In January, my book, Disaster Capitalism: Making A Killing Out Of Catastrophe, was published globally in a paperback edition by Verso.… I wrote a piece for my publisher’s popular blog this week on the ever-growing industry of privatised immigration: The unaccountability of privatised immigration had rarely been so brazen. Australia is the only country in…
Showing all posts tagged Germany
German radio station RBB interview on immigration
During my time in Berlin, Germany this year, immigration has been a central theme. I was recently… interviewed by German public broadcaster RBB about the issue and why privatising the refugee crisis, as I investigate in my book Disaster Capitalism, leads to human rights abuses. My interview has been translated into German but here’s the introduction…
Evidence of modern fascism rises in Germany
This week 15,000 people marched in Dresden, Germany against “Islamisation”, immigrants, globalisation, whatever. Far-right group Pegida organised the rally. My family is from Dresden, many perished in the Holocaust and only a few escaped with their lives. This growing fascist movement in Europe is deeply worrying. I was interviewed by VICE about it all: Many…
Handy explainer of the little war in Ukraine
Some classy and pointed German satire (select English subtitles below):
How I became a German citizen (while maintaining the Australian passport)
My following article is published today by the Guardian (where I’m now a weekly columnist): It was hard to forgive the Nazis. The “1,000 year Reich” lasted a mere 12 years, and the German state was crushed under the weight of bloody streets, genocidal concentration camps and despotism. For this to happen in the heart…
How many ways can Israel dream of attacking Iran?
Interesting letter in yesterday’s London Independent: Your report concerning the possible strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities by Israel (29 February) might have alluded also to Israel’s apparent attempt to obtain “second strike” facility. Currently undergoing sea trials is a new Dolphin class submarine built for Israel by a subsidiary company of ThyssenKrupp in Kiel –…
On Obama, AIPAC, occupation, revolutions and the status-quo
So much discussion about the latest elaborate dance between the US under Barack Obama and Israel. In many ways, little has changed over the years, as Washington occasionally talks tough with Israel but then never does anything more. Words are cheap in the Middle East, especially as the occupation deepens every day. And, as if…
Germans behind the Nazi terror were often very ordinary
A fascinating new museum has just opened in Berlin documenting the often faceless bureaucrats behind Hitler’s Final Solution. Such almost casual brutality was driven by ideology but also a strong desire to advance one’s career. What’s killing a few Jews between the hours of nine and five? The center also reveals the worst historical legacy…
A weekend with Hitler and strawberries
The limits of free speech in a democracy is an age old question. Personally, I find that censoring any opinions is a dangerous precedent, especially those that may be unpopular with the ruling elites. So what to do about this? Germany’s far-right National Democratic party (NPD) has triggered outrage with plans for a Third Reich-style…
Drawing a line at hatred?
Being currently in Germany, the issue of hate speech is inevitably a key concern, considering the country’s history. There is always a fine line between legitimate speech and other forms of communication – and who should really decide where that line is, Zionists, for example, who regularly deem any comments against Israel as being anti-Semitic?…