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Patrick Flamm | German icons of leadership and remembrance: Lessons for Abe?

When German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Tokyo in March this year, the revival of the old comparison between the alleged model student of historical apologies, Germany, and the unrepetant East Asian counterpart, Japan was on display in the Western media. In addition to recognizing the various Japanese official apologies for war and colonialism and the … Continue reading Patrick Flamm | German icons of leadership and remembrance: Lessons for Abe?

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Zbigniew Dumieński | The defeat of “warm water politics”* in Poland?

Despite the largely ceremonial role that the president plays in the Polish political system, the outcome of the Sunday’s election is very significant. After five years in office, the seemingly popular Bronisław Komorowski has lost to a little-known, albeit backed by the leading opposition party, Member of the European Parliament, Andrzej Duda. The scale of … Continue reading Zbigniew Dumieński | The defeat of “warm water politics”* in Poland?

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Nicholas Ross Smith | Seeds of the Ukraine crisis

The last eighteen months have been completely hellish for Ukraine. During my fieldwork in early October in 2013, I observed a palpable sanguinity among ordinary Ukrainians at the prospect of a brighter future under the proposed EU Association Agreement (of which many hoped full EU membership would organically flow). However, if we fast –forward to … Continue reading Nicholas Ross Smith | Seeds of the Ukraine crisis

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Pacific Outlier | About Us

About Welcome to Pacific Outlier, where an eclectic mix of researchers provide analysis and commentary on contemporary political events, issues and debates. The blog is located within Politics and International Relations at the University of Auckland but will host the insights of a broad range of authors. Pacific Outlier seeks to provide a New Zealand perspective on global … Continue reading Pacific Outlier | About Us