Political Turmoil in the ‘shrinking world.’

Week three: Globalisation, decoloniality and border thinking

1

There is an intense power play of politics that comes with globalisation and one in which Australia implicated itself in recently. Last year it was revealed that in 2009 Australia

initiated a phone tapping exercise on Indonesian politicians. This involves Australian secret intelligence utilising technology to spy on high profile government officials to gain

information. 1

As our relationship with Indonesia goes we are close both geographically and politically and our involvement is mutually beneficial. With the revelation of spying revealed to the public this seriously threatened a previously harmonious sanction. 2

2

.

"The actions of US and Australia has very much wounded the strategic partnership with Indonesia, a fellow democratic state, …I also regret the statement by the

Australian PM that belittles this surveillance to Indonesia, as if no wrong has been done.”

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono 3

The fallout severely damaged diplomatic relations by the stubbornness of our current prime minister to admit any wrong doing as the Indonesian president demanded an explanation. Australia was reluctant to offer any explanation or apologise for the actions taken by the Australian secret service as Indonesian citizens and the government were up in arms over the breach of trust. 4

3

“‘Free’ forms of labour [are] assigned to the core or European origin populations and ‘coerced’ forms of labour [are] assigned to the periphery or non- European population.”

5

This has parallels of operating on a grander scale as the Australian government has ‘coerced’ the Indonesian government into assisting with Australia’s asylum seeker

‘problem’. The partnership agreement between Australia and Indonesia included foreign aid with returns of Indonesia managing off shore detention. As a developing nation,

Indonesia has to take the economic opportunity provided by Australia in order to raise more revenue as a nation and relies on Australia economically to assist with Australia’s

mandatory detention and off-shore processing. 6

4

Prime Minister Tony Abbott refused to offer an apology or explanation as requested by the

Indonesian Government, these actions could be attributed to the eurocentricism of Australia

and the way we view our relationship with Indonesia. Our primary relation is the

detention centres that are utilised across Indonesia to detain those trying to reach

Australia for asylum. Although it is truly us who are benefiting more by having our asylum

seekers detained in Indonesia, the reaction from the Prime Minister appeared to be one of nonchalance and one could question why, with

so much for them to lose politically (a core election promise to ‘stop the boats’) did he

take the issue at hand so lightly? The Eurocentric ideal still held by Western

dominating powers could explain why Tony Abbott felt no need to rectify relations with

the Indonesian President.

“In the Eurocentric paradigm, modernity is constructed as exclusively

European; something that develops in the middle ages and that subsequently expandsto other parts of the world. This expansion is

justified with reference to the belief thatEurope has exceptional internal characteristics…that explain its

superiority over other cultures.” 7

5

This situation has been confounded in a ‘globalised’ world, as technology and politics collide as eurocenticism and

disparities in economic positions continue to be a factor into the political interactions

between ‘friendly’ nations.

6

References1. Brissenden, Michael. 2013. 'Australia Spied On Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Leaked Edward Snowden Documents

Reveal'. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-18/australia-spied-on-indonesian-president-leaked-documents-reveal/5098860.2. Bachelard, Michael, and Mark Kenny. 2013. 'Indonesians Take Anger To Streets Over Phone-Tapping Scandal'. The Sydney Morning Herald.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/indonesians-take-anger-to-streets-over-phonetapping-scandal-20131121-2xyqf.html.

3. Roberts, George. 2013. 'Spying Row: Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Accuses Tony Abbott Of Taking Claims Too Lightly'. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-19/indonesia-gives-australia-two-days-to-explain-spying-row/5101050.

4. Swallow, Julian, and Komang Erviani. 2013. 'Indonesian Protesters Call For 'War With Australia' Over Phone-Tapping Scandal As Aussies Warned Of Danger'. The Daily Telegraph. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/travel/travel-news/indonesian-protesters-call-for-war-with-australia-over-phonetapping-scandal-as-aussies-warned-of-danger/story-fnjjv9zk-1226765550193.

5. Grosfoguel, Ramon. 2008. 'Transmodernity, Border Thinking, And Global Coloniality'. Eurozone: Decolonizing Political Economy And Postcolonial Studies.

6. Refugeecouncil.org.au,. 2014. 'Refugee Council Of Australia'. Accessed May 20 2014. http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/f/as-det.php.7. De Oliveira Andreotti, Vanessa. 2011. '(Towards) Decoloniality And Diversality In Global Citizenship Education.'. Globalisation, Societies And

Education 9: 381--397.

Images1. University Of Oxford Spindle'. 2012. Blog. Open Spires. http://blogs.it.ox.ac.uk/openspires/page/2/.2. Rappler,. 2013. Indonesia And Australia. Image. http://www.rappler.com/world/regions/asia-pacific/42805-australia-us-spied-on-indonesia-

during-2007-un-talks3. ABC news,. 2013. Prime Minister Tony Abbott Shakes Hands With Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono During Talks In Jakarta..

