Barbara Plinkert

Diplomacy is often measured not only by actions, but by the words spoken by leaders, especially when those words are made publicly and on the eve of an important international visit. The recent controversy surrounding comments attributed to Samoa’s Prime Minister, suggesting that New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon requested a Samoan matai title, has created an unfortunate distraction ahead of Mr Luxon’s official visit to Samoa.

Home / Op-Ed / By Lumepa Hald • 01 March 2026, 4:10PM The news, when I was young, came to me through my grandfather’s eyes — and through the radio. Want to read more? Includes free trial to e-edition. You can cancel anytime. only per week Subscribe Or login if you are already a subscriber. Or, login

Four years ago, Russia launched an illegal and unprovoked full-scale attack on Ukraine. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is a blatant disregard of basic principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the rules-based international order. The European Union was built from the ashes of World War II in opposition to a world in which “the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must”, as put by historian Thucydides.