Category Archives: Regimes

Edited extracts from The Economist, July 15, 2017, with commentary by Andrew L. Urban. Liu Xiaobo, who died on July 13, was hardly a household name in the West. Yet of those in China who have called for democracy, resisting … Continue reading →

By Andrew L. Urban. Trump is stumped, Putin is powerless, Macron and Merkel are as if mute and we, all over the world, are a little concerned about North Korea’s missile rattling and the nuclear gun bulging in its pocket. … Continue reading →

By Andrew L. Urban. “Here we go again. A new ‘national consultation’ is under way,” writes Eva S. Balogh on her blog (April 3, 2017) about Hungary’s upcoming national consultation, ‘Let’s stop Brussels!’ The tone of her article remains cynical … Continue reading →

A personal reflection, by Andrew L. Urban, October 23, 2016. He was hanging from the tree by his feet, a wad of money stuffed into his mouth, the blood that had soaked it now dry. People were wandering around listlessly … Continue reading →

Letter to Foreign Affairs Minister The Hon Julie Bishop MP February 14, 2015 Dear Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop, With the greatest respect for your work in Foreign Affairs in general and the extraordinary efforts to avert the executions of … Continue reading →

The takeout on Putin is that his increasing belligerence is fuelling ridicule. By Andrew L. Urban. MUNICH — It was at the venerable Munich Security Conference in 2007 that Vladimir Putin first sounded the resentful Cold War blast that now … Continue reading →

By Andrew L. Urban Nobel Peace Prize nominee Gene Sharp has listed 198 ‘weapons’ that can be used in non-violent revolutions. And he’s adamant that they should indeed be considered weapons and that non-violent revolution is not for sissies. Nor … Continue reading →

By Andrew L. Urban Large protests around the country in recent weeks are the first open signs of public outrage at the shrinkage of democracy in Hungary. Angered by a proposed internet tax and the apparent corruption exposed by the … Continue reading →

By Andrew L. Urban Integrity. Transparency. Competence. If we apply these three KPIs (Key Performance Indicators in corporate jargon) to the Australian Government over the past 6 years of its Labour life, it is found wanting. Yet these are critical … Continue reading →

By Andrew L. Urban Ever since Julia Gillard climbed over Kevin Rudd in his first Prime Ministerial term in 2010, Labour collectively has behaved as if it is determined to diminish and distress Australian democracy, slippery bit by slithering bit. … Continue reading →