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Since the US-Israeli war on Iran began, many Western leaders and commentators have stressed the necessity of taking down a brutal, menacing regime.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, for instance, have framed the war as a fight between good and evil. United States allies such as Australia and Canada have stood behind the US preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and threatening international security.
Yet, as international law expert Tamer Morris writes, these comments reveal a troubling shift in the way states justify their actions: a growing preference for moral storytelling over legal reasoning.
When Netanyahu and Trump claim the use of force is morally just – saying, for instance, “Do we really want Iran developing nuclear weapons or long-range missiles?” – they don’t believe international law should stand in the way.
Today Morris outlines why this logic is not only flawed, but dangerous.
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Justin Bergman
International Affairs Editor
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Tamer Morris, University of Sydney
Once the narrative of a 'just war' replaces the rule of law, there is little left to restrain powerful states from dominating weaker ones.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The Nationals have chosen a hard-line leader for their existential battle against One Nation.
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Yee-Fui Ng, Monash University
The Robodebt saga has highlighted serious concerns about corruption, as well as about the body charged with stamping it out.
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Melissa Phillips, Western Sydney University
Why have authorities bent over backwards to help some people stay in Australia, while banning others from entering?
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Jacob Keech, Griffith University; Karina Rune, University of the Sunshine Coast
Mass panic buying creates new problems for everyone that otherwise wouldn’t exist. To get people to stop, we need to give them a smarter message.
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Jim Tognolini, University of Sydney
Whenever a major test suffers a glitch, questions are immediately asked about a return to pens and paper.
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Alexander Larcombe, The Kids Research Institute Australia; Curtin University; Philip Bierwirth, Australian National University
If recent trends continue, the atmosphere may become a little toxic to breathe in 50 years.
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Mike Calver, Murdoch University; Heather M. Crawford, Murdoch University; Trish Fleming, Murdoch University
It’s not just wildlife that gets killed. Cats come off worse in road traffic accidents and fights when they roam.
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Adrian Raymond Walker, UNSW Sydney; Claire Vajdic, UNSW Sydney
A new study looked at cancer rates in 417,984 women who’d had fertility treatment and compared them to cancer in the general population of women.
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Politics + Society
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Anna Marie Brennan, University of Waikato
A new treaty on military space operations is highly unlikely, leaving private companies and militaries to define the boundaries of acceptable conduct in war.
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Health + Medicine
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Sophie Andrews, University of the Sunshine Coast
Your mind goes blank in the supermarket. What was it you meant to buy? Here’s what’s going on in your brain and when you need to see your GP.
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Mike Armour, Western Sydney University
Period pain can be crippling, but could exercise help relieve it? A reproductive health expert explains.
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Business + Economy
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Jason Harris, University of Sydney
The head of the corporate watchdog says this court case ‘will be studied by directors, executive management and their advisers for years to come’. Here’s why.
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Natasha Hamilton-Hart, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
When organisations go big on rules, they can create red tape instead of accountability. Giving more authority to decision-makers offers a smarter approach.
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Environment + Energy
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Hussein Dia, Swinburne University of Technology
Diesel powers most freight trucks. As oil prices spike, electric trucks are looking more attractive – if upfront cost and charging barriers can be overcome.
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Science + Technology
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John Cook, The University of Melbourne; Alex Farnsworth, University of Bristol; Dan Lunt, University of Bristol; Dann Mitchell, University of Bristol
It’s a seemingly whimsical exercise, but it serves serious purposes.
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Cristina Luz Wilkins, University of New England; Amy Lykins, University of New England; Cathrynne Henshall, Charles Sturt University; Melanie Fillios, University of New England; Paul McGreevy, University of Sydney
It could help ensure the animals in our care are living their best lives.
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Arts + Culture
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Ari Mattes, University of Notre Dame Australia
Are people once again hankering for a quality cinematic experience? The 2026 nominees suggest so.
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Books + Ideas
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Roanna Gonsalves, UNSW Sydney
In an extract from The Library That Made Me, novelist Roanna Gonsalves reflects on the aspiration, pleasure and survival of shared knowledge.
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Michelle Hamadache, Macquarie University
The flaw of child heroes is their vulnerability, their trust in the adults in their lives, their tendency to look to them for guidance.
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Protection abroad
“One of the reasons given as to why Australia is sending defensive military assistance to the UAE is to protect the Australians who are in that country from Iranian bombardment. This is to be commended. However, Australia's stand on this 'humanitarian' intervention should also be extended to protecting Australians in South Lebanon and Gaza who are also being bombed and are under military attacks. One wonders whether there are different categories of Australians when it comes to protecting Australian lives.”
Ranjan Yagoda
Reforming the UN
“The conflict in the Middle East has highlighted the urgent need for a review of the regulation of international conflict. We need new internationally agreed laws on what constitutes a legal act of aggression. And a rule that a declaration of war requires a majority (or super majority) vote of the General Assembly. And it’s time to reform the United Nations, starting with a demand that the founding members relinquish their veto power on the Security Council.”
Laurie Patton
Australia first?
“Matt Canavan puts his foot in it in announcing his candidacy as leader of the Nationals, when he says he has 'the best chance to help win the battle for an Australia first plan'. Notwithstanding the rise of right-wing populism in Australia and around the world, he apparently doesn't realise that any association with Donald Trump is toxic.”
Charles Wolfson, Raleigh, NSW
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