http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.creativeukrainians.org.nz en-us Sat, 14 Mar 2026 22:47:28 +1300 Rocketspark http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/post/156034/life-line-to-the-death-zone/ The following article is based on an interview with Tenby Powell in Kyiv, in October 2025. Kathy Lloyd travelled to Kyiv to meet and interview full time humanitarian and defense volunteers working to support civilians and frontline defenders under attack by Russian drones, missiles, bombs and artillery.What does it take to effectively deliver multi-faceted humanitarian aid to people living close to Ukraine’s 1200- Kilometer-long frontline, who daily endure the hell of being stalked by drones o... Tue, 11 Nov 2025 18:14:46 +1300 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/#post156034 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/post/142092/defining-peace-in-ukraine/ Ukraine’s centuries-old struggle against Russian colonisation stretches back to the 17th century and still rages on. This article, draws parallels between the current Russian invasion and the one from 1918–21, revealing how history sheds light on today’s diplomatic deadlocks., evaluates proposed solutions to reduce or end the violence, explains the likely consequences of a ceasefire,  examines public sentiment through surveys and personal stories from Ukraine, and analyses peace theor... Mon, 20 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/#post142092 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/post/142331/united-nations-charter-and-veto-abuse/ This article was  first published in the January/February 2025 (Vol.50#1) issue of the New Zealand International Review journal  under the title "A Chance for Peace".An accelerated corruption of the power to veto any resolution in the UN Security Council by permanent members threatens the world order within the United Nations framework. The threedecades-long discussions in the format of the UN Open-Ended Working Group and then Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security C... Tue, 17 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/#post142331 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/post/124707/has-new-zealand-lost-its-voice-amid-russias-hybrid-war/ This letter and attached referred report first appeared at the NAFO Asia Pacific website.Access Full report HERE.Dear Reader,Like most New Zealanders, you’re unlikely to want to get too close to the topic of war.You’ve probably heard about the devastating impacts of wars in the past in which New Zealand was involved, like Afghanistan, Vietnam, or the World Wars in which our grandfathers fought.You may have also watched footage or films dealing with historic genocides that happened before or ... Tue, 23 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/#post124707 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/post/115472/the-war-against-ukraine-how-the-worlds-minds-are-shaped-by-theories/ The full article titled "The problem of war" was first published in the January/February 2024 (Vol.49#1) issue of the New Zealand International Review The most popular theories of political strategy nowadays are still political realism and liberal internationalism. When trying to explain state aggression, over centuries, political realists have developed a message that wars are always driven by a mix of personal and state self-interest, and hence ineradicable. Liberal internationa... Tue, 12 Dec 2023 14:44:12 +1300 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/#post115472 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/post/103852/russias-wars-on-georgia-and-ukraine/ The original essay was written in March 2023, expanded in July and first published as an article titled "Forestalling an existential threat" in the November/December 2023 issue of the New Zealand International Review The primary causes of the wars in Georgia and in Ukraine have been long-standing imperial ambitions of Russia being greedy for power and dominance, undermining the sovereignty and self-determination of smaller states, aiming to redraw national borders to control at least a... Thu, 09 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/#post103852 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/post/108777/new-zealands-foreign-policy-and-defence/ In October 2023 New Zealanders will vote for the representatives in the next parliament as they duly do every 3 years. Even with the biggest war in Europe since the Second World War and the world on the brink of wider conflict between liberal democracies and autocracies, common Kiwis could not care less. The survey from May 2023 revealed that only 1% of population consider foreign affairs and defence to be key issues government should focus on. There is a common notion that “NZ has to balance ... Mon, 07 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/#post108777 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/post/109170/ukrainian-children/ Kia ora koutou!I have a pleasure to be Kateryna’s husband. It takes a lot of effort and time to engage various people here in Aotearoa and overseas to make exhibitions and events like this actually happen. And so first I want to praise Katia’s dedication and organisational skills. Please join me in applauding her humble leadership....Thank you!As my wife mentioned, all of this would not be possible without compassionate and supportive Kiwis, but vitally – many... Sat, 01 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/#post109170 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/post/109018/bothsidesism-and-ruscism/ The lack of balance between tolerance and reason in the free speech of the liberal world order has been causing the strengthening of extremist narratives and trends worldwide. Inattention to clear signs of new fascist ideology – ruscism – fortifying in the state of one of the permanent members of the Security Council, and naïve assumption of its reasonable behaviour led to a monstrous assault on the sovereign European nation-state, regional security, as well as... Tue, 13 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/#post109018 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/post/104374/what-role-the-us-plays-in-the-war-in-ukraine-and-will-it-escalate/ Kiwis ask:"Could there have been a better strategy to deal with the bully? With the money the US is pouring in, when is it fair to call it a war between the US and Russia? The grave fear is of course that Putin will not back down while he still has the means to fight, and as we all know those means include nuclear weapons."Answer:The role of US, as I see it, is of a leader of the liberal world in both hard and soft power. It is like a bigger brother if you wish for smaller countries aspiring lib... Mon, 24 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.creativeukrainians.org.nz/blog/#post104374