Image. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-01/tony-abbott-shakes-hands-with-susilo-bambang-yudhoyono/4990312.4. DVB,. 2013. A Police Officer Stands Guard Near Illegal Migrants From Burma At An Immigration Detention Centre In Medan In Indonesia's

North Sumatra Province On 5 April 2013. Image. https://www.dvb.no/news/stateless-rohingya-face-legal-limbo-in-indonesia/29208.5. Liberal,. 2014. Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Image. Accessed April 19. http://www.liberal.org.au/member/tony-abbott6. ABC radio national,. 2013. Australian And Indonesian Flags. Image. http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/drive/indonesia-

withdraws-cooperation-with-australia-from-2014/5106260.

Media fear mongeringC

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six

1

It has become apparent that the media has become implicated with the ideology of ‘East vs West’. Through contributing to this conceived ‘war’ the public shapes their views on Islam and Muslim culture through popular mediums. One study found that opinions on Muslims were sometimes not well regarded in Australia:

“Many …expressed opinions that Australia’s Muslims were notmaking positive contributions to Australian society, and that in many cases they were disruptingthe social harmony of the country and the state”1

The next slide contains a video and transcript link highlighting how the media can manipulate public perception through aggravation and careful editing.

2

http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s2870685.htm

Simon Fuller: F*** off.

Gad Amr: You say to him f*** off. You say to him f*** off? You say to him to f*** off?

Simon Fuller: The camera's rolling.

Gad Amr: You bloody idiot.

Simon Fuller: The camera's rolling.

Gad Amr: You idiot. I don't care you say to whoever, you idiot.

Omar Amr: F*** him, mate. He's a f*** knuckle.

Simon Fuller: You f***ing terrorist.

— Camera tape, 1st April, 2010

“That's right. The Nine cameraman, whose name is Simon Fuller, called Mr Amr an 'effing terrorist'.

If he wanted a reaction, he certainly got one.” 2

Watch

This coverage by ABC’s Media watch program highlights the subterfuge being undertaken by the Australian media to create a certain ideology within the

Australian public towards Australian Muslim citizens; this reinforces the perceived perception that there is a ‘battle’ between East vs West. Media watch

reveals that Mr and Mr Amr were provoked by the media and the horrible behaviour by Mr Fuller was intentionally hidden from the public view. This

attempt by the media to create this negative perception of Islam and Muslims can be accounted to Samuel P. Huntington’s reasoning:

“The West is attempting and will

continue to attempt to sustain its

preeminent position and defend its

interests by defining those

interests as the interests of the

“world community.” … to give

global legitimacy to actions

reflecting the interests of the

united states and other Western

powers.”

The Clash of civilisations and the remaking of world order 3

“There are real implications associated with the way that the “Western” popular media – particularly news media and

mainstream film – reduces jihad to a one-dimensional caricature of terrorism as religious martyrdom.

Such representations… typically used to distinguish good and evil.” 4

3

This tactic to control the public’s perceptions of western supremacy creates false fear and fuels the fire of the East vs the West war. If the public believes that Islam is ‘wrong’ then it allows justification for the West to continue waging war against the East.

“Australian community leaders attribute some of the blame for these negative phenomena to the media for perpetuating negative stereotypes of

Islam, Muslims and Arabs. Representatives of Australia’s Muslim

and Arab communities raised some points of concern based on their

perceptions of how the media have portrayed them.” 5

The Australian public rely on mass media sources for their information on societal affairs and as such allow these sources to shape and form their ideologies, without being aware of how the media is manipulating these ideologies. This becomes problematic when unsupported claims become part of the mainstream conscious and harmony becomes disrupted as false theories

cause tension and distrust as people believe that the comfortable, ‘western’ way of life is being threatened, they will accept any measures necessary to protect it, even support of invasion and

war.

4

References

1. Lentini, Pete, Anna Halafoff, and Ela Ogru. 2011. 'With Guarded Optimism? Evidence From Focus Groups Of ‘Mainstream’Australians' Perceptions Of Muslims'. Islam And Christian--Muslim Relations 22 (4): 409--432.

2. Media Watch,. 2010. Just Doing My Job Mate. Video. http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s2870685.htm.

3. Huntington, Samuel P. 1996. The Clash Of Civilizations And The Remaking Of World Order. 1st ed. New York: Simon & Schuster

4. Tagg, Brendon. 2009. 'Jihad, Race And Western Media, Post-September 11'. Societies Without Borders 4 (3): 317—342

5. Lentini, Pete, Anna Halafoff, and Ela Ogru. 2011. 'With Guarded Optimism? Evidence From Focus Groups Of ‘Mainstream’Australians' Perceptions Of Muslims'. Islam And Christian--Muslim Relations 22 (4): 409--432.

