The Standard

Author Archive

Iran in the vortex – what’s really going on?

Written By: - Date published: 9:27 pm, January 16th, 2026 - 26 comments

To understand what’s going on in Iran, abandon what the Persians invented centuries ago: Manichaeism, black-and-white, political framing.

Pirates of the Caribbean and the Indo-Pacific. The White House National Security Strategy. 

Written By: - Date published: 2:06 pm, December 19th, 2025 - 18 comments

the US administration stresses that countries like Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan will need to militarise as never before in peacetime to keep China in its place. 

Atlas Shrugged. Part One: Trump’s Security Strategy blows up the American world order.

Written By: - Date published: 8:27 pm, December 12th, 2025 - 25 comments

“The days of the United States propping up the entire world order like Atlas are over.” White House National Security Strategy, 2025

God bless these troublesome priests

Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, September 16th, 2025 - 11 comments

All over the world more people are taking direct action because governments fail their obligations under the Genocide Convention.

The infantilisation of Western Grand Strategy – and the rise of Eurasia.

Written By: - Date published: 5:11 pm, September 13th, 2025 - 23 comments

The greatest threat Russia poses to Europe is not that it marches west but that it turns its back and builds a brighter future to the east. We may be witnessing the emergence of a Eurasian World Order.

The Rainbow Warrior 1985-2025.  Part 2: Nuclear refugees in the Pacific: the evacuation of Rongelap

Written By: - Date published: 4:30 pm, July 10th, 2025 - 1 comment

On its last voyage the Rainbow Warrior evacuated the entire population of Rongelap. Cancers, birth defects, and genetic damage had ripped through the population after US above-ground nuclear explosions.

The Rainbow Warrior 1985-2025.  Part 1: French State Terrorism and the end of innocence. 

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, July 6th, 2025 - 41 comments

Immediately after blowing up the Rainbow Warrior the French agents went on a ski holiday in the South Island to celebrate.  Such was the contempt they had for Kiwis and our police.  How wrong they were.

Why Asia-Pacific should back Iran

Written By: - Date published: 4:41 pm, June 30th, 2025 - 24 comments

Ceasefire will only be a pause in the long-running US-Israeli campaign for regime change in Iran. The good news for our region is that Iran’s resilience pushes back the looming risk of a US-led war on China.

The West’s war on Iran

Written By: - Date published: 10:13 pm, June 14th, 2025 - 174 comments

I have visited Iran twice.  I loved my time in Iran and found wonderful, cultured and kind people.When I heard the news of Israel’s attack on Iran I was apoplectic with rage and disgust.

Writing in the time of Genocide

Written By: - Date published: 11:09 am, June 2nd, 2025 - 29 comments

I want to share a writer’s journey – of living and writing through the Genocide.  Because my country provides support to Israel and the US, I feel compelled to support Palestine by doing the one thing I know best: writing.  

The Fall of Saigon 1975. Fifty years of repeating what was forgotten.

Written By: - Date published: 10:28 am, April 23rd, 2025 - 41 comments

“The only lesson we learn from history is that we do not learn the lessons of history.”  It’s about time we changed that.