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Security Intel Book Launched In Auckland - Paul Buchanan launched his book “With Distances Comes Perspective” in Auckland last night. Paul Buchanan will be book signing at Saks in Auckland on Tuesday Oct 4th, followed with a book talk and signing at Timeout Books on October 5th. The book: “With Distance Comes Perspective” examines and expands on Paul Buchanan's writings over the past few years, commentaries that observe and distil the complexities of security and foreign affairs policy. The book also examines in detain the Ahmed Zaoui case and reveals why Buchanan feels the New Zealand government misread the nature of Mr Zaoui’s situation. See... Scoop Images: Paul Buchanan Launches Book

You can now purchase Paul Buchanan's book via secure internet transaction. Simply click the 'buy now' button and the publishers will process your order immediately.

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The al-Qaeda Environmentalism Bridge - Paul G. Buchanan writes that one of the less studied aspects of al-Qaeda’s global strategy of irregular warfare is the environmental element of the campaign. As it turns out, the jihadi project meshes neatly with the concerns of Western environmental groups, especially those who practice unconventional politics against governmental and corporate agencies. The latter directly target environmental policy making in Western democracies, whereas the former do so indirectly via terrorism. See... PG Buchanan: Al-Qaeda’s Perverse Environmentalism

Scoop Video: Paul Buchanan To Launch Security/Intel Book - Scoop co-editor Selwyn Manning reports that former United States security advisor and current Auckland University senior lecturer in politics, Paul Buchanan, is about to launch a book that examines security and intelligence relationships in New Zealand and abroad. Scoop caught up with him for a preview of the book. Paul Buchanan plans to launch the book, titled With Distance Comes Perspective in late September 2005. See… Scoop Video: Security Intelligence Book Launch Looms

Pilot Attack Threats Exposed Aviation Coms Failures Paul Buchanan writes that the short-lived security alert occasioned by a despondent pilot of a light aircraft making threats to crash into the Auckland Skytower provided New Zealand authorities with an excellent live action drill in emergency preparedness and threat assessment. The Skytower was evacuated with little complication and no injuries, and besides some frazzled nerves and a contrite man wading ashore from the wreckage of his ditched plane to face criminal charges, no one was the worse for wear. But the aircraft went undetected by air traffic control for some time. See... Paul Buchanan: Failures Of Communication Scoop Image by Jason Dorday."

Israel Apologises For Passport Fraudsters But Not For Mossad Role - Prime Minister Helen Clark announced today that Israel has formally apologised to New Zealand for the actions of two of its citizens who attempted to obtain a New Zealand passport by fraudulent means. Helen Clark said she was pleased that New Zealand and Israel would now be able to resume friendly diplomatic relations. &ldquot;The New Zealand Government has strong grounds for believing that the two men convicted were working on behalf of an Israeli intelligence agency,&rdquot; Helen Clark said. See... NZ Receives Formal Apology From Israel
ALSO:

Govt - Israel's Letter of Apology and Phil Goff's Responding Letter… (pdf)

Nats - Clark's Credibility Hits Rock Bottom

ACT - Overseas Benefit Fraudsters Owe Taxpayers $53m

Will Security Woes Erode Labour's Confidence - Paul Buchanan considers whether there is a slow cloud building on the horizon of Labour’s re-election. It has loomed larger for the last three years, although it has it origins in previous National governments. That cloud is called insecurity. There is a general unease in the air about security-related issues. Public apprehension is not so much about immediate security threats as it is about the government’s ability to plan for and deal with them. On that score, there is wide spread scepticism that transcends the normal boundaries of social uncertainty about the future. See... Lapses in Security Have Election Implications

Gerald Thorns: Man At Centre Of "Spy" Claims Issues Statement

Scoop co-editor's note: Gerald Thorns, the senior figure named in Inspector General Justice Neazor's report into claims that the New Zealand SIS had bugged Maori has emailed Scoop a statement detailing his background within the NZ Labour Party. His statement includes descriptions of his executive staff roles in the Lange Labour government and prior while Labour was in opposition. See... Man At Centre Of "Op Leaf" Inquiry Makes Statement

PM Slams SIS Maori Bugging Spooks Scoop - The Prime Minister has released a report on the SIS Maori bugging affair slamming the coverage of the story by the Sunday Star Times and Scoop.co.nz, and blaming the affair on a trio “trouble makers”. See... NEWSFLASH: PM & Justice Neazor Slam Scoop & SST
MORE:

Scoop Report: Prime Minister’s Post Cabinet Presser April 12

Prime Minister - SISIG's Report on Alleged 'Operation Leaf'

Full Text - Newspaper Allegations Concerning Activities By The SIS (.pdf format 6.4Mb)

