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Binoy Kampmark
Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne.
Binoy Kampmark - Latest News [Page 129]
Offshore Processing: Malaysia and Australia’s 'Boat People'
Wednesday, 21 September 2011, 1:01 pm | Binoy Kampmark
The terror of those ‘boat people’ who arrive in Australia is, like other terrors, inscrutable. In a country that is ruinously affluent and stripped by plenty (thanks are due to the compliant earth being gouged out on a daily basis to support a voracious ... More >>
The Triumph of ‘Gucci’ Helle: The Danish Elections
Monday, 19 September 2011, 6:05 pm | Binoy Kampmark
A few American commentators had time to admire the recent electoral process in Denmark. The recent Danish elections concluded with a victory for the coalition of the Social Democrats led by Helle Thorning-Schmidt and other parties of the centre-left. More >>
The Razor of Sovereignty: Palestinian Statehood
Monday, 19 September 2011, 6:02 pm | Binoy Kampmark
This menu card never alters. When the functionaries bring it out the dishes remains stubbornly dreary: Palestinian non-recognition; Palestinian servitude; Israeli control. It is as if the sides, be it the UN, the United States, and Israel, will never accept, ... More >>
Taking the Vatican to the Cleaners: The ICC Lawsuit
Friday, 16 September 2011, 5:26 pm | Binoy Kampmark
The US-based human rights group Centre for Constitutional Rights is filing a suit on behalf of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) in the International Criminal Court. More >>
Twitter and Terror: Social Media and Social Chaos
Friday, 16 September 2011, 1:25 pm | Binoy Kampmark
‘Question is how much longer will terrorist put innocent Afghan in harms way?’ It was long time coming, but the social media front has now opened up as a means to wage war in Afghanistan. That message came from @ISAFmedia. The retort from @ABalkhi, ... More >>
Wilders for Oz? Stoking the Fire of Publicity
Wednesday, 14 September 2011, 11:47 am | Binoy Kampmark
He is regarded as toxic, incendiary, a bomb waiting to go off on the political scene. For some in Dutch politics, he already has. Geert Wilders is very much a force in the Netherlands, with his Freedom Party holding the balance of power in parliament. More >>
A Modern Problem: Slavery in Britain
Tuesday, 13 September 2011, 4:13 pm | Binoy Kampmark
It happened in Bedfordshire, and to many residents, was inconceivable. In 2007, Britain marked the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade, an enterprise that saw enormous wealth and cruelty produced in equal measures. But the vicious converges ... More >>
The Bachmann Record: Running out of Steam
Monday, 12 September 2011, 1:24 pm | Binoy Kampmark
Her website platform makes the case: ‘Restoring Constitutional Conservative Values.’ Publicly, Michele Bachmann (Rep. Minn.) claims that the Soviet Union still exists. More >>
Laughing at Gillard: Amanda Bishop’s 'At Home With Julia'
Friday, 9 September 2011, 1:25 pm | Binoy Kampmark
Is criticism merely prejudice made plausible, as H.L. Mencken claimed? Peter Craven (The Drum, Sep 8) felt an acid review was in order after the screening of the first episode of At Home With Julia on Australian television. ‘There can’t be many ... More >>
Happy Anniversary: Ten Years of the US Security State
Friday, 9 September 2011, 12:04 pm | Binoy Kampmark
Gore Vidal was sharp enough to remind us that President Harry Truman gave the United States the National Security State in response to Cold War fears against the Red Satan. More >>
Villainous and the Reckless:Deadly Flotillas & Palmer Report
Tuesday, 6 September 2011, 4:01 pm | Binoy Kampmark
Politics is, as ever, a game of ducking, weaving and stalling. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu found himself attempting to do the latter, seeking a delay the release of the UN Palmer Report into the Mavi Marmara affair in May last year. More >>
Scrambling over Libya: Sarkozy & France’s Grandeur Nationale
Friday, 2 September 2011, 5:35 pm | Binoy Kampmark
The corpse is barely warm, and the scrambling over the legacy has begun. Africa has long been grist for the mills of imperial powers, a place of plunder, profit and papier-mâché sovereignty. More >>
The Fall of the Malaysian Solution: The High Court Decision
Thursday, 1 September 2011, 11:12 am | Binoy Kampmark
Activists, pro-refugee advocates and a few politicians were puzzled when the Federal Government decided to affect the ‘Malaysian Solution’, a refugee policy resembling the Howard Government’s Pacific Solution in all but name. More >>
The Desire to Be Tricked: Aelita Andre and the Art World
Wednesday, 31 August 2011, 4:38 pm | Binoy Kampmark
News stories tend to resemble a recycling device in due course. Take this sample by Clare Kermond in the Sydney Morning Herald (Jan 8, 2009). ‘Is this a story of a child prodigy or a joke at the expense of the art world?’ More >>
Sprung: WikiLeaks, the US and the Oz ‘Terror’ Connection
Wednesday, 31 August 2011, 1:28 pm | Binoy Kampmark
Australian officials were breathing a sigh of relief when ‘Cablegate’ disclosed little that might cast them in a poor light before their American puppeteers. (If, indeed, there was any light to begin with.) When it took place last year, there were ... More >>
Finding the Good Victim: Diallo and Strauss-Kahn
Wednesday, 24 August 2011, 4:43 pm | Binoy Kampmark
The dismissal of sexual charges is, as ever, a mixed blessing for the individual charged of them. Unlike other charges, a certain residue is left. ‘He walks free, but…’ The slime remains, and for some, it must be said, the slime is not entirely ... More >>
Measures of Hope: The Homeless World Cup
Wednesday, 24 August 2011, 4:38 pm | Binoy Kampmark
In Paris this week, a rather different sort of sporting tournament has been taking place. It’s the ninth Homeless World Cup, with 64 teams waging a street styled football battle as much for recognition on the pitch as off it. This is no small ... More >>
Curtains and Prospects: After the Fall of Gaddafi
Wednesday, 24 August 2011, 11:21 am | Binoy Kampmark
It had a certain similar ring to it. At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, there were promises that the soldiers getting their brains blown out for their countries would be home by Christmas. It lasted a good four years and destroyed a generation. More >>
The Coup That Failed: The Fall of Russian Communism
Monday, 22 August 2011, 4:33 pm | Binoy Kampmark
American socialist John Reed termed the Bolshevik Revolution the 10 days that shook the world. The historical retort to those who wished to retain its legacy was mounted in 1991 – and it took a mere three days to defeat it. Swan Lake was being played ... More >>
The Coup That Failed: The Fall of Russian Communism
Monday, 22 August 2011, 9:01 am | Binoy Kampmark
American socialist John Reed termed the Bolshevik Revolution the 10 days that shook the world. The historical retort to those who wished to retain its legacy was mounted in 1991 – and it took a mere three days to defeat it. Swan Lake was being played ... More >>
