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The Trump administration has justified its attack on Iran as necessary to “neutralise” the threats posed by the nuclear regime. The United States calls it “collective self-defence” with its ally, Israel.
Does this stack up under international law? Donald Rothwell argues no – Iran’s nuclear program did not pose an imminent threat to the US or Israel. He points to Trump’s own language to make the case the US strikes were a breach of international law.
Rothwell says condemning these strikes matters – and the Australian government has an obligation to show stronger support for international law.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has instead given the US his support, though as Michelle Grattan notes, it’s “through gritted teeth”.
In 2003, she writes, Albanese was a forceful opponent of the US-led invasion of Iraq. “Iraq does not represent a threat to Australia,” he argued then.
So how is he really viewing the US action in Iran, and could it create even more distance between his government and Trump’s?
P.S. We are in the final stretch of our donations campaign, and we’ve been heartened by your support and feedback. With six days to go until the end of the financial year, there is still time to give.
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Justin Bergman
International Affairs Editor
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Donald Rothwell, Australian National University
The US and Israel have adopted the most wide-ranging and robust interpretations of the right of self defence. Other nations may now follow their lead.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
24 hours later the government has backed the US attack on Iran but clearly it remains uncomfortable doing so, but not as uncomfortable in years gone by.
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Lester Munson, University of Sydney
While there is widespread agreement on Iran within US politics, the incendiary nature of agreeing with your adversary makes it seem more fractured than it is.
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Richard Denniss, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Maybe the leaders of ASX companies could just work hard without the promise of a big bonus.
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Glenys Oberg, The University of Queensland
In a study of 57 Australian teachers, many shared emotionally-charged accounts of being put in impossible situations at work.
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Elena Morgenthaler, Griffith University; Andrew Childs, Griffith University
Shutdowns like this have become a recurring feature of the dark web. They are usually not a significant turning point.
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Luke Munn, The University of Queensland
AI slop means faster and cheaper content, and the technical and financial logic of online platforms creates a race to the bottom.
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Dean J. Miller, CQUniversity Australia
Your smartwatch or ring promises to tell you how well you slept. But how?
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Nancy Cushing, University of Newcastle
The story of Valerie, the dachshund recaptured after almost 18 months living on Kangaroo Island raises serious questions about what life is best for our pets.
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Theresa Larkin, University of Wollongong
An operation to remove the uterus should be called a uterectomy – like the removal of the tonsils is a tonsillectomy, or an appendix removal is an appendectomy.
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Health + Medicine
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Vinuli Withanarachchie, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University; Chris Wilkins, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University; Marta Rychert, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University
Women are less likely than men to get a prescription for medicinal cannabis, and they tend not to disclose their use out of fear of societal rejection.
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Mandy Hagstrom, UNSW Sydney
It’s a lot more dangerous to be sedentary than it is to go to the gym. And remember: nobody is looking at you.
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Nick Fuller, University of Sydney
These foods make up one-third of kids’ daily energy intake.
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Business + Economy
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Sanjoy Paul, University of Technology Sydney
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz would have potentially devastating flow-on effects for oil supplies and prices in Australia.
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Regina Scheyvens, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University; James Higham, Griffith University; Susanne Becken, Griffith University
‘Turbocharging’ tourism growth risks undoing past efforts to help NZ avoid the worst excesses of overtourism, which are now sparking protests overseas.
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Environment + Energy
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Samantha Hepburn, Deakin University
Two legal challenges threaten to overturn the decision to extend the North West Shelf gas project. A legal expert considers their prospects.
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Science + Technology
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Vitomir Kovanovic, University of South Australia; Rebecca Marrone, University of South Australia
Like calculators before them, AI tools can raise the bar for what people can achieve – if they’re used the right way.
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Arts + Culture
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Julia Hamilton, Macquarie University
Evidence of textile workshops demonstrates that girls’ labour was valued enough to be documented in administrative records alongside adult workers.
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Laura Case, University of Sydney
Nico Muhly’s Aphrodite reimagines the mythological goddess for the modern age, in a production that is both visually stunning and musically engaging.
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Books + Ideas
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Martine Kropkowski, The University of Queensland
Take a world tour of monsters, from vampires in Serbia and giants in Cornwall to festivals of dragons in Bavaria and werewolves in Louisiana.
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Your Say
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We’ve been wondering too, Michelle
"I would love to see an explainer about how legal the US’ attack on Iran is, from an international law standpoint. There were no weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq and that US administration had rather more credibility than the current one. I’m disquieted by the way the western media is seemingly replaying errors from very recent history."
Michelle Spencer
Ed: Don Rothwell has written on this very topic.
No change
"I have experienced the hollow sounds of a men’s behaviour change program with my ex-husband. The resounding lack of echo means this is a dead duck. Shame about the lack of public involvement, the lack of discussion, the 'behind closed doors' attitude that goes hand in hand with these programs."
Name withheld
Losing my religion
"I was keen to find out more about a lost major artist when I began reading about Eric Smith. But when I saw his religious paintings, finishing the article became a chore. Religious pictures belong to a time when faith was widespread and claimed to be universal, without that context religious images feel like cliches. Smith's disappearance seems more like an artist who lost touch with the world he lived in, than anything mysterious."
Kym Houghton
We'd love to hear from you. You can email us with your thoughts on our stories and each day we'll publish an edited selection.
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