September 20, 2018

An International Brokering Platform For A “Wellington Diplomatic Village”

An Open Letter to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern By the Antipodean Blogger (Photo source: Wairarapa Times Age) Dear Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Very shortly you will […]
March 18, 2018

Expelling Russian Diplomats or Being “Staunchly Nuclear-Free”?

Graphic: Map of 94 local authority declared nuclear-free zones, 1984) Blog by the Antipodean Blogger Will NZ follow Britain & expel Russian diplomats? New Zealand’s Prime […]
July 17, 2017

Korean Nuclear Standoff in the Context of International Rivalries – How Nuclear-Free New Zealand Could Help Out

By John Gallagher (with input also by Dennis Small)   Prefaratory note, 17-7-17 This blog describes the ongoing Korean crisis in the context of fraught wider […]
March 3, 2016

North Korean Nuclear Tests – NZ Peace Foundation Letter to the NZ Foreign Minister

... any condemnatory or punitive actions against North Korea should be accompanied by constructive actions to reduce hostilities, build peace and lower the role of nuclear weapons within the region.
May 18, 2015

From the 2016 New Zealand Defence White Paper to a New Wellington Declaration?

New Zealand’s military re-alignment with the United States opens us to expectations that we would support the United States should major disputes or armed conflict build up between it and China (our biggest trading partner).
November 18, 2014

Cosmopolitan Public Conversations to Support Security Council re ISIS +?

“Diplomacy always has an important role to play if you ultimately want to find long-term solutions..." (Prime Minister John Key on Security Council role). Given the formidable list of difficult issues and recent cuts to ministry staff, how can the pool of expertise be extended?
October 24, 2014

NZ as Security Council Honest Broker – With (Convivial) Diplomatic Village Support

"How did New Zealand win 145 out of 193 votes for a UN Security Council seat? How can it network to make the most of the opportunity, even to create a permanent legacy?"
October 5, 2014

Cold War 5-Eyes Node or Global Broker? – NZ after Snowden

The Five Eyes electronic network co-opts members to support NSA-spying on citizens and governments everywhere. New Zealand could do much better by everyone in a globally-networked world by….
March 15, 2014

Using technology to connect well in an interconnected world

In the last 10 years, the number of students learning the Chinese language in New Zealand universities has halved according to Massey Chinese language lecturer Rosemary Haddon. Does this matter?
February 26, 2014

Making Wellington a diplomatic village for the Asia Pacific region – and beyond?

In the light of some difficulties Australia been experiencing in relation to Indonesia and China, I was moved to write to the Australian and New Zealand prime ministers about some ways forward.
December 5, 2013

Fears China Diaoyu/Japan Senkaku Stand-off could lead to World War 3

At worst, the Diaoyu-Senkaku crisis could easily spiral into a (nuclear) World War 3 according to "highly credible" senior diplomats and military planners, including from the United States…
September 18, 2013

The goose that lays the golden eggs: recognising and looking after the gift that keeps on giving

One way of thinking about VAP is as community goose that creates endless golden eggs. What do I mean?