Van Jackson

Guest writer

Van Jackson is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington and the Defence & Strategy Fellow at the Centre for Strategic Studies, also at Victoria. He hosts the podcast series Pacific Pundit.

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 12: U.S. President Donald Trump holds a news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the East Room of the White House April 12, 2017 in Washington, DC. Trump reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to the North Atlantic alliance and its “ironclad” pledge to defend NATO allies, even though he repeatedly questioned the relevance of the military organization during the campaign. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Reflections on calling Trump a ‘flaming asshole’ on public radio

In an interview on RNZ, foreign policy expert Van Jackson used a coarse term to describe US president. But it was neither a gaffe, nor emotionally motivated, he explains

By Van Jackson | 12th September, 2017

TOPSHOT – A South Korean soldier walks past a television screen showing a graphic of the distance between North Korea and Guam at a railway station in Seoul on August 9, 2017.
President Donald Trump issued an apocalyptic warning to North Korea on Tuesday, saying it faces “fire and fury” over its missile program, after US media reported Pyongyang has successfully miniaturized a nuclear warhead. / AFP PHOTO / JUNG Yeon-Je (Photo credit should read JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)

Fear, loathing, and North Korean nukes: should Kiwis care?

The spectre of war with Kim Jong-un is back in headlines after a rhetorical exchange that has included Donald Trump threatening “fire and fury”. How serious are the threats from Pyongyang, and what does it mean for New Zealand, asks Asia-Pacific expert Van Jackson.

By Van Jackson | 11th August, 2017