For more, see this: www.kiwipolitico.com/2026/04/rumb...

In boxing terms, Iran is doing an Ali rope-a-dope defense against the US. Absorbing blows, shifting its centre of gravity, counter-punching just enough to stay in the fight--nimble, agile and patient. Under Trump and Hegseth the US is a lumbering Foreman looking for a knockout.

Trump fires two female cabinet secretaries--admittedly, they are very bad people--in just over a year in office but keeps several males--Hegseth, Kennedy, Patel, Mullin, etc.--who are demonstrably incompetent, corrupt, nuts or some/all of the above. That tells us something about his world view.

An analogy and an axiom. Some words to the wise. Analogy: Trump’s war against Iran might be the geopolitical equivalent of Custer’s last stand at Little Big Horn. Built on arrogance born of easy bullying in les…

Here are some words to the wise: www.kiwipolitico.com/2026/04/an-a...

A deep-dive into the US-Israel war in the Middle East YouTube video by Evening Report

The latest "A View from Afar" podcast featuring Selwyn Manning and myself is now available. The subject is the US/Israel-Iran war and possible upsides stemming from it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtJO...

The next "A View from Afar" podcast with Selwyn Manning and Director Paul G. Buchanan is scheduled to air on Monday March 30 12:30PM NZ time, Sunday March 29 7:30PM US East Coast time. Discussion will focus on the why of and scenarios for ending the US/Israel war on Iran.

Counter-Force versus Counter-Value in Conflict. Given the amount of dis/misinformation being pushed about the nature of the conflict between the Israel-US alliance and Iran, it might be good to understand some basic concepts. I will leave aside …

Here is a reflection on the US/Israel-Iran conflict framed as a counter-force versus counter-value contest, along with some other observations: www.kiwipolitico.com/2026/03/coun...

Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates serving as background props while Trump rambles about war as bombs fall on Iran (1200+ civilian dead so far) was not a good look. The team's PR department should have read the global room better and postponed the meet-and-greet. It was a major cringe.

US and Israel gone rogue. First the US kidnaps the president of a sovereign state after killing more than a score of civilians on the open seas without warrant or evidence of wrongdoing. Now it kills the head of state and s…

This was written a few days ago but sums up my thoughts about the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. www.kiwipolitico.com/2026/03/us-a...

Dark Parallels. Here is a thought that I originally posted as social media commentary: The Epstein client list epitomises the decline of liberal internationalism. The list is a who’s who of (mostly Western) …

I posted a longer form version of the Epstein files/liberal internationalist parallels here: www.kiwipolitico.com/2026/02/dark...

in it. From that can come an improved global edifice better prepared to confront the global challenges that lie ahead in a more equitable and inclusive fashion. Hint: the interests of the Global South need to be accommodated in a more honest way.

from the actions of external actors (although some may have pushed from the margins). IOW, the downfall is self-induced. And like the Epstein investigation, the post-liberal international order must begin with an evaluation of its institutional architecture and the flaws inherent

They traded in money, power, influence and darker things. It was their step into darkness that toppled them. Otherwise they would still be networking as usual. Likewise, liberal internationalism fell due to its own internal decay, corruption, sclerosis and contradictions, not from the actions of

A thought: The Epstein client list epitomises the decline of liberal internationalism. The list is a who's who of (mostly Western) liberal internationalist leaders: billionaires, bankers, academics, royalty, politicians, diplomats, former prime ministers, sundry oligarchs, etc.

A View from Afar: Define A Way Forward When the World is in Chaos YouTube video by Evening Report

The 6th season opening episode of the "A View from Afar" podcast is now up: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlTu...

Note time change from previous announcement.

The "A View from Afar" podcast cohosted by multimedia journalist Selwyn Manning and myself re-launches on Sunday February 22 at 6PM US East Coast time, Monday February 23 at 12 PM noon NZ daylight savings time. The operational title is "Confronting the US Black Hole Vortex in International Affairs."

Media Link: “A View from Afar” returns. For those who may be interested, my buddy Selwyn Manning and I have decided to revive the “A View from Afar” podcast next week. There is so much going on in the world the days, most of …

I am pleased to announce that the "A View from Afar" podcast that I do with journalist Selwyn Manning resumes broadcasts next week. You can find details here: www.kiwipolitico.com/2026/02/medi...

reality, but the fact is that partisan silence/acquiescence does not equal public consent. Trump and co. appear to not understand this basic axiom and in fact seem blind to it given their slanderous and false accounts of the ICE murders in MN.

aggravates the situation. Repression must be justified ideologically and accepted by the majority for it to work as an instrument of social control. IOW, using mass repression without public consent is a brittle club. Despots try to shape narratives via lies and propaganda in order to alter that

Used as the basis for authority, repression obeys a form of Newtonian Law: it wanes over time. You cannot repress the same amount of people with the same amount of force forever. Their numbers will grow and your ability to repress will drop unless you further increase the use of force. That only

Some observations about state terrorism. A long time ago I wrote a scholarly article about the use of state terror during the Argentine “Proceso” ( Seeing what is happening in the US, I thought I would reference a few things f…

In the US, state violence is on a continuum that leads to state terrorism. Not good.
www.kiwipolitico.com/2026/01/some...

Sadly, he never got the chance to fully exercise his 2nd amendment rights, and in fact his carrying of the gun (he did not draw and point it at anyone) was enough to prompt his multiple shot murder while restrained and then lying prone. Will the NRA dare to comment on this?

There is a perverse irony to the fact that the man murdered today by ICE in Minneapolis while attempting to protect a female protester from being roughed up by ICE agents had a concealed carry license for his handgun.

The current NZ govt might remind Trump that the NZDF lost 10 KIA in Afghanistan, the most since the Vietnam conflict (37 KIA). In each case NZ sent front-line troops to support US and UN missions, so were not "standing back" in either of them (as Trump claims about NATO/ISAF in Afghanistan).

The Mad King. Two things stand out in that crazy note that Trump sent the Norwegian Prime Minister. And no, it is not the reference to “the boat landing” and claim that there is a lack of formal docu…

Something to consider: www.kiwipolitico.com/2026/01/the-...

Using the military as an extortion tool. The lethal theatre of the absurd that has been the Trump administration’s sabre rattling performances in the Central American basin over the last few months culminated with the military attac…

Here is another reflection about the US-Venezuela conflict: www.kiwipolitico.com/2026/01/usin...

The hollow hegemon. Trump 2.0’s foreign policy has revitalised “old school” realists who, after years of being challenged by neo-realists, idealists, liberal internationalists and constructivists, ha…

Here is my take on aspects of Trump 2.0's foreign policy foundations: www.kiwipolitico.com/2025/12/the-...

Addressing some mistruths. The Bondi Beach mass murder attack is yet another inevitable sequel to the Israel-Palestine conflict. The precise nature of the sequels are seldom known, much less prevented in advance of their occ…

Here is my take on the coverage of the Bondi mass murder event. www.kiwipolitico.com/2025/12/addr...

A return to darkness. In 1994 I was the lead author of the US National Security Strategy for the Western Hemisphere (in reality, the region below the US-Mexico border and adjacent waters). In that section of the Annual …

The US National Security Strategy for the Western Hemisphere is out. It is not good. www.kiwipolitico.com/2025/12/a-re...