1. Boost in Troops a Must for Iraq Win
2. NATO Signals Troop Reinforcement in Afghanistan
3. New RAMSI Head Aims at Establishing Good Dialogue
4. Fiji at Flashpoint as Armed Troops Lock Down Suva
5. Analysis of the Draft Report of the Uranium Mining, Processing and Nuclear Energy Review
6. Nuclear Debate: Part Four: Australia and the World
7. Bill to Cut Traditional Owners Out of Waste Dump Consultations
8. Mindanao: A Gamble Worth Taking

1. Boost in Troops a Must for Iraq Win, Patrick Walters, Australian, 2006-11-28

   The Iraq war can only be won if the US and its allies boost troop numbers, one of Australia’s leading military strategists said. Robert O’Neill said that coalition commanders would have to bring a sharper focus to training Iraqi security forces and a stronger civil reconstruction effort. [However] the probable outcomes were a sudden descent into chaos as the coalition forces were withdrawn or a civil war.

   • Prospects and Perspectives on International Security, Robert O’Neill, Lowy Lecture on Australia in the World, 2006-11-27 [PDF]

   • Iraq Role Bungled: SAS Man, Nick McKenzie and Brendan Nicholson, Age, 2006-11-28

2. NATO Signals Troop Reinforcement in Afghanistan, ABC, 2006-11-29

   It has taken a summit for some major allies – notably France, Germany, Italy and Spain – to reduce restrictions on parts of Afghanistan where their troops can be sent. Generals want guarantees of full backing for forces in the south, including Australians, facing more pressure from Taliban insurgents. Australia is among a handful of countries whose troops are deployed in the Kandahar province where the bulk of serious fighting is happening.

   • NATO in Afghanistan, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, 2006-11-27

3. New RAMSI Head Aims at Establishing Good Dialogue with Solomons’ PM and Govt, RNZI, 2006-11-29

   Tim George took over from fellow Australian James Batley as RAMSI’s Special Co-ordinator earlier this month. His arrival coincides with the announcement of a new review of RAMSI commissioned by the Pacific Forum leaders at its recent summit.

   • Government Wants Independent Review of RAMSI, George Herming, Press Release, Solomon Islands Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, 2006-11-14

4. Fiji at Flashpoint as Armed Troops Lock Down Suva, Malcolm Brown, Age, 2006-11-30

   Amid warnings the military will “strongly oppose any foreign intervention”, Fiji’s police commissioner, Australian Andrew Hughes, confirmed in New Zealand yesterday that he was not returning to Fiji and would rejoin his family, who have returned to Australia. Australia has begun a voluntary evacuation of the families of Australian high commission staff in Suva.

   • UN Security Council Calls on Fiji’s Military to Exercise Restraint, RNZI, 29 November, 2006

   • ADF Probes Black Hawk Tragedy, AAP, Age, 2006-11-30

5. Analysis of the Draft Report of the Uranium Mining, Processing and Nuclear Energy Review (the Switkowski Report), EnergyScience Coalition, 2006-11-24

   The narrow terms of reference set by the federal government have restricted the Switkowski panel to a study of nuclear power, not a serious study of energy options for Australia. The Switkowski report makes questionable assumptions that are highly favorable to nuclear power.

   • Factsheets on Nuclear Energy, Energy Science [regularly updated]

6. Nuclear Debate: Part Four: Australia and the World, Julie Macken, New Matilda, 2006-11-29

   When John Howard re-ignited debate about a nuclear future for Australia last July, it was as if the past 30 years hadnt happened. No Chernobyl or Three Mile Island, no terrorists, no intractable problems related to waste or the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

   • Nuclear Debate: Part Three: The Switkowski Report, Julie Macken, New Matilda*, 2006-11-22
     *Subscription required for this report

   • Nuclear Debate: Part Two: The Problems, Julie Macken, New Matilda, 2006-11-15

   • Nuclear Debate: Part One: The Plan, Julie Macken, New Matilda, 2006-11-08

7. Bill to Cut Traditional Owners Out of Waste Dump Consultations, Annabel Stafford, Age, 2006-11-28

   Legislation before Federal Parliament could clear the way for Aboriginal land to be nominated as a radioactive waste repository without the consent of traditional land owners – and without consultation of them or other indigenous people who may be affected. It will also remove the right to a judicial review or procedural fairness for parties that oppose a particular site being nominated or approved for a dump.

   • Commonwealth Radioactive Waste Management Legislation Amendment Bill 2006, 2006-11-07 [PDF]

   • Inquiry into Commonwealth Radioactive Waste Management Legislation Amendment Bill 2006

8. Mindanao: A Gamble Worth Taking, Dr Kit Collier and Dr Malcolm Cook, Paper 17, Lowy Institute, 2006

   The immersion of foreign terrorists in the long-running Moro Islamic insurgency in the southern Philippines turned the Philippines into a front line in the regional war on terror. The decade-old peace process between the Philippine government and the largest insurgent group, the MILF, offers the best chance of permanently ending the insurgency and its links to regional terrorism.

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