APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, April 24, 2008

You are here: Home » Mailing lists » APSNet » Semi-Weekly Bulletin » APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, April 24, 2008

Recommended Citation

"APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, April 24, 2008", APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, April 24, 2008, https://nautilus.org/apsnet/apsnet-24-april-2008/

APSNet 24 April 2008

  1. Shake Up of $100bn Defence Spend
  2. The New Defence White Paper: Why We Need It and What It Needs to Do
  3. Jakarta Backs Court’s Decision to Outlaw Jemaah Islamiah
  4. The Peace Dividend
  5. Timor Border Hard to Patrol: Indonesia
  6. Alarm As E Timor Criminals Pardoned
  7. New Jobs Set for 2 Generals with Iraq Role
  8. First We Must Explore, then Exploit
  9. Indonesia and East Timor: Against Impunity, for Justice – Clinton Fernandes: Austral Policy Forum 08-04A

1. Shake Up of $100bn Defence Spend, John Kerin, AFR*, 2008-04-22

The Rudd government has proposed a contracting overhaul to cut waste from the $100 billion defence facilities, equipment and maintenance budget and wants to enlist industry to bear a greater share of the risk on major projects.
* subscription required.

2. The New Defence White Paper: Why We Need It and What It Needs to Do, Hugh White, Lowy Institute, April 2008

Australia’s strategic potential is in long-term decline relative to our most important neighbours. Australia needs more than ever to ensure that we get as much security as we can for every dollar we spend. Finding the most cost-effective defence options is therefore not just a matter of fiscal prudence; it is a strategic necessity.

3. Jakarta Backs Court’s Decision to Outlaw Jemaah Islamiah, Mark Forbes with Karuni Rompies, SMH, 2008-04-23

The Indonesian Government has endorsed a court’s decision to outlaw the radical Jemaah Islamiah network, sparking intense debate about whether the move is a turning point in the region’s battle against terrorism.

4. The Peace Dividend, Jun Honna, Inside Indonesia, Issue 92, April-June, 2008

The pretext of preventing national disintegration has always bolstered TNI’s political autonomy. But the Aceh peace of 2005 has made it more difficult for the TNI to sustain this pretext. This has placed fresh pressure on the military to accept reforms that would lead to democratic control over the military as an institution. Right now is a good time to take civilian control beyond mere appearances.

5. Timor Border Hard to Patrol: Indonesia, AAP, Australian, 2008-04-22

The Indonesian commander tasked with guarding the 239km border with East Timor, said limited resources meant it was quite possible for foreigners to cross between the two countries illegally. The head of Indonesia’s defence forces General Djoko Santoso said the two countries’ military organisations were planning to formalise their defence relationship to improve security along the border.

6. Alarm As E Timor Criminals Pardoned, AAP, Australian, 2008-04-23

East Timorese President Jose Ramos Horta will pardon a former government minister who armed civilian hit squads during the violence that destabilised the nation in 2006. Rogerio Lobato is one of 80 criminals to be pardoned on next month. Analysts have reacted with alarm, saying East Timor’s cycle of violence will not end until people are held accountable for their actions.

7. New Jobs Set for 2 Generals with Iraq Role, Thom Shanker, NYT, 2008-04-24

Gen. David H. Petraeus will take charge of all military affairs across the Middle East and Central Asia. His nomination could portend a renewed American focus on Afghanistan, where the American war effort is widely recognized to be lagging. General Petraeus would be expected to apply his views of counterinsurgency to Afghanistan, which may include a push toward increased troops.

8. First We Must Explore, then Exploit, Anthony Bergin, Age, 2008-04-24

The United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf has just recognised Australia’s claim to the continental shelf where it extends beyond our exclusive economic zone. This is a vast area 10 times the size of New Zealand. The Government will move quickly to legalise the expanded limits, making us the first country in the world to proclaim seabed limits beyond 200 nautical miles under the Law of the Sea.

9.  Austral Policy Forum  08-04A: Indonesia and East Timor: Against Impunity, for Justice – Clinton Fernandes

Clinton Fernandes of the Australian Defence Force Academy outlines the history of successive forums for investigation of crimes committed in East Timor by Indonesian military forces and militia forces under Indonesian control between 1975 and 1999. After reviewing the work of courts and inquiries under UN, East Timorese and Indonesian auspices in some detail, Fernandes argues that,

“amnesties in the case of the Indonesian military’s crimes against humanity would strengthen the politics of impunity. The promise of international law is that the East Timorese government need not feel it has to confront the Indonesian military on its own; by requiring prosecutions, international law ensures that the government has the support of the international community. Prosecutions, not amnesties, are the most effective guarantee against future crimes against humanity.”

Similar free newsletters

 For further information, please contact the editors, Jane Mullett, Arabella Imhoff.

Subscribe

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit:
https://nautilus.org/mailman/listinfo/apsnet

—
Richard Tanter,
Project Co-ordinator