As Japan, New Zealand and the Philippines all move closer to US-led military architecture in the Asia-Pacific region, experts warn of the consequences.
Out of the blue (or not) Luxon signs a defense agreement with Philippines: https://youtu.be/NiiGDu2euJY?si=XO9NZucSjzaBnSfh . Anyone see a script unfolding ?AUKUS2 or not …momentum strong . What mandate from the NZ public?
If New Zealand plays any role in threatening key shipping lanes China depends on in the South China Sea, as Robert Patman points out, Luxon's core farming constituency, as well as the already-battered New Zealand economy, may face serious consequences. This pacts go against the national interest. The government is in the back pocket of powerful financial interests, at home and abroad, but they are also geopolitically uninformed and generally incompetent. Fraught situation.
Some people say: If you have never lost your freedom, you will not know how precious it is. I am seventy-eight years old. I have experienced the suffering of hell on earth and lived in the darkness without democracy and freedom for decades. During this period, tens of millions of our compatriots lost their lives. Witnessed too much horror and death. So I love New Zealand deeply and sincerely wish the kind-hearted New Zealanders! Say no to anything that might hurt her
News: "New Zealand has voted in favour of a resolution to broaden the Palestinian role at the United Nations General Assembly" (Those in favour included three of New Zealand's four "traditional allies", namely the UK, Australia and Canada).
"New Zealand was among 143 countries that supported the resolution - nine, including the US, voted against" (Those against being the US, Israel, Czechia, Hungary, Papua New Guinea and four Pacific micro-states).
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said that "This was a finely balanced decision by New Zealand.."
That is a truly extraordinary statement. It signals that while New Zealand seemed to be acting in accordance with the vast mass of world opinion, the tenets of political morality and respect for basic human rights, it was not that simple. The Realm of New Zealand teetered between doing the only morally admissible thing and cowering before the power of its criminal overlord. The fact that it came down on the right side is, as Peters portrays it, almost a matter of chance and that can give us no confidence that future decisions will reflect the basic moral principles recognised, if not necessarily practiced, by more than nine tenths of the world's states.
Second correction: Australia voted in favour, but Canada and the UK abstained. This information came from Al Jazeera, which is generally more informed and reliable than the New Zealand media.
Correction: I omitted Argentina of President Javier Milei from the list of those countries voting against the resolution (which actually falls short of giving Palestine the full membership of the UN to which it is entitled).
Today’s world is either on the side of China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran, or on the side of democratic countries such as Europe, the United States, and Australia. The so-called neutrality and independence are empty and unfeasible. New Zealand's values determine which side New Zealand is on. The Chinese ambassador opposes New Zealand joining aukus, why should we listen to him? New Zealand has opposed many things before, but China listened to us once.
The United States may have made many mistakes, but it is not the devil. The real devil is the biggest threat to liberal democracy. Never be friends.
Talk about liberal values, democracy, human rights, a 'rules-based' order to Palestinians and see if they agree with you. Or anyone in the Global South. They will laugh with contempt. . What we have in the West is inverted totalitarianism, as Sheldon Wolin termed it, and an ideological mask that covered it slipping continuously. Putting forward the idea of autocracy versus democracy as a justification to align with military blocs is another weak ideological justification for pursuing US primacy, a path of chaos and destruction.
Jiarui Sun wrote "The so-called neutrality and independence are empty and unfeasible". No attempt is made to justify this statement, arguably because it is simply unjustifiable. We are talking about Aotearoa here, a nation for which neutrality and independence are the only sane policy. Neutrality and independence (the two necessarily go together in our case) are the only way in which we can avoid contributing to and suffering from the global catastrophe which the Realm of New Zealand's "traditional allies" seem determined to inflict upon the world. And we don't need to be lectured on the subject of "liberal democracy". The democracy which we enjoy in our marae based institutions is far superior to anything that can be delivered by Westminster or Washington.
We can talk freely here about whether independence or neutrality is appropriate. This fact, the existence of an open space for public opinion, is itself a human right bestowed upon us by liberal democracy. This is not preaching, this is defending our rights and the rights of our children.