Images

1. Press TV,. 2012. Copyleft By Carlos Latuff. Image. http://presstv.jp/Program/270518.html.2. Muslim Village,. 2011. Islamophobia. Image.

http://muslimvillage.com/2011/11/29/16699/eat-halal-meat-become-muslim-just-another-day-in-sillyville/

3. Islaam.net,. 2014. Beyond The Headlines. Image. Accessed May 22. http://www.islaam.net/main/display.php?category=46

4. Islam information portal,. 2012. War On Islam. Image. http://islam.ru/en/content/story/we-are-not-war-islam

Week eleven: Citizenship and inequality III gender and sexuality.

1

Liberal feminism is of the belief that women can rightly fill high level positions in a patriarchal society without any changes to the current system.

“The liberal theory of obligation and presumably, liberal societies – are oppressive

because they endorse the male standpoint and deny the female standpoint.” 1

This is why to succeed as a woman in today’s patriarchal society you have to adapt masculine qualities. Julie Bishop, the only woman selected to be part of Tony Abbotts current Liberal cabinet is an example of liberal feminism. 2

In 2013 within a 19 strong member cabinet only one woman was selected to represent the Liberal party. While the debate rages on in Australia regarding lack of representation of women in parliament. Julie Bishop

herself defends her placement is based entirely on her own merit, while simultaneously discrediting many other capable female politicians.

The ‘token woman’ as former Australian of the year Ita Buttross called her, was promoted due to her standing against other men and this ‘token

woman’ proves a glass ceiling still exists in Australia. 2

3

No one can deny that Julie Bishop is a strong woman, but as a powerful woman who is more famous in this country for her ‘death stares’ than any legislative accomplishments. This could either be attributed to the media and public reducing her authority to a caricature or that she appears to have no redeeming qualities that make a woman relatable and understandable to

other women.

“Imitated man, respected the phallus, and performed as if they had one and thus would be easy to dismiss as lesser or substandard men.” 3

4

This belief in women’s capacity for leadership being based on merit follows the ‘sameness’ school of thinking and is in line with the liberal views on feminism.

“In leadership positions that are rarely held by women, and that perhaps as a result become strongly associated with male characteristics, women may need to display

masculine characteristics to be seen as effective.” 4

Counteracting that is the ‘different’ perspective, one in which men and women are biologically and emotionally different and therefore have sometimes opposing ways

of doing things.

“Perceptions, rather than reality, may be the answer. The gender stereotype of women as warm, nurturing, and caring and the corresponding stereotype of men as cold, competitive, and authoritarian may have contributed to a popular perception that women are less effective than men in leadership positions, though in fact they are

equally effective.” 5

While women in power are adopting masculine qualities to get ahead, the limiting numbers of high positioned women may speak volumes as to how this approach appears to be working for women. Women such as Julie Bishop might be the ‘token’ woman but

those women are often respected but not well liked or well received. Instead of pandering to fit in to patriarchal understandings of leadership and control women

should instead be focused on changing attitudes and perceptions of what constitutes a great leader without compromising on individuality.

5

References

1. Sinopoli, Richard C, and Nancy J Hirschmann. 1991. 'Feminism And Liberal Theory'. American Political Science Review 85 (1): 221--233.

2. 'Julie Bishop 'Token' Woman: Buttrose'. 2013. SBS News. http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/09/17/julie-bishop-token-woman-buttrose

3. Power, Nina. 2009. One-Dimensional Woman. 1st ed. Winchester, UK ; Washington, USA: 0 [Zero] Books.4. Kawakami, Christine, Judith B White, and Ellen J Langer. 2000. 'Mindful And Masculine: Freeing Women Leaders

From The Constraints Of Gender Roles'. Journal Of Social Issues 56 (1): 49—635. Ibid.

Images

1. Makesthree.org,. 2010. Women Power And Politics. Image. http://www.makesthree.org/wordpress/the-tricycle-women-power-and-politics/.

2. Academia.edu,. 2014. J. Howard Miller We Can Do It. Image. Accessed May 20. http://www.academia.edu/3810572/We_Can_Do_It_A_Semiotic_Approach_to_J._Howard_Millers_Rosie_the_Riveter_Poster_and_the_Morale_of_World_War_II_Era_American_Women.

3. The Sydney Morning Herald,. 2013. Abbott Government Sworn In. Image. http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/abbott-promises-a-day-of-action-straight-after-he-is-sworn-in-20130917-2txam.html

4. Platform four,. 2012. Julie Bishop 'Laser Eyes'. Image. http://twitter.yfrog.com/mm8h2bj?sa=0.5. YWCA,. 2014. Women In Politics. Image. http://ywcapeterborough.org/special-events/.