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.
Written By: - Date published: 5:34 pm, October 2nd, 2025 - 60 comments
The United States Department of Defense has been renamed as the Department of War. Nobody can be under any illusions anymore. More war is coming.
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.
Written By: - Date published: 4:45 pm, June 25th, 2025 - 22 comments
Winston Peters’ Ministerial statement in Parliament yesterday was a disgrace. Echoing other FiveEyes leaders such as Keir Starmer, unable to distinguish evil from good, he accused those who can of “moral posturing.”
Written By: - Date published: 3:30 pm, June 23rd, 2025 - 8 comments
Snap action outside Ministry of Defence tomorrow 24th 1230. All welcome
Written By: - Date published: 1:35 pm, June 23rd, 2025 - 67 comments
The major problem with the political model of a Republic, from Greek and Roman times to the present, is that eventually they invariably deteriorate into an imperial mess and war mongering. for purely domestic personal and political reasons. Which is exactly what Donald Trump did yesterday.
Written By: - Date published: 9:28 pm, June 19th, 2025 - 16 comments
The leak appeared in the Cook Islands media, not New Zealand’s. On the day before Christopher Luxon was due to meet Xi Jinping. One has to ask “cui bono?”
Written By: - Date published: 4:18 am, April 15th, 2024 - 15 comments
Israel should not have bombed the Iranian consulate buildings in Damascus. Iran should not have fired 300 missiles at Israel in response. Neither of these actions should have happened, but they now have. The world now watches to see if there is further retaliation and escalation of violence, or if calmer and wiser heads prevail.
Written By: - Date published: 10:13 am, December 3rd, 2023 - 28 comments
The new National coalition cares little about defence. Defence is surprisingly a large and under-appreciated strength for Labour.
Written By: - Date published: 5:51 am, August 27th, 2023 - 25 comments
Belief in capricious gods would explain the perplexing habit of governments with intelligent and informed people to embrace policies which are manifestly an example of self-destructive stupidity. Clever people doing stupid things.
Written By: - Date published: 8:45 pm, June 5th, 2023 - 34 comments
Gerald Hensley was David Lange’s chief of staff when New Zealand’s nuclear free policy was adopted. He opposed what happened then and opposes it still. He now argues we should prepare for war with China.
Written By: - Date published: 4:57 pm, March 13th, 2023 - 14 comments
Veteran Indian diplomat MK Bhadrakumar describes the resumption of diplomatic relations between Shi’ite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia brokered by China as a “Suez moment” in the history of the Middle East. Peace in Yemen is only one of the possible benefits.
Written By: - Date published: 4:32 pm, March 20th, 2022 - 194 comments
New Zealand’s sanctions on Russia have not stopped the war in Ukraine. They may have made our parliamentarians feel better, and Tony Blinken was quick to congratulate us on falling into line with the US “high-impact sanctions.” The language is combative, but the evidence shows sanctions do not work. They can have significant blow-back effects, particularly if not combined with effective diplomacy.
Written By: - Date published: 4:44 pm, February 7th, 2022 - 31 comments
The meeting between Putin and Xi Jinping is likely to set the geopolitical direction for the 21st century. If ‘divide and rule’ was the mantra for the US’s hegemonic rule in the 20th century, ‘unite and share’ looks like setting the tone for the 21st. Co-operation rather than competition is the mantra, and “friendship between the two states has no limits.” A truly remarkable turnaround.
Written By: - Date published: 2:54 pm, January 16th, 2022 - 17 comments
Russian peacekeepers are already leaving Kazakhstan having nipped the ‘colour revolution’ in the bud. Blinken clearly didn’t have a clue when he said Russians never leave the house. Russian intelligence was superb. Now we wait for Russia’s response to US likely refusal to pull back from its borders. One thing I’d bet on – no invasion of Ukraine.
Written By: - Date published: 10:39 am, August 31st, 2021 - 76 comments
With the last flights coming out of Kabul, it’s time to review whether this US attitude to the world is a good idea.