SST - Statement By Cate Brett Editor Sunday Star-Times

Fairfax - Statement By Brian Evans, CEO Fairfax New Zealand

Tim Barcode's Watching The Buggers – Concludes - The story so far…
Gordon Coates, the SIS officer who apparently authorises interception warrants has been summoned by the Inspector-General of the SIS to answer questions on the bugging of leaders of the Maori Party. It now transpires that there is no Gordon Coates and his real identity is about to be revealed. George Forbes aka Richard Wood SIS Director and Paul Neazor, the SIS Inspector-General and owner of the Levin Drycleaners, are about to unmask Coates.There is no sign yet in Levin of the DoC worker Jane who took a strong liking to Coates in the Masterton train shelter. See… Watching The Buggers (Part 12 Of 12)
(READ THE WHOLE PLAY: Part 1,Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11)



SIS Investigation:Was Operation Leaf Originally Operation Maple Leaf?
Herald Smear Campaign Diversion From National Interest Issue

Intelligence Expert Says NZ's Intelligence Framework Risks Abuse - Paul Buchanan writes that the most obvious comparison to New Zealand's intelligence structure would be drawn from twentieth century Fascist and Stalinist regimes, seconded by military-bureaucratic dictatorships. The common denominator is that the model concentrates intelligence powers in the hands of a very small group of people unaccountable to the citizenry. Yet the real life example is found closer to home. See... Playing Spy Scrabble

SIS Investigation: Herald Smear Campaign Diversion From National Interest Issue - A stinging attack against two men by the Herald is a diversion from Operation Leaf and appears to be motivated by an attempting to present a ‘who has the best contacts’ parody. Scoop goes beyond the hype to investigate the real issue... See... Secret Source Wars A Diversion From Main Agenda

SIS Investigation: Intelligence Expert Says Public & National Interest Threatened - Paul Buchanan: “I believe that, then and now, the public should be very concerned about the extremely broad scope of the SIS charter, its lack of accountability, its relative impunity, and the virtual absence of viable oversight mechanisms, parliamentary or otherwise, to hold the SIS leadership responsible for the actions it takes.” See... A Conversation With Paul Buchanan On The NZ SIS

Inquiry Convened Into SIS Allegations Raised On Scoop - Prime Minister Helen Clark has given the Inspector General of Security and Intelligence a green light to inquire into allegations made by Scoop.co.nz and in the Sunday Star Times concerning the propriety of SIS investigations into the Maori Party and Iwi organisations. See... Inspector General To Inquire Into SIS Allegations
ALSO:
- ARENA - Letter to PM on SIS Review
- Anti-Bases Campaign - A Weekend Of Protest Against Spies And Spybases
- Greens - Don’t make this a punitive inquiry & Greens call for broader inquiry into SIS

Herald’s ‘Mystery Man’ Not Scoop Contact On Leaf - A man the New Zealand Herald today said was behind Sunday Star Times allegations of SIS bugging is not a Scoop source of information on Operation Leaf. The Herald claimed: “One of the alleged spies behind newspaper allegations of the SIS bugging ... See... NZ Herald’s Mystery Man Not Scoop Source On 'Leaf'
ALSO:
- Cate Brett SST's Editor - Sunday Star-Times Stands By SIS Story
MORE:SIS Spy Operation Broader Than Just Politics

Senior Intelligence Contact Says Operation Leaf Broader Than Just Politics - A senior figure in the New Zealand intelligence network has confirmed the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) has indeed investigated Maori groups, politicians, and networks – that Operation leaf acquired not just political intelligence but included financial and personal information on “targets”. See... SIS Spy Operation Broader Than Just Politics

SIS Bugs Maori: Sunday Star Times Confirms Scoop Investigation - Scoop Editors’ Note: In co-operation with the Sunday Star Times, Scoop publishes this investigation on Operation Leaf – how the SIS has bugged Maori MPs, networks and associates. The issue was first reported by Scoop's Selwyn Manning on Nov 11. See... SST: Spies Blow Whistle On SIS Bugging
ALSO: SST: Whistle Blown On SIS Operation Leaf - SST: SIS ‘We could see it was for dirt collection’
BACKGROUND SCOOP REPORTS:
Scoop’s Exclusive Report: Intelligence Sources Say SIS Investigating Maori Party
Scoop’s Report Revealed SIS Gets Two Hours Scrutiny A Year

REACTION: Tariana Turia Calls In The SIS Inspector General - ‘I have today, written to the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, Retired Judge, Hon. Paul Neazor, to ask him to initiate an immediate inquiry into the allegations made about the activities of the Security Intelligence Service’, co-leader of the Maori Party, Tariana Turia, said today. See... Maori Party calls on IG to investigate SIS
MORE REACTION:
- Progressives - Select committee oversight of SIS, GCSB required
- Russell Brown - Hard News 22/11/04: Spooky
- Greens - Locke backs Brash / Peters call for SIS inquiry
- Don Brash - SIS allegations too serious to ignore
- Greens - Locke backs Brash / Peters call for SIS inquiry & SIS allegations too serious to ignore, says Locke