APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, September 4, 2008

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"APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, September 4, 2008", APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, September 04, 2008, https://nautilus.org/apsnet/apsnet-4-september-2008/

APSNet 4 September 2008

  1. Diggers Locked into Bitter Conflict with No Boundaries
  2. Australian Defence Budget Surges to World’s 13th Largest
  3. Putin’s Ultimatum to Rudd
  4. Dili Investigator Called to Canberra as Evidence of Execution Mounts
  5. The Maritime Self-Defence Force Mission in the Indian Ocean: Afghanistan, NATO and Japan’s Political Impasse
  6. Secret Memo Outlines U.S. Restrictions on Nuclear Deal with India
  7. There’s a Storm Bigger than Terrorism and Only We Can Save Ourselves
  8. People Trafficking: an Update on Australia’s Response

1. Diggers Locked into Bitter Conflict with No Boundaries, Daniel Flitton, Age, 2008-09-04

A poll released in June suggested most Australians – some 60% – support a troop deployment until the situation is stabilised. But that presumes a key element, that at some future point it will be possible to recognise what a stable Afghanistan looks like. This is the biggest problem in this messy conflict.

2. Australian Defence Budget Surges to World’s 13th Largest, AAP, Australian, 2008-09-04

Canberra’s defence spending has leapt by about 56 per cent in the past seven years to $25.66 billion. The US has set aside $US696.30 billion ($832.7 billion) for its armed forces this year. The figures were compiled for Jane’s Industry Quarterly which also found that China’s defence budget of $US58.07 billion ($69.45 billion) had grown to be the world’s fourth largest.

3. Putin’s Ultimatum to Rudd, Daniel Flitton and Brendan Nicholson, Age, 2008-09-02

Russia delivered Australia a stern warning last night not to pull out of its deal to sell the former superpower uranium worth an estimated $1 billion a year. Russia’s intervention came after Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Australia would take into account Russia’s aggression in Georgia before signing off on the deal, and a Labor MP warned that Russian strongman Vladimir Putin could not be trusted with Australian uranium.

4. Dili Investigator Called to Canberra as Evidence of Execution Mounts, Lindsay Murdoch, SMH, 2008-09-04

East Timor’s top prosecutor, Longuinhos Monteiro, is flying to Canberra to be briefed on the investigation into the February 11 dawn attacks in Dili. Australian Federal Police forensic investigators have deciphered telephone calls that the rebel leader, Alfredo Reinado, made before he was shot dead at the home of East Timor’s President, Jose Ramos-Horta.

5. The Maritime Self-Defence Force Mission in the Indian Ocean: Afghanistan, NATO and Japan’s Political Impasse, Richard Tanter, Japan Focus, 2008-09-02

During an extraordinary Diet session beginning in September, the government will attempt to extend the MSDF mission by passing an extension of the Replenishment Support Special Measures Law through both houses. At a time when the existing MSDF deployment is under political strain, the government has sought to deepen the commitment to the war in Afghanistan, expand the MSDF mission to protection of sea lanes to the Middle East, and link Japan into a global military partnership with NATO.

6. In Secret Letter, Tough U.S. Line on India Nuclear Deal, Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, 2008-09-03

The U.S. will not supply India with sensitive nuclear technologies and would terminate immediately any nuclear trade if India conducted a nuclear test, according to a secret memo distributed to members of the U.S. Congress. The correspondence, which also appears to contradict statements by Indian officials, was made public just days before the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group meets to consider exempting India from restrictions on nuclear trade as part of a landmark U.S.-India civil nuclear deal.

7. There’s a Storm Bigger than Terrorism and Only We Can Save Ourselves, Anthony Bergin, SMH, 2008-09-04

In a significant, unreported recent speech the Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, outlined the Rudd Government’s new approach to national security. It shifts the political rhetoric towards highlighting the many risks facing Australia, especially natural disasters. It appears from McClelland’s speech that Canberra’s security planners have given careful attention to the British approach adopted in its National Risk Register.

8. People Trafficking: an Update on Australia’s Response, Research Paper No.5, Janet Phillips, Parliamentary Library, 2008-08-22 [432 KB, PDF]

An overview of the people trafficking problem in Australia, Australia’s responses to date and the likely effectiveness of those measures. Access is provided to a range of key documents and relevant electronic resources on the issues. The number of people trafficked into Australia is unknown. Estimates given to a 2004 parliamentary inquiry into sexual servitude in Australia ranged from 300 to 1000 trafficked women annually.

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Richard Tanter,
Project Co-ordinator