As part of the Twenty Years project, a journalistic and artistic initiative with Afghans in Australia and around the world to assess the legacy of the US-led war in Afghanistan, we commissioned young, female, Afghan-Australian artists to make a short film on these themes. This is their statement: The fall of Kabul in 2021 was…
The countless ways to punish drug users
A key theme in my latest book, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs, is the absurdity of governments continuing to push futile drug war policies. This week I was interviewed by the UK Telegraph about a new British policy that aims to punish drug users with the threat of losing their…
The Afghan war as a grifter’s paradise
What was the post 9/11 Afghan war really about? This great New York-based, award-winning podcast, News Beat, has produced a one-hour examination of this very question, melding journalism with hip-hip. I’m one of the guests talking about disaster capitalism in the war-torn nation.
Arabic edition of Disaster Capitalism soars across Arab world
Back in late 2019, the Arabic edition of my book, Disaster Capitalism: Making A Killing Out Of Catastrophe, was released. Now, two years later, the sales figures are in and they’re remarkable. The publisher has just sent the sales figures. The print run was 43,000 and it’s sold more than 37,000 copies in a range…
Slovakian edition arrives for Pills, Powder and Smoke
I’m excited to reveal the Slovakian translation/amazing cover art of my drug war book, Pills, Powder and Smoke: Inside the Bloody War on Drugs. The foreword is written by Martin Poliacik, a philosopher and former politician who’s been a leading advocate for drug reform. I’ve just read his words, thanks (imperfect) Google Translate, and it’s…
Who’s the real superpower here?
The US says it wants to re-open its consulate in Jerusalem, closed during the Trump administration, but Israel is refusing to accept the proposition. My comments to global broadcaster TRT World: Antony Loewenstein, an independent journalist, author and film-maker who was based in occupied East Jerusalem between 2016 and 2020, sees the template of Israel’s…
Britain and Australia’s secretive relationship
The recent launch of Declassified Australia coincides with the first piece by journalist Peter Cronau and me for the great news organisation Declassified UK on the often sordid and secretive relationship between Australia and the UK. Some highlights (but read the whole thing): Australia’s independence from Britain has been contested ground since the nation’s birth in…
Launching Declassified Australia
I’m excited to announce this (launched late last week and already generating a lot of interest both locally and globally so stay tuned for more soon): The Australian media too often report the nation as a compliant ally of the US, the UK and the Western alliance but few ask questions about why and what…
End the drug war and improve the climate
NGOs Health Poverty Action and LEAP UK are working with students at Queen Mary University in London to highlight the absurdity of the drug war and why it should end. I was interviewed last week, the project is called SEEDS for Change, and I talk about the links between the war on drugs and climate…
Preparing for disasters shouldn’t be about making $
Disaster preparedness kits are a big thing now that climate change is causing increasing environmental chaos. Some companies like Judy are aiming to capitalize on this development, thanks to celebrity endorsements, but don’t even mention climate change on its website or any details about its supply chain ie. is it ethical, not made by slave labour…