How the EU is moving towards drone surveillance of refugees

My major investigation in the UK Observer/Guardian with Daniel Howden and Apostolis Fotiadis was published on 4 August: Amid the panicked shouting from the water and the smell of petrol from the sinking dinghy, the noise of an approaching engine briefly raises hope. Dozens of people fighting for their lives in the Mediterranean use their…

The forgotten Iranian refugees trapped on Nauru

Investigation in the Sydney Morning Herald/Melbourne Age… co-written with Saba Vasefi (with more details, photos and letters): On the first day of the year in Nauru, Iranian refugee Bita* sent a damning letter to the Australian Border Force (ABF) accusing it of “barbarism”. She had been refused resettlement in the United States and demanded an end…

Capitalising on disaster in the Trump era

My latest book, Disaster Capitalism: Making A Killing Out Of Catastrophe, remains continually relevant especially in the Trump era (just a few examples in the news recently include Blackwater founder Erik Prince still obsessed with privatising the Afghan war and a CIA-linked military contractor making money from housing refugees in the US). UK publisher Taylor…

Australian asylum policies inspiring the globe

My investigation in US magazine The Nation: Soon after President Trump assumed office in January 2017, he had a phone call with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. The transcript of the conversation, leaked in August, revealed that the new US president admired his Australian counterpart because Turnbull was “worse than I am” on asylum seekers.…