Advertisement New Zealand’s new government will need to hit the ground running on foreign affairs. Determining New Zealand’s full response to the war in Gaza and the fallout in the wider Middle East will be the first major test for whoever takes the foreign minister’s role. New Zealand has been run by a Labor caretaker … Read more
Advertisement On October 14, New Zealanders voted to boot Chris Hipkins and his Labor party colleagues out of government. The red wave surfed by Jacinda Ardern in 2020 crumbled, with Labor losing almost half their seats in Parliament as a result. New Zealand’s proportional electoral system means it is rare for one party to form … Read more
How Timor-Leste Escaped the Political ‘Resource Curse’ By Moritz Schmoll and Geoffrey Swenson Asia’s youngest nation has shown that resource wealth does not necessary impede the development of a stable democracy. Will Iran Set up a Base in Antarctica? By Zia Madani and Alan D. Hemmings What is driving Iran’s interest in Antarctica, and how … Read more
Advertisement Conservative former businessman Christopher Luxon will be New Zealand’s next prime minister after winning a decisive election victory Saturday. People voted for change after six years of a liberal government led for most of that time by Jacinda Ardern. Luxon arrived to rapturous applause at an event in Auckland on Saturday. He was joined … Read more
Advertisement The weekend’s surprise and brutal attack on Israel by Hamas fighters has the potential to reshape the Middle East – and will only further increase global geopolitical instability. So far, the assault by Hamas on Israel has taken at least 900 Israeli lives – easily making it the bloodiest time for Israel since the 1973 … Read more
Advertisement As the United States and Australia deepen ties with various Asian and Southeast Asian states, the issue of whether New Zealand or Canada should join the nascent AUKUS security arrangement becomes more pressing. Both states already share deep security relationships with Australia and the United States. These include the Five Eyes intelligence arrangement (which, … Read more
Advertisement A shakeup of the ministers responsible for New Zealand’s international relations seems almost guaranteed, irrespective of the country’s election result on October 14. Coalition politics are likely to play a key role in appointments related to foreign affairs. Based on current opinion polling, a government led by the center-right National Party would probably need to … Read more
Advertisement In the dynamic geopolitical landscape of the Indo-Pacific region, which is embedded within the strategic competition between the United States and China, the role of middle powers has emerged as a pivotal factor shaping the balance of power and influencing regional dynamics. Positioned between major global players and smaller nations, middle powers play a … Read more
Advertisement A sign of things to come: That might be the best way to interpret New Zealand Trade Minister Damien O’Connor’s recent foray into the Middle East. O’Connor stopped off in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi on a brief, yet important, trip that comes as New Zealand prepares for its October 14 election. The biggest takeaway was … Read more
Advertisement In April 2021, New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta likened the New Zealand-China relationship to “the respect a Taniwha would have for a Dragon and vice versa.” Mahuta’s speech was one of the more recent attempts to articulate the complicated and delicate nature of the bilateral relationship between China and New Zealand. The small … Read more