Gordon Campbell on Ukraine virtue signalling, and our inflation spike
Inflation at 6.9% is a bad sign of the rising cost of living, and hidden within the headline numbers are some even grislier figures. As […]
Russia
Gordon Campbell on our feeble contribution to Russian sanctions
As the evidence of Russian atrocities in Ukraine mounts up, the West’s rhetoric has tried to keep up with the pace. Is Putin a war […]
Gordon Campbell on how, and whether the Ukraine war might end
It is pretty safe to assume that the Kremlin did not expect Ukraine’s resistance to be as strong and effective as it has been. It […]
Gordon Campbell on the peace flotilla and the oligarch
As the peace flotilla converges on the Northland luxury resort owned by Russian steel magnate Alexander Abramov, the government is putting in place the full […]
Gordon Campbell on the flaws in the Ukraine sanctions response
The Achilles heel in the West’s punitive sanctions against Russia has always been pretty obvious. Russia may be highly dependent on its oil and natural […]
Gordon Campbell on the impotence of onlookers
Against its will, the world has become conditioned to driving by acts of genocide and peering at them through the window with alarm – before […]
Gordon Campbell on the protests, Putin’s Pyrrhic victory, plus a playlist
The protest encampment at Parliament long ago ceased to have any rational purpose beyond perpetuating its own existence. Social media has already condemned the way […]
Gordon Campbell on the tentative response to Putin, plus Putin’s mentor
Plainly, Russia’s war on Ukraine isn’t something Vladimir Putin dreamed up overnight, or did on impulse. With hindsight, Putin has been working for years to […]
Gordon Campbell on Ukraine, and blokes in peril
A great darkness is falling over Ukraine, and it will last for decades. In launching a full scale invasion, Russian president Vladimir Putin is doing […]
Gordon Campbell on what Ukraine and the West Bank share in common
Russia’s tactics in Ukraine are not new. In August 2008, Russia fought a brief war with Georgia after the breakaway region of South Ossetia declared […]
Gordon Campbell on the crisis – what crisis? – over Ukraine
Is Russian leader Vladimir Putin going to invade Ukraine, or is he just bluffing (for now), much as China was a few months ago? A […]
Gordon Campbell on why an attack on Iran is back on the agenda
Reportedly, Christopher Luxon has the edge on Simon Bridges in National’s leadership contest although there is no firm evidence for that hunch. So, one hesitates […]
Gordon Campbell on the geo-political posturing over China’s cyber hacks, plus the weekly playlist
The timing was one of the weirder aspects of this week’s cyber condemnation of China by the West. Why was this piece of political theatre […]
Gordon Campbell on New Zealand’s lack of adequate cyber security defences
Remember how, back in the olden days, we had security concerns about the Chinese firm Huawei? Allegedly, Huawei was to be shunned as a business […]
Gordon Campbell on the Solar Winds hack, and on buying Bob Dylan
Earlier this month, the huge Solar Winds hack became public knowledge. Reportedly, the victims had been accessed over a period of months starting in March […]
Gordon Campbell on the oil price smackdown, and on National’s fatuous crusade against red tape
Safe to say, Vladimir Putin did not expect the response he has received amidships from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Earlier, Russia chose to […]
Gordon Campbell on stoking fears about cannabis law reform
It was always going to be hard to have a rational debate on cannabis reform. Far easier for politicians to win votes by stoking alarm.
Gordon Campbell on the carnage being caused by Police pursuits
Time for the Independent Police Complaints Authority to produce yet another review of the high speed pursuit policy, which the Police will no doubt ignore
Gordon Campbell on the GCSB’s security hang-up with Russia
So our GCSB has chimed in, alongside its British, Australian and US allies, with warnings about a “fresh wave” of Russian cyber attacks, although the […]
Gordon Campbell on Winston Peters’ attempts to cozy up to Trump, and to Russia
Attempts by the Foreign Affairs Minister to downplay Russia’s role in the shooting down of MH17 have already earned unflattering coverage across the Tasman
Gordon Campbell on the UN resolution on Palestine
The UN resolution has been one of the most high profile achievements of our diplomacy on the world stage for many years.
Gordon Campbell on Vladimir Putin’s wonderful, fabulous, very good year
Safe to say that no-one, but no-one has had a better 2016 than Vladimir Putin. What an annus mirabilis it has been for him. Somehow, […]
Gordon Campbell on the end game in Spain
A few interesting international stories that have largely flown beneath the radar this past week
Why State Capitalism Is Beating The Free Market
And why New Zealand is no good at either…