A View from Afar – In this podcast, political scientist Paul Buchanan and Selwyn Manning discuss how numerous countries have committed aid, intelligence expertise, military hardware and weapons to a multilateral effort in support of Ukraine.
What does this 2022-style of military diplomacy mean for the independent foreign policies of countries like New Zealand – with its style of incremental contributions in aid of the defence of Ukraine?
For example, the New Zealand Government this week confirmed the deployment of a C-130 Hercules with 50 personnel to Europe; a further eight logistics specialists based in Germany; $13 million in further support to procure equipment for the Ukraine military.
On announcing the move, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said: “Our support is to assist the Ukraine Army to repel a brutal Russian invasion because peace in the region of Europe is essential for global stability.”
Ardern added: “The global response has seen an unprecedented amount of military support pledged for Ukraine, and more help to transport and distribute it is urgently needed, and so we will do our bit to help.” (ref. ForeignAffairs.co.nz, https://foreignaffairs.co.nz/2022/04/11/mil-osi-new-zealand-new-zealand-sends-c130-hercules-and-50-strong-team-to-europe-to-support-ukraine/ )
So today, we examine how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with its method of total annihilation, has drawn once relatively independent nations into the fold of western security alliances. And we will consider whether such moves will become a permanent configuration?
Also in this episode, we will discuss the South-West Pacific strategic balance. Specifically, why has the People’s Republic of China, and the Solomon Islands bilateral security agreement, upset Australia, New Zealand, and the United States of America?
You can comment on this debate by clicking on one of these social media channels and interacting in the social media’s comment area. Here are the links:
If you miss the LIVE Episode, you can see it as video-on-demand, and earlier episodes too, by checking out EveningReport.nz or, subscribe to the Evening Report podcast here.
The MIL Network’s podcast A View from Afar was Nominated as a Top Defence Security Podcast by Threat.Technology – a London-based cyber security news publication.
Threat.Technology placed A View from Afar at 9th in its 20 Best Defence Security Podcasts of 2021 category. You can follow A View from Afar via our affiliate syndicators.
Oh dear. A large number of Ukrainian troops laying down arms in Mariupol began to emerge on Tuesday. These were supported by footage from war correspondents on the ground, showing what appears to be groups of people wearing military uniforms in captivity.
For over a month the marines fought with no supplies of ammo, without food, without water, pretty much drinking from puddles, and died in droves,” the message read. “Our wise generals are telling us to capture ammo rom the enemy.
Xi’s China is Nazi Germany and Hirohito’s Japan on steroids.
and then castro woke up and it was all just a bad dream
How about indigenous pro-independence (from France) movements in the Pacific worried about PRC expansionism too? Doesn’t fit with the white = bad, China = good narrative?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/11/new-caledonia-leader-calls-for-france-to-grant-independence-vote-to-counter-chinas-omnipresence-in-pacific
I can’t get my head around the cognitive dissonance of what claims to be the “Left”.
Here in NZ the Left appears to lionise a small country attacked by a larger neighbour as a paragon of virtue, a bastion of civilisation against a barbaric tyrant. So lets look at our support for Ukraine in the context of what the Left believes here.
We have Maori as an official language, Ukraine has banned Russian.
We promote racial equity, in Ukraine policies make Russians second class citizens.
The NZ Parliament has full representation from Left and Right, in Ukraine the Left is banned. As is the free media.
In NZ we dont integrate overt extreme Right wing militias into the military, in Ukraine they have. These same parties support the regime in Parliament.
In NZ the Left wouldnt support the bombardment of Tokoroa because it is a mainly Maori town, but its OK to support the bombardment in Donetsk that has killed 14000 Russian Ukrainian citizens.
How fekkin dumb is the NZ Left?
well put nick
…how many ukrainian ‘freedom fighters’ will we take in to further poison the well of our freedumb mob?
Indeed G.
I also failed to mention that all those armaments flooding into Ukraine will have to be paid for, mortgaging the next generation of Ukrainians in poverty to the West. The Left should regard this as pernicious capitalist imperialism.
Then theres the Zhelensky regime, run by oligarchs and robber barons, mates with the CIA. Good friends of the Left, not!
and we have to replace our forces depleted stocks by buying american tat…complain about that ‘tax burden’ natzos.
