Failing leadership and failed states
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MIDDLE EAST
Angus Holland began his interesting article, ″Why a ‘failed state’ is more than just one country’s concern″ (12/4), by noting that it is unclear why Israel and the US attacked Iran.
He then concluded that recent events have made Iran more fragile. Making Iran a failed state would therefore seem to have been the point of the attack, which Trump and Netanyahu will not admit to publicly.
Rather than nobly bringing ″light to the dark corners of the world″ as posited by terrorism expert Levi West, US general Wesley Clark in 2007 reported the shameful 2001 plan ″to take out seven countries in five years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran”.
As Holland notes, they have ″taken out″ the first six, and they are still trying to ″finish off″ Iran.
Mark Bradbeer, Brunswick
No petrol while Israel bombs Lebanon
Trump says he is a strong powerful leader. He is nothing of the sort. The easy way forward in regard to petrol flowing is to get Israel to stop bombing Lebanon. Trump has no influence over Netanyahu, and instead has to send warships into the Strait of Hormuz at considerable peril to all involved. There is no guarantee of cheaper petrol.
John Rome, Mount Lawley, WA
Trump’s disastrous reign
The events in the Middle East and Ukraine are horrific. The reign of Donald Trump is a disaster. The one thing that sits out there is that the combination of these two events may show the people of the world that hard-right authoritarian governments are a precursor to failure. Perhaps the vote against Hungary’s Viktor Orban is the harbinger of something old being new again.
Greg Cooper, Mount Martha
Israel’s Lebanon attack sabotaged peace talks
It is surprising that no one seems to be criticising Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of Lebanon. Clearly, its massive attacks immediately after the ceasefire announcement sabotaged the main chance for peace in the Middle East.
A tiny country of less than 10 million people appears to be threatening the stability of the whole world. Yet, its pivotal role seems to be ignored by almost all media.
Tim Mahar, Fitzroy North
Who gets to be world’s policeman?
What right has one country with nuclear weapons to tell another country they are not allowed to develop them, and, as a consequence turn the world into chaos?
Katriona Fahey, Alphington
Vance’s counter-productive role
The Hungarian election and the deposing of Viktor Orban in a landslide is as great news for humane government as it is a slap in the face for Donald Trump and his mate Vladimir Putin.
The visit of J.D. Vance to try to crank up support for Orban appears to have been counterproductive in the eyes of the vast majority of voters.
Last October, I marched with hundreds of thousands of Tisza supporters in Budapest and the atmosphere then was of an irresistible wave. I am so happy that the wave has dumped Orban.
Michael Meszaros, Alphington
Putin’s shrinking circle of friends
First came Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, next Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei, followed recently by Hungary’s Viktor Orban. Putin keeps losing friends. Can’t be long before Trump gets the flick.
Adrian Sumner, Shepparton
Rules of law
Your correspondent acerbically asks why the rules of international law seem only to apply to the United States and Israel, and not Iran (Letters, “International law applies to all” 11/4). The short answer is, “it doesn’t”.
Iran’s deadly actions against its own citizens prior to the war were condemned by the global media, Australia included, as was its use of human shields and its restriction of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, an international waterway protected under international law.
Your correspondent might do well to cast his mind back to February 28 when the US and Israel launched a premeditated illegal attack on Iran, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and more than 200 Iranians, including children, this at a time when nuclear talks were progressing well and Iran posed no threat to the US nor Israel.
Commentators viewed this invasion as unlawful and a violation of the UN Charter and International law, and Iran was perfectly entitled under Article 51 of the charter to defend itself.
It’s absurd to say Iran has never “read the international rule book”. The US and Israel started this war but neither have control over how it ends.
Neil Hudson, East Melbourne
Trump’s artless dealing
It is worth reflecting on just how weak a negotiating position Donald Trump has created for the United States in its dealings with Iran (″Ceasefire in balance as US talks with Iran finish in stalemate″, 13/4).
Before Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, Iran possessed no highly enriched uranium, its Middle Eastern proxies such as Hamas posed a relatively contained threat, and the Strait of Hormuz remained very much open.
