Richard Dolan University of Oxford Richard recently completed his DPhil at the Oxford Department of International Development. He has a professional background in education, capacity-building and development in South America and Asia. What do the internet memes Doge and Cheems, the Hollywood film franchise The Hunger Games, and a
14th February 2021 Warning A graphic photo of gunshot wounds to the head is included in this report. Here is an update on the previous report. If it doesn’t read smoothly my apologies but I am reporting as news comes in before the internet shuts down. Insurgents and alleged
14th February 2021 Editor Update: A video has been added. Watch it quickly before Youtube takes it down. I was sent two video links and one has already been censored by Youtube. The people of Myanmar are trying to get the truth out and Youtube is assisting the Military coup
13 February 2021 It may appear that events in a foreign country 10,000 km away have no relevance to New Zealand until we take a geopolitical view of things. The following are extracts from an article, dated November 2020, by G. Parthasarathy, a former high ranking Indian diplomat.* The
In the last decade or so, there have been at least 11 Islamic terror attacks or thwarted plots in Denmark. There have been no Christian terror attacks. So which religion is the Danish government persecuting? Christian churches in Denmark will be required to translate and submit all sermons to the
12th February 2021 Today (12th February) is Union Day in Myanmar and residents woke to the news that the military regime is planning to release 23,000 prisoners. Why? The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) suggested that it was to make room for future political detainees. If this is
She’d almost certainly hate the comparison, but Tasmanian senator Jacquie Lambie reminds me a lot of Donald Trump. By that, I mean that she’s a political outsider almost accidentally thrown into the national spotlight and that she’s also what commo pontificator Phillip Adams calls a “maddie”. “Maddies”
Machiavelli described three ways a conquering prince might best treat its defeated subject. Ruin them, rule them directly or install a puppet government. “Therein a state of the few which might keep it friendly to you.” The example Machiavelli gives of the last is the friendly government Sparta established in
10th February 2021 The question still in the forefront of the Burmese people’s minds is why has the coup taken place? Well, in the words of Woodward and Bernstein, follow the money. By seizing absolute power, Myanmar coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has protected his and his
10th February 2021 The demonstrations have yet to become an uprising, but it is becoming clear that events are following the 8888 uprising which resulted in wholesale slaughter, illegal imprisonment, and many deaths in prison. The Military was hoping that the usual political adage that most protests fade after 7
Robert Cialdini Peter Koenig thesaker.is Have you ever wondered how a herd of sheep is driven to their slaughterhouse? Manipulation of minds is a well-studied science, has been applied already for centuries, but is getting ever more sophisticated. For example, the many poignant assertions, Joseph Goebbels, Hitlers Minister
7th February 2021 It is becoming clear that the coup was planned well in advance and is running according to plan for the military. They had all the likely reactions assessed and shut down means of communication to slow down the planning of internal resistance and to prevent pictures/videos
Yet again, the Chinese Communist Party is weaponising the moronic greed of a South Pacific panjandrum ruling a running-down island state desperate for cash. No, I’m not talking about Jacinda Ardern inching ever-closer to the poisoned carrot that is Xi Xinping’s “Belt and Road Initiative”. Papua
5th February 2021 Things are certainly on the move in Myanmar. Health professionals, doctors, nurses and ancillary workers have withdrawn their support from the military government. They will still treat the populace, delivering the rudimentary health care available to an ordinary Burmese as best they can, but adopting a policy
4 February 2021 The South China Morning Post carried an opinion piece on China’s relations with the world. The SCMP is owned by Alibaba, Jack Ma’s company, and should be read with that perspective in mind. Last week, the small nation of New Zealand managed to cut a
