring about sufficient force for renewal, transformation and revolution.
• Anniversary of a glimmer of hope in the midst of the darkness of oppression [This is the message from the 27 children who are growing up behind barbed wire at the Villawood Detention Centre, a place I called home 25 years ago: We want to get out ; Frank Walker and Kerry-Anne Walsh
Defector says he will expose 1000 Chinese secret agents ]
• · Australia is negotiating conditions to export uranium to China for the first time as nuclear power moves on to the Howard Government's political agenda China in talks to buy our uranium ; For the spy watchers within ASIO, it has been a quiet revolution. Slowly and secretly, a new espionage player has surfaced in Canberra to fill the void left by the agents of the old Soviet KGB The spy revolution; As usual, it's been a busy week for the Foreign Minister, culminating in the chemical scare at the Indonesian embassy in Canberra, which sparked a security review at Australian embassies around the world Interview: Alexander Downer
• · · By day in the valleys of northeast Victoria, farmers cure their tobacco ready for legitimate sale, but by night the roads belong to the illegal tobacco or "chop chop" men and sometimes to vigilant employees of the Australian Tax Office Tobacco wars ; Drug runners are exploiting holes in Australia's port security $1 billion worth of drugs seized at ports in 3 years ; The crossfire between rival gangs the Nomads and the Rebels Police fear for public as bikie war escalates
• · · · Like many deliberative assemblies, the Senate finds it useful to delegate responsibility for certain tasks to small groups Why committees? ; Tim Dunlop: Napoleonic self-delusion Senate committee system
• · · · · Sydney's much-hyped Cross City Tunnel will not open next Sunday, as widely advertised, in a major embarrassment for the Carr Government Carr's great tunnel debacle ; In Steinbeck Country, We Said No to Closing the Libraries
• · · · · · Beginning July 1, Norway will require all corporate boards to be 40 percent female or the companies will face sanctions, even dissolution, according to Womens eNews Girls in the Board Room! ; $7.5m retirement payouts - It's the Senate sweet life
