Soft power still counts in a troubled world where problems do not respect borders, international relations specialist Prof Robert Patman says.
The last episode of Global Insight for 2025 reviews the biggest stories of the year.
Asked what New Zealand should be doing on the world stage at the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, Prof Patman said the country should be working closely with others to tackle global problems including climate change, trade barriers and a dysfunctional United Nations.
‘‘Soft power still counts... and I think we should use it more.
‘‘Multilateralism is not dead, and New Zealand can lend momentum to it.’’
In light of that, New Zealand should work closely with other liberal democracies to show leadership on such issues.
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‘‘One issue where I think we've not shown enough leadership, at least publicly - maybe we've been doing it in private - is upholding a rules-based international order.
‘‘We should be part of a coalition, internationally, demanding reform of the UN Security Council.
‘‘Also, we should be doing more to stand up internationally, again, in conjunction with others, to uphold fair and free trade.’’
In this episode of Global Insight, Prof Patman also talks about the political event of 2025 that has most surprised him - the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria; he names his ‘‘big three’’ events of the year, including Trump’s ‘‘America first’’ trade tariffs and debate about whether 3I Atlas is a natural comet or the first sign of non-human intelligence.
‘‘I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that if, in the course of 2025, we discover there is non-human intelligence, that will have major ramifications for our world... for our global economy and for the way we see our place in the universe.’’