Geographically New Zealand is an isolated island. However, a country is not an island in international politics and has complex relationships with the outside world. Keeping distance from any country is a good idea but divorced from reality.
Tomorrow is New Zealand Army Corps Day, and in the dawn bugles of the North and South Islands, the souls of those who died in battle are reminding us how history got to where we are today.
We only have an "open space here for public opinion" because Mick Hall has provided it to us. His previous employer, the state owned broadcaster RNZ, would allow no such freedom, and in fact severely punished Mick for his own balanced, truthful and accurate reporting.
Yesterday was not New Zealand Army Corps Day, it was Anzac Day, or Australian and New Zealand Army Corps Day, and as it happens yesterday morning I was in the neighbouring town of Coromandel where I was arrested and taken away in handcuffs by the New Zealand Police for silently holding up signs on which were written "LEST WE FORGET GAZA" and "REMEMBER SURAFEND". The alleged charge was "disturbing the peace", yet there had been no disturbance before police arrived, and there was no disturbance following their arrival if one discounts the actual arrest, to which I offered no resistance. People of the town had thanked me for taking a stand. A returned soldier had commended me on my "bravery". After I was arrested a local woman took my signs and laid them at the foot of the soldiers' memorial in Coromandel, where they remained undisturbed until I was released by police later in the morning. The police had to release me because there was no case in law for arresting me in the first place. I believe that the arrest was carried out for purely political reasons in pursuance of the Luxon government's burgeoning efforts to stifle the public backlash against the Gaza genocide. In response to this attempt at political intimidation, I will not be going away. In fact, over the next few weeks I will be stepping up my campaign against Mr Luxon's genocidal narco-state in Coromandel and nearby centres. "Those who died so that we might be free" would have been appalled by yesterday's incident (photos of which I believe are now being circulated on Instagram by Coromandel locals), and the least we can do in their honour is prevent Mr Luxon from turning New Zealand into a thorough-going police state.
Out of the blue (or not) Luxon signs a defense agreement with Philippines: https://youtu.be/NiiGDu2euJY?si=XO9NZucSjzaBnSfh . Anyone see a script unfolding ?AUKUS2 or not …momentum strong . What mandate from the NZ public?
If New Zealand plays any role in threatening key shipping lanes China depends on in the South China Sea, as Robert Patman points out, Luxon's core farming constituency, as well as the already-battered New Zealand economy, may face serious consequences. This pacts go against the national interest. The government is in the back pocket of powerful financial interests, at home and abroad, but they are also geopolitically uninformed and generally incompetent. Fraught situation.
Geopolitical commentary Australian style : Bob Carr on AUKUS II https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkxfpths1h8J3kMaUvpFlcUu_8UCXXRPYQQ?si=U_BtdoKd0sdir7fs
Some people say: If you have never lost your freedom, you will not know how precious it is. I am seventy-eight years old. I have experienced the suffering of hell on earth and lived in the darkness without democracy and freedom for decades. During this period, tens of millions of our compatriots lost their lives. Witnessed too much horror and death. So I love New Zealand deeply and sincerely wish the kind-hearted New Zealanders! Say no to anything that might hurt her
News: "New Zealand has voted in favour of a resolution to broaden the Palestinian role at the United Nations General Assembly" (Those in favour included three of New Zealand's four "traditional allies", namely the UK, Australia and Canada).
"New Zealand was among 143 countries that supported the resolution - nine, including the US, voted against" (Those against being the US, Israel, Czechia, Hungary, Papua New Guinea and four Pacific micro-states).
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said that "This was a finely balanced decision by New Zealand.."
That is a truly extraordinary statement. It signals that while New Zealand seemed to be acting in accordance with the vast mass of world opinion, the tenets of political morality and respect for basic human rights, it was not that simple. The Realm of New Zealand teetered between doing the only morally admissible thing and cowering before the power of its criminal overlord. The fact that it came down on the right side is, as Peters portrays it, almost a matter of chance and that can give us no confidence that future decisions will reflect the basic moral principles recognised, if not necessarily practiced, by more than nine tenths of the world's states.
