Ion Mihai Pacepa was a general in communist Romania’s secret police before defecting to the United States in the late 1970s. The highest-ranking defector from communism in the 1970s, he spoke recently about the connection between the Soviet Union and liberation theology in Latin America. Ion Mahai Pacepa In general, would you say that the spreading of liberation theology had…

As the economies of China and Russia expand and integrate into the global economy, both are extending their economic and diplomatic influence with new multi-lateral organisations. BRICS’ leaders (from left): Russia’s Vladimir Putin, India’s Narendra Modi, Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff, China’s Xi Jinping and South Africa’s Jacob Zuma. Are these new organisations a threat to the post-World Ware II Western alliance, or are will…

The rolling tide of the zeitgeist has reached Australian shores with Federal Parliament inexorably moving towards a vote on same-sex marriage, this time the push coming from the Australian Labor Party. Tony Burke Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and his deputy, Tanya Plibersek, have co-signed a letter foreshadowing an act of parliament to amend the Marriage Act to include same-sex couples. The Coalition Government,…

Contemporary politics and social policy: Through the Lens of Traditional Faith and Universal Ethics by Rabbi Dr Shimon Cowen (Melbourne, Institute for Judaism and Civilization) Paperback: 201 pages Available through the Institute for Judaism and Civilization   Reviewed by Gabrielle Walsh   Rabbi Dr Shimon Cowen This slim but timely text explains the common elements and values found in the three Abrahamic religions…

THE HISTORY OF TERRORISM: From Antiquity to al Qaeda by Gérard Chaliand and Arnaud Blin (editors) (Oakland, University of California Press) Paperback: 483 pages ISBN: 9780520247093 Price: AUD$69.90   Reviewed by Anthony Staunton   Terrorism is constantly in the news and is often sensationalised by the media but the public is generally unaware of its history, organisation, methods, and motives. Yey the “ism”…