World got more problems than beach has sand:

Posted 10:26am Saturday 24th September 2016 by George Elliott

Every now and then an event comes along that’s so existentially pressing, so apocalyptically spectacular that it requires the finest minds in New York traffic-jamology. Manhattan hosted the jam of jams last week as leaders and dignitaries made their way to the 71st United Nations summit, the Read more...

N. Korea nuclear ambitions: This time’s different & no one knows what to do

Posted 10:55am Saturday 17th September 2016 by George Elliott

On the September 9, North Korea conducted its biggest test of a nuclear weapon to date. The yield of the nuclear device is estimated at around 20 to 30 kilotons of TNT, more than ten times the size of the country’s first test in 2006, raising fears and prompting calls for fresh diplomacy with Read more...

NZ First’s time to shine in an age of populism?

Posted 10:48am Saturday 10th September 2016 by George Elliott

Order is crumbling. The democratic world is in disarray. Neoliberal capitalism, academia’s Marxist identity politics, immigrants, the expert elite - they’re all dragging us into an abyss. Only the toughest ‘anti-politician’ politician will rise to lead us in our anger, our Read more...

Hong Kong’s revolution alive & well

Posted 10:51am Saturday 10th September 2016 by George Elliott

For about 80 days in late 2014, hundreds of thousands of mostly young Hong Kongers took to the streets in an unprecedented act of protest against China’s rule over the semiautonomous territory and the increasing detrimental effects of late capitalism. The student-led occupation of streets Read more...

Eggs benedict and our humanitarian myth

Posted 10:32am Sunday 4th September 2016 by George Elliott

At New York’s Turtle Bay, where the United Nations building stands, there’s a breakfast club for Security Council diplomats to meet and start the day with a meal and a chat. It has become quite a tradition, and it is all thanks to New Zealand. The bringing together of some of the most Read more...

Somalia: Hope after 25 years of bloodshed

Posted 10:37am Sunday 4th September 2016 by George Elliott

While most people’s knowledge of Somalia might come from the 2001 blockbuster Blackhawk Down or occasional horrific news stories popping up, there has been some recent optimism that the state could pull itself out of its long running civil war in time for the 2016 elections. Sadly, this Read more...

National’s Lost Luggage Bill ­— a worthless, cynical attempt to waste everyone’s time

Posted 10:47am Sunday 21st August 2016 by Joel MacManus

National MP Nuk Korako has proposed an entirely ineffective and meaningless Bill in parliament that will do absolutely nothing, is not necessary, and appears to be a deliberate attempt by the government to stall the democratic process. It has resulted in criticism across the board, government Read more...

NZ Politics in review

Posted 10:50am Sunday 21st August 2016 by George Elliott

Parliament’s back for its August session, with new spy legislation set to be introduced by the government. Elsewhere, a new poll shows an increase for the opposition and Labour leader Andrew Little has floated the idea of wiping student loans—with a catch! Following up on Read more...

It’s not looking good for Aunty Helen, according to leaked UN Security Coucil straw poll

Posted 2:36pm Monday 15th August 2016 by George Elliott

Despite a worldwide media campaign, a celebrated televised debate performance and a refreshing message, Helen Clark’s bid for the United Nation’s top job could be coming to an end. Clark is in seventh place, according to the results of an informal straw poll conducted by the Security Read more...

Have you heard of a feminist foreign policy? Sweden has

Posted 11:20am Sunday 7th August 2016 by George Elliott

In the aftermath of the Cold War, a feminist approach to international relations became popular among some academic circles. Two of the movements founding scholars, Cynthia Enloe and Carol Cohn , proposed using a critical "feminist consciousness" when examining how countries do business Read more...