Events in recent weeks have seen one of the most tense and tumultuous periods in international relations of the past decade. The standoff between NATO and Russia over Ukraine carries faint echoes of the Cold War, while the situation in the Middle East shows no sign of diminishing with fresh conflict in Iraq and Gaza. Amid this turmoil, Quarterly Access brings you in-depth analysis on issues that grab media attention, as well as those that do not.

In this winter edition we have a range of articles spanning issues from South America to the Gaza Strip.

As I write, the death toll in Israel and Gaza mounts as Israel proceeds with its first ground incursion into the Strip since 2008. Eliyahu Kamisher’s essay is a timely analysis of the economic failings behind the stalled peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Nicholas Metherall writes on the importance of local contributions to ongoing development in Indonesia.

Iker Reyes Godelmann examines the influence of poverty and NAFTA in sparking Mexico’s Zapatista uprising.

William Larn considers the near-future prospects for Japan remaining a non-nuclear weapons state, finding it likely Japan will refrain from nuclearisation, while Richard Vogt looks at the failures of the six party talks to create a détente between North Korea and the rest of world.

Finally, Heath Pickering offers an interesting review of Malcolm Fraser’s provocative new book Dangerous Allies.

David Donaldson

Editor-In-Chief