Leading  Issues Journal  

War with Iraq: A Just War? 

By Dr Simon Longstaff

Executive Director at St James Ethics Centre

In this article which was written when the 'Coalition of the Willing' was about to engage in the war against Iraq, Dr Simon Longstaff points out that beyond the only reason offered by President Bush and his allies, that of  securing peace, there is a further condition that must be satisfied in order to justify war. 

"This is that the ‘quality’ of the peace must be superior to that which would have prevailed if the war had not been fought...The US and its allies are painting a picture of the peace that they hope to secure; an image of Iraq as a stable and flourishing democracy – the first of its kind in the Arab world of the Middle East. Such an outcome is highly desirable – and could be a key element in any fuller justification of this war. However, given the internal conflicts between Sunni and Shia, Kurds, Assyrians and Chaldeans (not to mention secular Arabs and those of a more religious outlook) the establishment of a peaceful Iraqi democracy will be a remarkable achievement; probably only attained after many years of institutional reform under some kind of international protectorate." 

Although the war against Iraq appears to be in its final stages, Longstaff's questioning of the nature of a peaceful outcome and governance in Iraq are poignant.  He also raises other issues which bear relevance to the changing nature of international relations:

"...is it too much to hope that any decent peace could be of a kind that moves us beyond a time, in international relations, where ‘might’ is ultimately ‘right’? "

"Perhaps the decisive change in the world is the rise of terrorist networks like Al Q'aeda. If so, then why not neutralise these groups and restore a strategic environment in which containment is a viable option? Instead, we are left to assume that until such time as the terrorist threat recedes we will have to threaten war against all hostile states armed with weapons of mass destruction and ruled by regimes refusing to abide by the dictates of the UN." 

To view Dr Longstaff's article see: War with Iraq: A Just War?

 

The end of equality?
Australian women and the Howard government

By Professor Anne Summers AO PhD

The Pamela Denoon Lecture was inaugurated in 1989 as a tribute to her memory  and as a reminder that the gains that have been made by women over the years have only been possible because of the enormous dedication of women like Pamela. Pamela died of leukaemia in 1988 at the far too young age of 46.  The Pamela Denoon Lecture is one of the key activities of the Canberra-based celebrations for International Women's Day.

Professor Anne Summers in the 2003 International Women's Day Pamela Denoon Lecture analyses the net impact of the Howard government's policies against women. Her analysis canvasses previous governments' treatment of women and details whether the Howard government's policies have worked, particularly with respect to women's employment. 

Comprehensively reviewing the changes in policies affecting women that have been implemented by the Howard Government since 1996, Summers reveals that, "Some of our politicians, most notably the Prime Minister, undoubtedly believed that by pulling the plug on progress and steering women back to the home that this would automatically turnaround the birth rate. What he failed to realize is that most women today want to work and that if you prevent them from doing so that is likely to propel them away from having babies. Women want both, or most women do, but if you force them into a choice that choice, increasingly as recent history has demonstrated, will be to not have children at all. In other words, the Howard approach has been totally counter-productive in terms of what he wanted, and it has done immense damage to women."

The high price being asked of women who have children is the requirement that they " subordinate the possibility of economic independence and to abandon any prospect of equality - at least while their children are young."

Contrary to what people like Pamela Denoon fought for in the 1980s - demanding that women be able to lead fully rounded lives, just as men are able to do -  Summers sees this vision destroyed by the Howard government.

To view this Lecture, see:

The end of equality?
Australian women and the Howard government

 

Executive Salaries

By Dr Simon Longstaff

Executive Director at St James Ethics Centre

In this article, Dr Longstaff raises some very interesting questions about the ethics of executive remuneration beginning with a consideration of how does one "reward human effort and ingenuity in general." 

How does one best "measure the relative ‘worth’ of contributions made by those who contribute their labour rather than their capital to an enterprise."

In the context of a marked increase in the level of community concern about the issue of executive remuneration, one which will undoubtedly fade in time, but nevertheless raises some underlying issues which necessitate deeper reflection. 

"Is it really the case that people currently running major Australian corporations are motivated by the size of their pay cheque rather than the challenge and opportunities of the role?" 

"Why do we criticise executives but remain silent about the millions earned by David Beckham? Why is it accepted that Mick Jagger can be a multi-millionaire – but not the head of a major Australian company operating in the global market?"

"Or could it be that we undervalue the actual contribution made by each business leader on an individual basis – undervaluing skills, creativity, risk and engagement?"

And finally:

"Would things be different if more people thought that business made a significant contribution to the welfare of the community as a whole?"

To view this article see: Executive Salaries

 

Human Rights Bill Threatens Human Rights Commission's Independence

On 27 March 2003, The Commonwealth Government introduced into Parliament the Australian Human Rights Commission Legislation Bill 2003 to amend the legislation under which the Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission performs its functions.

While the nature of Commonwealth legislation is obviously a matter for the Federal Parliament, the Commission does not support the bill which stands to have a detrimental impact upon the work of the Commission.

To view how HREOC has reacted to this, see:

Human Rights Bill Threatens Human Rights Commission's Independence

 

On Leadership by Linda Nicholls 

Chairman of Australia Post

Linda Nicholls , Chairman of Australia Post since 1997 and a corporate advisor and director of several leading Australian companies and organisations, discusses how Australia Post transformed its business vision to become profitable and highly reputed amongst consumers and how recent global events have given those objectives a new, 21st century focus. 

"Only 15 months ago people were frightened to receive mail because of bio-terrorism scares. Our response has been more scrutiny and inspection of mail including all incoming international mail to assure mail safety and improved delivery performance-safety and change." 

In this speech delivered in Melbourne in February 2003 at the Official Opening of the 2003 Williamson Community Leadership Program for Leadership Victoria, Nicholls says, "Ten years ago Australia Post had a problem. Our owner, the Government, expected us to do two things. First, we had to run a business, and we were expected to run it well. Second, we had to provide value to the community through our community service obligations. When we examined our business we discovered we were doing neither task well. "

To view this Speech, see:

Linda Nicholls on Leadership

 

 

Teaching Children about Conflict in the World

Educators for Social Responsibility (ESR) is a national non-profit organization that was founded in 1982. Their mission is to make teaching social responsibility a core practice in education so that young people develop the convictions and skills to shape a safe, sustainable, democratic, and just world.

Their work spans the fields of social and emotional learning, character education, conflict resolution, diversity education, civic engagement, prevention programming, youth development, and secondary school improvement. 

ESR has recently released a resource entitled, "Talking to Children about War and Violence in the World."  

To view this Resource see: www.esrnational.org