Oct 18, 2023 | Featured, Politics & Society
Azerbaijan has attacked the indigenous Armenian people in an area known internationally as Nagorno-Karabakh, forcing them to flee from their ancestral homelands. Over hundred thousand have fled the region they know as Artsakh. Why has the international community...
Oct 16, 2023 | Featured, Politics & Society
Words by Stephen Hoadley Photo by Craig Manners on Unsplash What does Hamas hope to achieve by attacking Israel? Stephen Hoadley looks at which actors stand to gain most, and lose most, from the conflict. Hamas’ invasion of Israel is likely to be viewed with anger by...
Jun 14, 2023 | Featured, Politics & Society
Words by Christine McCarthy, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Photo by Brands&People on Unsplash It is hard to find much joy in the Prison Inspectorate’s report on segregation and cell confinement released today. It finds many prisoners...
May 10, 2023 | Featured, Politics & Society
Feature Photo by Random Institute on Unsplash Story by Jeremy Morris How has Russia changed, more than a year after its invasion of Ukraine? Has it become a fascist state with soldiers in the classroom, and people afraid to express the slightest doubts about the war?...
Apr 24, 2023 | Featured, Politics & Society
Trenches From The First World War In Belgium. Craftnighter / Wikimedia Commons Jeffrey McNeill, Massey University It was observed […] that the English had slain wounded and captured German prisoners. So reads a disturbing war diary entry of the Bavarian 18th Regiment...
Feb 28, 2022 | Politics & Society
A land war has returned to Europe. This week, Russia attacked Ukraine. What are the causes of the conflict? What are the motivations of the actors? Could this war have been avoided? Doug Becker speaks with Anna Ohanyan, Robert English, and Serhiy Kudelia. Anna Ohanyan...
Feb 24, 2022 | Politics & Society
By Steve Hoadley The recognition by President Putin of the Donetsk and Luhansk ‘Peoples Republics’ on 21 February is his latest initiative to expand Russia’s influence. Will he prevail? Will he pause or push further? History is rich with examples of ‘irredentism’,...
Feb 23, 2022 | Politics & Society
By Greg Yudin A view from Russia: no sanctions will stop Moscow, and its actions will drive more countries into NATO’s arms. In the near future, a big war will begin – a war that we have not seen in the lifetime of my generation, and perhaps the previous...
Feb 22, 2022 | Politics & Society
Military coups have increased over the last year and a half. What is driving this challenge to democracy? How concerned should we be? Regional organisations and powerful states have sometimes played important roles in averting takeovers by military coups. How...
Feb 2, 2022 | Politics & Society
The ongoing civil war in Yemen risks an escalation with drone strikes launched by the Houthi against the United Arab Emirates. This is apparently in retaliation against the increased military campaign against the Houthis led by the Saudis and the UAE. The Houthi...