During his first term, Trump tore up the Obama-era nuclear agreement that had kept Iran’s ambitions in check, has spent his second term launching an ill-conceived war, and is now attempting to negotiate his way out of a crisis largely of his own making.
Anyone hailing this as a masterclass in the “art of the deal” would do well to remember how we got here.
Tim Wright, Point Lonsdale
THE FORUM
Nightmare scenario
Sorry, Shane Wright. I don’t agree (“Jobless, inflation spike in nightmare war scenario″, 13/4). According to the latest estimates from Roy Morgan research, there are currently more than 3 million unemployed and underemployed Australians. These numbers have remained steady for the past 15 months; the nightmare is already here and must be faced.
Second, opportunity cost is conveniently relied upon to compare like with unalike (“Slogan delivers sugar hit, at a cost”, 13/4). Biscuits might take money away from, say, aged care or education, but the short-term, zero-sum thinking that closed local car manufacturing took away our opportunity to innovate and further develop electric cars and infrastructure.
Yes, refineries would still be needed, but we wouldn’t be as hopelessly reliant upon imported fuel and debates about economic scarcity as we are today.
Anders Ross, Heidelberg
Action on EVs now
Cost of living and energy insecurity are no longer abstract concerns. They are felt every time households fill up at the bowser. Petrol prices remain tied to global forces beyond Australia’s control, shaped by geopolitical tensions and production decisions in the US and the Middle East.
That leaves Australian drivers exposed to volatility with no real protection. Recent letters have rightly highlighted the growing momentum behind electrification, from passenger vehicles to mining fleets, and the long-term savings EVs offer households.
But the transition will stall if upfront costs remain a barrier. We are told EVs will become cheaper. That is not enough. For many families, affordability is a present-tense problem.
If governments are serious about easing cost-of-living pressure and strengthening energy security, the focus must shift to accelerating access to genuinely affordable electric vehicles now. Not eventually. Not once the market catches up. Now
James Eade, Kalorama
If in doubt, plan
It has been wonderful to see more attention paid to EVs recently. However, I am not sure Callum Jaspan’s article (13/4) was especially helpful. Using an EV a long way from home requires a little preparation and research.
I have a photo of my grandfather and great-grandfather taken 100 years ago with the handwritten title “On the way to Serpentine” with the two men, crankhandles in hand, standing beside their mud-spattered vehicles.
I am sure they made preparations before tackling the very poor roads available at a time when few families had moved on from horse-drawn vehicles to modern motors.
Our EV has clocked up 18,000 kilometres in its two years and is almost always charged from our 12-year-old 3kW of solar panels. For a long journey, we charge fully before leaving and check what chargers are along the road. If an app needs to be downloaded, we do so before the journey. We don’t wait till we’re too low, and we combine the charge with a coffee stop or meal break. Many small towns have a charger with a coffee shop nearby.
It’s also possible to do a trickle charge at a camping ground or friend’s house, ideally also with solar power.
In two years, we have paid a measly $31 to charge the car. Well worth a little planning.
Helen Hook, Black Rock
Tree wisdom
Suzette Miller (Letters, 12/4) is right in her criticism of the state government’s recent raft of planning changes and their incompatibility with climate resilience.
Under the changes, trees have become decorative afterthoughts, positioned hard up against fences on the boundaries of ever-shrinking ″garden’s’. An established, existing large tree trumps a replacement short-lived sapling any day – it absorbs more carbon and water, contains more habitat for wildlife, and creates far more shade.
Existing established gardens (and period homes) are effective weapons in the war against climate change and should be celebrated as such, not destroyed. The ecological ignorance that is displayed in every new piece of government planning legislation is astonishing.
The government’s obsession with construction and hard surfaces is to the detriment of our liveability, our climate resilience, and the health of every other species that depends on our natural environment. Our ″Garden State″ is being turned into a wildlife desert.
Annette Cooper, Camberwell
Joy of gardening
Re ″Hannah Moloney on how gardening helps with her ‘dark hole’ of self-doubt”, (9/4). Maloney sought to learn more about who, where and why we garden. How wonderful that 94 per cent of us do it for joy.
