THE COMMENTARIAT Key lesson for Australia in Trump’s move to abandon Kurds – Chris Uhlmann (The Age/Sydney Morning Herald): “The US President’s decision to forsake the Syrian Kurds must surely give his allies the last compelling piece of evidence to prove that they should not vest any faith in Donald Trump. When Trump boasted ‘I defeated the Caliphate’ at an impromptu Oval Office press conference on September 20 he omitted the fact that it was the Kurds who did much of the fighting and most of the dying in that war. If an alliance that is measured in a sea of blood has no value to Trump, then what price does he put on defence relationships built on pledges of burden-sharing made by nations such as Australia?” Shareholder citizens are in need of a new champion ($) – Janet Albrechtsen (The Australian): “From the rise of industry superannuation funds and the flood of money into private equity and unlisted investments, and the rigid rules killing entrepreneurship on the stock exchange, to laws that turn directors into insurers of last resort, our tradition of having a thriving shareholder community is under threat. We are witnessing the emergence of a powerful new shareholder class, among them a bolshie subclass with motives more often social and political rather than in the best interests of the company. These forces should concern government, regulators and stock exchange leaders. Instead, there is only silence while the shifting tectonic plates of wealth creation and savings opportunities create a chasm between small shareholders in listed companies and this booming new class.” Malka Leifer’s case is shaking the Australian Jewish community’s faith in Israel – Michael Visontay (The Guardian): “Over the years the community leadership has been unwavering in its support of Israel, regardless of its government’s actions. While the Palestinian occupation has increasingly stirred feelings of doubt, there has been an implicit acceptance by the heartland of Australian Jewry that the conflict is intractable, everyone’s hands are dirty and that Israeli governments should not be judged any more harshly than others around the world. But Leifer’s case is different. It’s personal, we know the alleged victims, she ran away. The Israeli government, or at least the health minister, has demonstrated its contempt for the most basic of human injustices – the alleged assault of young children.” | 