By Dr Leon Goldsmith on Newsroom…
Being so far from conflict in the Middle East, there can be a sense of curious detachment from the violence there. Dr Leon Goldsmith explains why what’s happening matters in New Zealand.
In recent days the seemingly irresolvable crises, tragedies and injustices of the Middle East once more penetrated the news cycle of Aotearoa New Zealand.
The latest major flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian violence was sadly predictable given the rising tensions both within and between societies in the region and the miscalculations (and/or cynical) policies of regional and global powers. Here in Aotearoa New Zealand the confronting images were met with a mixture of outrage, concern, calls to action, confusion or, in many cases, ambivalence.
New Zealand is 14,000 kilometres from the Middle East, which has meant a sense of curious detachment from its dramas.
Global refugee flows, environmental crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic have, however, taught us that what happens in the rest of the world matters here. The pandemic has taught us something else: the importance of a consistent, evidence-based approach to decision-making, rather than short-term reactions to the forces of politics, ideology, or emotion…
Read the full article on Newsroom here.
