https://www.scmp.com/rss/508707/feed Alexander Gillespie is a law professor at the University of Waikato in New Zealand. He works primarily in international law, specialising in the environment and the laws of war/international humanitarian law. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Alexander Gillespie Alexander Gillespie The situation in the Middle East is moving exceptionally fast. New Zealand and the international community had barely digested the debate about Palestinian statehood before US President Donald Trump presented a 20-point peace plan for Gaza. There are good reasons to be sceptical about the plan’s success, given the actors involved and the lack of trust on all sides. But from New Zealand’s perspective, there are positive aspects contained within it, including: The proposed ceasefire and immediate... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3327823/gaza-trump-and-new-zealands-moment-truth-palestinian-statehood?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3327823/gaza-trump-and-new-zealands-moment-truth-palestinian-statehood?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Oct 2025 02:30:08 +0000 Tax cuts, crime, the cost of living, potholes and co-governance - these and various other issues are now familiar to most New Zealand voters. But there has been one major election area missing the serious debate it needs: foreign policy. Whichever parties form the next government, and whoever becomes prime minister, they will also be charged with negotiating New Zealand’s place in a dynamic and changing world. Military and security alliances, trade, climate change and foreign aid are all... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3236739/new-zealand-election-parties-should-outline-foreign-policy-goals-ranging-china-aukus-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3236739/new-zealand-election-parties-should-outline-foreign-policy-goals-ranging-china-aukus-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Oct 2023 06:00:11 +0000 In July, New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released its strategic foreign policy assessment, Navigating a Shifting World – Te whakatere i tētahi ao hurihuri. It looks ahead to 2025 and is “intended as a contribution to the national conversation on foreign policy”. The national security strategy, Secure Together – Tō Tātou Korowai Manaaki – along with a new defence policy and strategy statement, rounds out this revised New Zealand world view. A soon-to-be-released threat assessment from... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3230055/china-climate-change-terrorism-listed-among-new-zealands-security-issues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3230055/china-climate-change-terrorism-listed-among-new-zealands-security-issues?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Aug 2023 21:00:08 +0000 This week’s White House meeting between New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and US President Joe Biden reflected a world undergoing rapid change. But of all the shared challenges discussed, there was one that kept appearing in the leaders’ joint statement – China in the Pacific. Tucked within the statement, with all its promises of increased cooperation and partnership, was this not-so-subtle declaration: “In particular, the United States and New Zealand share a concern that the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3180393/meet-china-challenge-pacific-new-zealand-needs-put-its-money?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3180393/meet-china-challenge-pacific-new-zealand-needs-put-its-money?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Jun 2022 20:00:26 +0000 Very recently in the Bay of Bengal a naval exercise took place involving India, France, Japan and Australia. While it received little or no coverage in New Zealand, it nonetheless represented a foreign policy challenge as serious as any other the country currently faces. The exercise was an extension of what is known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or “Quad” for short. At the core of this relatively recent security grouping are the four major Indo-Pacific democracies: the United States,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3130090/diplomacy-or-appeasement-new-zealands-china-policy-risks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3130090/diplomacy-or-appeasement-new-zealands-china-policy-risks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Apr 2021 22:00:16 +0000 New Zealand has a strong history of protecting and promoting human rights at home and internationally, and prides itself on being an outspoken critic and global leader in this area. So, when the most serious accusation of human rights abuse – genocide – is made of one of its friends, how to respond? This is precisely the situation now regarding China. One of the final acts of the Trump administration was to bequest to incoming President Joe Biden the formal assertion that China had committed... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3119414/how-new-zealand-can-respond-us-charge-genocide-against-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3119414/how-new-zealand-can-respond-us-charge-genocide-against-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Jan 2021 05:18:13 +0000