Second correction: Australia voted in favour, but Canada and the UK abstained. This information came from Al Jazeera, which is generally more informed and reliable than the New Zealand media.
Correction: I omitted Argentina of President Javier Milei from the list of those countries voting against the resolution (which actually falls short of giving Palestine the full membership of the UN to which it is entitled).
Today’s world is either on the side of China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran, or on the side of democratic countries such as Europe, the United States, and Australia. The so-called neutrality and independence are empty and unfeasible. New Zealand's values determine which side New Zealand is on. The Chinese ambassador opposes New Zealand joining aukus, why should we listen to him? New Zealand has opposed many things before, but China listened to us once.
The United States may have made many mistakes, but it is not the devil. The real devil is the biggest threat to liberal democracy. Never be friends.
Talk about liberal values, democracy, human rights, a 'rules-based' order to Palestinians and see if they agree with you. Or anyone in the Global South. They will laugh with contempt. . What we have in the West is inverted totalitarianism, as Sheldon Wolin termed it, and an ideological mask that covered it slipping continuously. Putting forward the idea of autocracy versus democracy as a justification to align with military blocs is another weak ideological justification for pursuing US primacy, a path of chaos and destruction.
Jiarui Sun wrote "The so-called neutrality and independence are empty and unfeasible". No attempt is made to justify this statement, arguably because it is simply unjustifiable. We are talking about Aotearoa here, a nation for which neutrality and independence are the only sane policy. Neutrality and independence (the two necessarily go together in our case) are the only way in which we can avoid contributing to and suffering from the global catastrophe which the Realm of New Zealand's "traditional allies" seem determined to inflict upon the world. And we don't need to be lectured on the subject of "liberal democracy". The democracy which we enjoy in our marae based institutions is far superior to anything that can be delivered by Westminster or Washington.
We can talk freely here about whether independence or neutrality is appropriate. This fact, the existence of an open space for public opinion, is itself a human right bestowed upon us by liberal democracy. This is not preaching, this is defending our rights and the rights of our children.
Geographically New Zealand is an isolated island. However, a country is not an island in international politics and has complex relationships with the outside world. Keeping distance from any country is a good idea but divorced from reality.
Tomorrow is New Zealand Army Corps Day, and in the dawn bugles of the North and South Islands, the souls of those who died in battle are reminding us how history got to where we are today.
We only have an "open space here for public opinion" because Mick Hall has provided it to us. His previous employer, the state owned broadcaster RNZ, would allow no such freedom, and in fact severely punished Mick for his own balanced, truthful and accurate reporting.
Yesterday was not New Zealand Army Corps Day, it was Anzac Day, or Australian and New Zealand Army Corps Day, and as it happens yesterday morning I was in the neighbouring town of Coromandel where I was arrested and taken away in handcuffs by the New Zealand Police for silently holding up signs on which were written "LEST WE FORGET GAZA" and "REMEMBER SURAFEND". The alleged charge was "disturbing the peace", yet there had been no disturbance before police arrived, and there was no disturbance following their arrival if one discounts the actual arrest, to which I offered no resistance. People of the town had thanked me for taking a stand. A returned soldier had commended me on my "bravery". After I was arrested a local woman took my signs and laid them at the foot of the soldiers' memorial in Coromandel, where they remained undisturbed until I was released by police later in the morning. The police had to release me because there was no case in law for arresting me in the first place. I believe that the arrest was carried out for purely political reasons in pursuance of the Luxon government's burgeoning efforts to stifle the public backlash against the Gaza genocide. In response to this attempt at political intimidation, I will not be going away. In fact, over the next few weeks I will be stepping up my campaign against Mr Luxon's genocidal narco-state in Coromandel and nearby centres. "Those who died so that we might be free" would have been appalled by yesterday's incident (photos of which I believe are now being circulated on Instagram by Coromandel locals), and the least we can do in their honour is prevent Mr Luxon from turning New Zealand into a thorough-going police state.