Interesting you mentioned “poison the well”. Seems it’s a tactic of terror being used in the real world within Ukraine.
You refer to Maruipol where the Azov lads are hiding in tunnels. The predictions were that the Russians would use poison gas, so the news bulletins said they have, no evidence required, shock horror. Reports on the ground say that the Russians are tqking a simpler expedient, pumping them full of water. Who to believe?
Either way its war and one we should not support either way.
Replying to both NickJ and Yuri (as you seem to tag-team such things).
Arrrr, no. I’m not your lackey. I’d suggest, rather than spoon-feed evidence, you go in search of relevancy and fact. Heaven forbid you might even discover rationalism.
evidence please selwyn and make it a bit more convincing that ‘yellow rain’
and before you mention saddam I remember when he was still our buddy, the beeb denying vehemently that he’d gassed the kurds…so when were they lying before or after the yanks dropped him.
Not arguing he wasn’t loathsome he clearly was
Arrrr, no. I’m not your lackey. I’d suggest, rather than spoon-feed you evidence, you go in search of relevancy and fact. Heaven forbid you might even discover rationalism.
I did post a reply but it hasn’t appeared other posters can make what they will of that
Umm!? “Russia will perceive convoys delivering arms from NATO states to Ukraine as legitimate targets for its military once they reach Kiev-controlled territory, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov warned in an interview published on Wednesday.”
So did anybody pack bodybags into the C130 that left this week?
Denny,
As you well know, NZ soldiers will stay in Germany and Poland. They won’t be in Ukraine. There is zero chance that Russia will attack either Germany or Poland, not even by covert means.
So you are simply being mischievous.
except our esteemed minister refused to rule out ‘in country’ deployment you wayne are simply in denial…wait till the 1st kiwi turns up in a body bag..because yes logistics operations are a legit target.
NATO is not at war against Russia and neither is Russia in a war against NATO.
When a nation supplies weapons to a nation at war, it does not mean the supplier is also at war. Think of the US suppling the British prior to December 7, 1941. Or the USSR supplying North Vietnam during the Vietnam War
Both NATO and Russia both understand this.
As for the Ministers statement, well I was a little surprised. However, I am sure he did not intend to convey that NZ soldiers would be directly participating in the conflict. I am pretty sure NZ soldiers won’t be going into Ukraine while the war is still afoot. Maybe after there has been a peace settlement.
if NZ forces set one foot in the ukraine they become legitimate targets..which our govt has REFUSED TO RULE OUT so it’s a possibility not a great one at this stage but when govts say ‘refuse to rule out’ it tends to mean ‘that’s the next step’
Dude, Have you heard of a thing called ‘mission creep?’
Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan…
Think again. Especially when NZ military force personnel gets killed over there. It’s going to happen.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-zealand-sends-c130-hercules-and-50-strong-team-europe-support-ukraine
Wayne. Have you heard of the term, ‘Mission Creep?’
It happened in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.
NZ was supposed to of played a role, another term.”Light Touch’.
Are they really troops that band of two platoons, 50 ish or ‘Special Forces?’
We’ve been here before.
You can fool me once …
Besides NATO, the US and every other sucker. Who thought Russia was after Kyiv?
It was a diversion! Mariupol is the target suckers!
With Russia having several thousand troops killed and hundreds of AFV’s destroyed in and around Kyiv it hardly can be called a successful diversionary attack.
bbbuttt ruskkies massing for major offensive was the story yesterday, last week retreating in disarray….noticing a ‘we know nowt’ theme here?
Wayne, you would be very aware that Russia possesses the firepower to flatten Kiev. Yet they didn’t. Why?
You would also be aware that storming a city is enormously difficult. So did they ever intend to?
You would also be aware that attacking forces would not leave Kiev unless they were happy that the local defenders presented no further threat. Id suggest that Russia has sufficient airpower to neutralise any Kiev based troops.
The main action is in the east. Whoever prevails wins the best negotiating position. If Russia wins negotiations may be irrelevant.
oh I dunno, a nice little foreign war might suit the blairite as a distraction from the upcoming NZ carcrash….after all it worked for her war criminal mentor.
So who really is committing war crimes in Ukraine? https://thegrayzone.com/2022/04/08/lawmakers-georgian-warlord-war-crimes-ukraine/