What is there not to love about simple lush and glossy basics in the garden? No glitz, no problem, we are all capable of creating our own garden, inside and out, large or tiny. There is a multitude of choices. Planting them with what brings us peace and pleasure, enjoying the delight that comes from using them to immerse ourselves in and reaping the rewards of growing some vegies, to loving the different moods of flowers.
Simply, joyfully embracing the uncertain positives of a garden can help our physical and mental health as well as that of the planet. Something possible for us all with the right approach.
Isabelle Henry, Ascot Vale
Support not force
Re your correspondent (Letters, 13/4) berating ″barely liveable Melbourne″, who wants more police enforcing laws to solve the problem of homelessness in the CBD.
The use of force against homeless or drug-affected people is an “ambulance at the bottom of the cliff” approach to a complex social problem.
Most people don’t choose to be homeless nor do they necessarily want to be drug addicted. These are societal problems which start with lack of support for mothers with their babies, and poor integration of support services in our kindergartens and schools which might otherwise pick up problems early and provide appropriate interventions. Struggling families need support to be able to afford sporting activities for their children.
It’s time to tackle these problems at their root cause, not knee-jerk “solutions” of more police, tougher laws and blaming the victim.
We need to take our responsibility as a society to think about why these problems occur and encourage governments to invest in a better future for everyone.
Frank O’Connor, Albert Park
Athletics’ time to shine
Michael Gleeson (″A sprinting golden age arrives on seismic weekend for Australian athletics″, 13/4) has nailed it.
The breadth of Australian talent goes beyond Gout Gout, an exceptional athlete by world standards. Lachlan Kennedy and Aidan Murphy have come to the party in the 100m and 200m respectively.
Not to mention, Jess Hull’s gutsy win in the women’s 5000m final. For decades, the Australian public has seen athletics in Australia as a Cinderella sport. The pumpkin is now a golden carriage.
Nicholas Green, Inverloch
Road rescue
I wish to congratulate the persons who have taken on the task of making Bridge Road, Richmond, drivable after years of bone-shaking travel. These persons should each be given an AO and contracted to repair the rest of Victoria’s roads.
Bruce Love, East Melbourne
AND ANOTHER THING …
Middle East
Donald Trump is between Iran and a hard place.
Rob McCasker, Murdoch WA
The strait should be renamed the Hormuz Simpson Strait after the American president.
Maurice Aughterson, Somerville
Unless Israel acknowledges other people’s right to existence, its quest for “security” will be endless. Violence and hate begets violence and hate.
Helena Kilingerova, Vermont
Furthermore
A fifth caveat I would add to Callum Jaspen’s informative article (″EVs will save you…″, 13/4) is that borrowing/renting an EV and taking it to pastures afar is jumping into the deep end. It took us six months to lose the dreaded ″range anxiety″ and learnt how to handle long trips with aplomb.
Peter McGill, Lancefield
A new definition of rich is a man sitting in his Chevrolet ute parked on the street for half an hour with the engine running.
Steven Katsineris, Hurstbridge
The recent spate of thefts from older people using ATMs in shopping centres is yet more reason for the retention of bank branches and bank tellers. In-bank transactions offer greater personal security for customers.
Jane Sullivan, Kew East
Re ″To criminals, Lego is like gold″, 13/4. When it comes to Lego, even the crims think ″everything is awesome″.
Robin Jensen, Castlemaine
Re ″After 25 years and three kids…″, 12/3. What a beautiful piece by Kim Wilson over the weekend. I wish I could have found those words. She summed up the long term joy of marriage so accurately. As one recently widowed, I felt her words all the more keenly. Thank you.
Adrian Jones, Glen Iris
Finally
Why are we using words like “uptick” (″Aussies are ’pantry stocking‴, 13/4) instead of ″increase″ and “need to have a a conversation″ instead of ″speak″? It seems unnecessary and totally contrived.
Wilma Pimm, Mentone
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