International law specialist Prof Alexander Gillespie, of the University of Waikato, argues New Zealand should continue to speak up in a volatile world. He was among the speakers at a conference at the University of Otago’s St Margaret’s College in Dunedin at the weekend. PHOTOS: PETER MCINTOSH Amid a volatile world, an international relations and law specialist visiting Dunedin was careful to put a short-term horizon on his message for young New Zealanders. Prof Alexander Gillespie, of the University of Waikato, had advice for the next two or three months. The fragile rules-based order governing international affairs needed to be defended, he said. New Zealand should speak up in a way that was consistent and resist the temptation to be selectively silent, he said. If it was prepared to call out Russia for crossing the line, it should apply that standard elsewhere. “Name suppression, whether it is America or China or any other country, should not apply,” Prof Gillespie said. New Zealand should retain its nuclear-free status, get its military spending to 2% of gross domestic product and work closely with Australia, he said. Attendees of the 60th Otago Foreign Policy School listen to University of Waikato professor Alexander Gillespie. Prof Gillespie was one of the speakers at the 60th Otago Foreign Policy School conference in Dunedin at the weekend. He noted the prevalence of populism, extremism and emergence of artificial intelligence. “I fear that the risks out there to our country are growing, and we need to be more prepared,” Prof Gillespie said. “Right now, my concern is trying to prevent superpowers colliding.” New Zealand must be willing to have difficult conversations with its friends and allies, he said. “Fundamentally, we must retain our autonomy. “One of the things that concerns me most is that a lot of our foreign policy has become silenced.”
