Ian Hill

Biography
Publications

Ian Hill is a retired senior career diplomat in the New Zealand foreign ministry. In the course of his 42 years in the diplomatic service, Mr Hill served three times in Moscow, twice as Ambassador (2009–12 and 2016–20). He also served as Deputy Head of Mission for five years in Washington DC, and held other senior foreign service roles in London and the Pacific. Mr Hill served in several senior foreign ministry positions in Wellington, including as Director for European Affairs, and was also the Prime Minister’s foreign affairs adviser from 1993–95. He is currently Adjunct Professor in the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at Massey University and Senior Fellow in the Centre for Strategic Studies at Victoria University of Wellington.

Russia foreign policy: the search for new friends
Russia foreign policy: the search for new friends
Shunned by the West, Moscow is wooing the rest of the world. And so far it’s finding success.
Why does Putin persist?
Why does Putin persist?
For all his mistakes, the Russian leader knows the objectives of Ukraine and its Western backers don’t exactly coincide. 
Russia, Ukraine and the wars of the Soviet succession
Russia, Ukraine and the wars of the Soviet succession
Putin’s war is part of the untidy and slow-motion disintegration of the Soviet Union.
2022: A global turning point
2022: A global turning point
Looking at trends and contours that have coalesced this year to make international politics more contested and unpredictable.
Ukraine: No end in sight
Ukraine: No end in sight
A ceasefire proposal would likely be rejected as a Russian ploy, yet with winter closing, neither side can expect let up.
Ukraine conflict: turning point?
Ukraine conflict: turning point?
Putin’s new escalatory threats and the near-existential battle for Russia and its president.
Russia and Turkey: Sometimes strongmen need to get along
Russia and Turkey: Sometimes strongmen need to get along
Putin and Erdoğan have forgiven all manner of friendship-breaking behaviour to retain their power in Eurasia.
Winter is coming: staying the course on Ukraine
Winter is coming: staying the course on Ukraine
Standing firm against Russia won’t be easy for Western governments faced with Putin’s chokehold on European gas.
War in Ukraine: Gloomy prospects
War in Ukraine: Gloomy prospects
What both sides might eventually have to settle for to end the fighting – and when – is far from clear.
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