Written By: - Date published: 10:25 pm, April 20th, 2021 - 19 comments
Following her speech to the NZ China Council, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta wanted to be very clear that in speaking out about issues with other countries, New Zealand would not be doing it in concert with Five Eyes partners. She expressed a view that New Zealand did not agree with Five Eyes remit encroaching beyond intelligence, and that this had been communicated to Five Eyes partners. Good.
Written By: - Date published: 12:27 pm, January 22nd, 2020 - 21 comments
Join people from across the globe for this international day of action to show our opposition to any new US war on the people of Iran or Iraq. Our message is simple: * No war on Iran * No war on Iraq * Troops out. More information on Facebook here.
Written By: - Date published: 2:11 pm, January 8th, 2020 - 174 comments
There are reports of two US bases being hit by missiles launched from within Iran and it is being reported that Iran’s air force is in the air.
Written By: - Date published: 2:04 am, January 8th, 2020 - 11 comments
Originally posted on Nick Kelly’s blog
Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, January 7th, 2020 - 36 comments
What if the American assassination of General Soleimani results in the complete withdrawal of US troops from the Middle East?
Written By: - Date published: 2:21 pm, January 6th, 2020 - 76 comments
General Soleimani was visiting Iraq at the request of the Iraqi Prime Minister to discuss mediation between the US and Iran. Following his assassination by the US the Iraqi Parliament has voted to ask all foreign troops to leave the country. New Zealand’s remaining troops should bring forward their scheduled departure and leave immediately.
Written By: - Date published: 10:28 pm, January 3rd, 2020 - 104 comments
President Trump personally ordered the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite military Quds force. He was killed by rockets fired from US drones over Baghdad Airport. This is unlawful by any standards, as well as an act of war. Iran has promised retaliation.The doomsday clock just moved closer to midnight.
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, September 11th, 2019 - 26 comments
This has been rumoured for some time now. It’s good news – peace now has a chance, as Trump has woken up to the fact that a shooting war would not be good for his re-election. Also Bolton’s hard-line strategy was failing everywhere.
Written By: - Date published: 4:43 pm, August 27th, 2019 - 9 comments
US’s recent test of an intermediate range missile shows that the reasons given for its withdrawal from the INF treaty were spurious. It also shows up the gullibility of our MFAT, who voted against a Russian proposal for dialogue late last year in the UN on the grounds that it was a “sidestep.”
Written By: - Date published: 2:57 am, July 21st, 2019 - 25 comments
Hamish Rutherfurd writes that Winston Peters’ trip to the US to secure a trade deal is far-fetched and a waste of time. I agree. But if Peters has his agenda, so will Mike Pompeo, Mike Pence, John Bolton and Dan Coats have theirs. He was scheduled to meet them all. No wonder the 9th floor are worried.
Written By: - Date published: 8:44 am, July 20th, 2019 - 49 comments
With the seizing of an oil tanker by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz today as a presumably tit-for-tat escalation for British seizing an Iranian ship, and the U.S. Navy harassing their coastline, we are in for a senseless and dangerous political escalation.
Written By: - Date published: 10:18 am, June 23rd, 2019 - 57 comments
In a week where Donald Trump almost starts war against Iran, gets accused again of sexual assault, and has his ICE staff deny toothpaste, soap and blankets to kids in detention and Boris Johnson gets accused of domestic violence the local right loose it when Jacinda Ardern makes a cake.
Written By: - Date published: 12:49 pm, May 16th, 2019 - 30 comments
The Germans and the Dutch have suspended training Iraqi soldiers citing increased tensions in the area. What do they know that Ron Mark doesn’t? Cabinet is due to make a decision shortly on our long-planned decision to withdraw, and he seems to want us to stay. Labour’s policy at the election was to withdraw, it should prevail.
Written By: - Date published: 5:05 pm, February 3rd, 2019 - 56 comments
Polymath economist Professor Michael Hudson’s latest article is a geopolitical panoramic masterpiece, sparked by outrage at a series of concurrent events on January 31 which he predicts means that 2019 will be the “year of global fracture.” Definitely worth a read.
Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, November 22nd, 2018 - 96 comments
Actual press release from the Trump White House.
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