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…
July 13, 2013

Fulfilling the promise of new technology unencumbered by security agendas

New Zealand is seen by otherwise friendly nations, including China and others in Latin America and Europe, to be collaborating in a network that spies extensively on them. New Zealand needs to be in a position to communicate comfortably and sustain good diplomatic and trade connections with both...
April 15, 2013

Working constructively with China, the United States and North Korea? Open Letter to New Zealand Prime Minister John Key

Will New Zealand assist Korean crisis diplomacy and create a new win-win international trade model?
April 12, 2013

How New Zealand can help prevent Korean war

New Zealand’s traditional paradigm of military alignments and war-fighting with its roots in its colonial Anglo Saxon past does not provide the map Prime Minister John Key needs to address the Korean crisis constructively. His predecessor Helen Clarke’s nuclear-free diplomacy did. John Key's Foreign Minister McCully seems to understand what is needed.
February 2, 2013

Ladder Award to Chandran Nair for exposing the folly of encouraging a billion Asians to consume like Americans…

If we agree there will be planetary constraints if Asia's consuming class doubles in size, what will ...? What could ...?
March 8, 2012

“It takes a village to raise a child” – OK, but where’s the village?

… calls are made for village, or community to look after all kinds of vulnerable people. Unfortunately little is said about the kind of village that could do this and do it well
December 31, 2011

From US-Iran problems to a new, local-global solutions paradigm

New Zealand diplomats with nuclear-free peacemaking credentials based already in Tehran, Washington, London, and Europe could right now begin...
November 17, 2011

Threatened Israeli Airstrike on Iran: NZ Nuclear-free Liaison Proposed

At President Obama’s Washington Nuclear Summit New Zealand's Prime minister John Key offered "New Zealand leadership on the nuclear issue."
December 29, 2010

Ladder Award proposed for Murray McCully – driving-force behind nuclear-free consensus

WikiLeaks documents confirm that New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully was a driving force in cementing in New Zealand’s nuclear-free policy
December 23, 2010

Village connections to turn around difficult times and make the most of good times

She said she had noticed I was rather intense and uptight and thought – for my own good and the good of others – I should aim to be calm and laid back like the Non Violent Communication (NVC) specialist Marshall Rosenberg
December 6, 2010

New Zealand should help cool Korean and United States heads

I think the right starting point is Foreign Minister McCully’s call for “cool heads” to prevent escalation....I invite him to consider how this can be translated into practice, and to examine carefully the Chinese spokesperson’s statement…