Key points from my recent piece on the upcoming plenum with @allie_matthias.

My new book - out today in Britain. All good bookstores etc…Also out in translation in Italy, Germany and the Netherlands this week

“The head of the New Zealand Defence Force has resigned after admitting an “inappropriate relationship” while in a position of command and saying his conduct was contrary to Defence Force values.” stuff.co.nz/nz-news/36105037…

To make sense of the explosion of security arrangements across the Pacific, I join my @CSIS @AustraliaChair colleagues @KathrynPaik & @john_auge to walk through our new interactive tool, “Mapping Security Influence in the Pacific.” @CSISGeopolitics piped.video/watch?v=DoZv3xdS…

Join us for what will be an insightful conversation with three of New Zealand’s 🇳🇿 leading foreign policy voices. @annafifield @davidcapie & @AnnaPowles.

Multiple reports this evening that Starlink restrictions in Ukraine have been lifted.

“Cooper, visiting NZ to deliver a lecture at Victoria University of Wellington’s Centre for Strategic Studies, says we are “in a pretty good place” compared with most of America’s friends in the region, partly due to our ability to fly under the radar.” newsroom.co.nz/2026/10/22/nz…

Fierce competition for strategic influence has prompted a proliferation of security-related agreements across the Pacific Islands region in recent years. A new interactive tool from the @AustraliaChair maps 56 of these arrangements across 14 Pacific countries. Read: csis.org/programs/australia-…

“The Government has approved the deployment of New Zealand Army officer Brigadier Grant Motley to the role of Force Commander of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, Defence Minister Paul Goldsmith says.” beehive.govt.nz/release/seni…

UK police have re-arrested two men on suspicion of spying for Iran, amid an investigation into a security scare at a British airbase used by the United States u.afp.com/SCr4

I’d like to thank my Uzbek brothers for making Rubio praise the most quintessentially Persianate city just a week after his Athens diatribe against the Persians.

Great interview between @TheSpinoffTV's Toby Manhire and Winston Peters. Well worth 41 minutes of your time, especially for the NZ politics tragics out there. thespinoff.co.nz/politics/16…

@PaulGoldsmithMP Our heart goes out to Canada and its Armed Forces following the fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright facebook.com/share/p/1Dvfinz…

Russia’s war in Ukraine is a stark reminder that security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific is increasingly interconnected. A valuable exchange this afternoon with Lt Gen Dymanowski, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of @Poland_MOD and IP4 colleagues on the importance of working together to address common challenges.

Fascinating, potentially significant. Aus-Vanuatu joint statement after Nakamal meeting says China's police arrangement in Vanuatu is "expected to reduce over time." Only second Pacific nation to say (albeit with caveat) it'll wind back PRC police presence abc.net.au/news/2026-10-19/v…

New Zealand is deeply concerned at reports of attacks by Israeli settlers against diplomatic personnel and journalists in the West Bank. We call on Israel to conduct an immediate and full investigation and expect accountability for those responsible. Israel must take action to end ongoing settler violence in the West Bank.

Trump just waived all of the sanctions on Russia provided for in the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia Act, just as I and others warned he would. Trump’s latest surrender to Putin again betrays our Ukrainian partners and defies clear congressional intent of legislation designed to punish Russia for its illegal war of aggression. Trump has proven he will twist this law and abuse the powers it conferred on him, and while he has let the tariff powers lie for the moment, the law as written also empowers Trump to weaponize new trade authorities against our allies and trading partners. Congress must fix this flawed law to stop Trump from capitulating to Putin and ensure that it truly supports Ukraine.