Tony Blair's spin mastery has worn out. The Chilcot inquiry may not have found him to be a liar, but it would be difficult to imagine his legacy as any but Bush's starry eyed poodle who became jointly responsible for the destruction of Iraq and the catastrophic consequences we are all witnessing today.
Read MoreIraq
Redrawing borders, supporting democratic forces & thinking on our sins
Three strategies to combat the Islamic State insurgency
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday June 11
US to boost numbers in Iraq; South Korean President postpones visit to US due to MERS; China rejects calls to release Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo; suicide bomber attacks Luxor in Egypt; African countries set up free trade zone; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday April 15
Iraq seeks more US support against Islamic state; China releases five women detained after campaigning against sexual harassment; UN to vote on Yemen arms embargo; Chile enacts civil union law; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday March 4
Netanyahu speaks to US Congress; Australia boosts its forces in Iraq; Obama criticises China's proposed counterterrorism law; Boko Haram video shows two beheaded men; EU likely to fall short of climate targets; and more
Read MoreThe opposite of intervention isn’t peace
John Key hasn’t made the case for military intervention, which doesn’t mean there isn’t one.
Making the case means understanding what drives people to join ISIS and resisting the temptation to retro-fit our own causes onto theirs.
It means staring at the consequences of intervening - and not intervening.
It requires communicating clearly to New Zealanders, the legal premise for intervention, and telling us what peace looks like.
There are a few myths to debunk first.
Read MoreAussie foreign minister says NZ's Iraq strategy plays into terrorists' hands
John Key has put a time limit on our stay in Iraq, but Australia isn't impressed with that kind of thinking, showing the Wellington-Canberra divide on Iraq
Read MoreThe alternatives to war: What if we did nothing?
Critics of the government are arguing New Zealand's role in Iraq is pointless... dangerous... or not our fight. But what does the alternative look like?
Read MoreAfter Charlie Hebdo: What happens next?
We've seen how ordinary citizens around the world have responded to the Charlie Hedbo terrorism, but how will world leaders react? Is marching enough or is it time for troops?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday December 4
ISIS significantly weakened by air strikes in Iraq and Syria, says John Kerry; Taiwan's Kuomintang party chairman resigns; Japan launches six-year space mission;
Read MoreA divided country?
The election demonstrated deep divisions. Will the next three years make them worse or help heal the rift? And where will the pressure points be?
Read MoreWhat's behind the rush to change our passport laws?
We're already stopping people from using NZ passports to go and fight in the Middle East. So why do we now urgently need to change the law to do this?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday October 9
US increases air strikes on Syrian town of Kobani; Hong Kong government and protest leaders to meet; Australian PM Tony Abbott seeks to legislate against 'preachers of hate'; Ebola unavoidable in Europe; Canadian military to head to Iraq; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday September 17
Obama to expand efforts on ebola; China finds natural gas in South China Sea; Philippines government orders evcuation of volcano region; US steps up Iraq airstrikes; new tax breaks for Brazil; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday September 10
New government for Iraq; Chinese PM to visit India; South Korea's top nuclear envoy talks to US about resunming Six Party Talks; Imran Khan vows to continue protests; African Union troops accused of rape; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday August 20
UN launches aid operation in Iraq; Pope Francis wants to visit China; German ambassador summoned to Ankara over spying claims; Sri Lanka blocks UN war crimes investigators; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday August 1
Israel vows to destroy Hamas' tunnel network; North Korean companies blacklisted for shipping Cuban weapons to Pyongyang; Sierra Leone declares ebola emergency; militants destroy treasures in Mosul; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday July 1
Iraq troops battle for control of Tikrit; North Korea proposes two Koreas suspend hostilities; senior military official expelled from China's Communist Party; MERS cases in Saudi Arabia triple; militia disarms in Democratic Republic of Congo; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday June 27
Iraq to form new government; US disbands counterterrorism operation in Philippines; South Korean PM's resignation rejected; West African ebola outbreak "biggest ever"; Lebanon reacts to multiple bombings; and more
Read More'Frenemies' in war
America and Iran appear poised to co-operate in order to stymie the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria from taking over war torn Iraq and establishing a Sunni Caliphate which stretches across the border into Syria. It is a complicated mess.
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