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Robert Patman

@robertgpatman.bsky.social
278 followers 10 following 132 posts

Distinguished Professor of International Relations, University of Otago, New Zealand.

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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Andrew Urquhart and I discuss recent developments in Ukraine's conflict with Putin's Russi: youtu.be/JYDcPm5rLZc?...
youtu.be
Lyman Breakthrough: Is Russia's Donbas Push Cracking?
YouTube video by Rhema
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Mark Carney's defiance of Trump's America could have wide and potentially profound implications for global politics during the next ten years: youtu.be/EcffyLAiPJ8?...
youtu.be
Carney-Trump Clash Could Spark New Middle/Small Power Alignment
YouTube video by Robert Patman
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
“The post 9/11 era is, in many ways, a story of how veto-wielding P-5 members have destabilised global security”. www.odt.co.nz/news/opinion...
odt.co.nz
Building peace in a turbulent world
Last week University of Otago Professor Robert Patman gave the annual Archibald Baxter lecture. This is an abridged version of his speech.
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Bruce Munro and I discuss Canada's energetic efforts at economic and diplomatic diversification following escalation of Ottawa's trade war with Trump's America: youtu.be/tazwszsT82s?...
youtu.be
Carney gaining upper hand in trade war with Trump
YouTube video by Robert Patman
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Peter Bale, Bernard Hickey and I discuss Trump's UN speech, NZ FM's reflections on foreign policy, and the international implications of Carney's defiance of Trump. Discussion begins about 25 mins into the podcast. www.youtube.com/live/jOZkgbw...
youtube.com
The Hoon for Thursday 24th September 2026
YouTube video by The Hoon
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Bruce Munro and I discuss the meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum at a time of growing strategic contestation in the region: youtu.be/WMhWpFpoLjo?...
youtu.be
US-China rivalry, the Pacific Islands Forum and NZ's climate ambiguity
YouTube video by Robert Patman
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The long shadow of 9/11 and the retreat of an independent New Zealand foreign policy theconversation.com/the-long-sha...
theconversation.com
The long shadow of 9/11 and the retreat of an independent New Zealand foreign policy
On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, many of the forces now shaping NZ foreign policy can be traced back to how the US responded to the terror attacks.
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Bruce Munro and I discuss New Zealand's ambiguous stance on climate change at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau www.odt.co.nz/news/world/m...
odt.co.nz
Mixed messaging won’t wash with our climate-threatened Pacific Island neighbours
Mixed messaging won’t wash with our climate-threatened Pacific Island neighbours
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Peter Bale and I discuss the timidity of NZ's foreign policy and the recent visit of the CIA Director to Moscow. Discussion begins at 5.25pm mark. www.youtube.com/live/LH_nghP...
youtube.com
The Hoon for Thursday 27th August 2026
YouTube video by The Hoon
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Jack Tame and I discuss the 6-month anniversary of Trump's Iran war and how it highlights the failure of New Zealand's 'softly-softly' approach to the second Trump administration. youtu.be/X0RFcP97Jzs?...
youtu.be
War in Iran: NZ must reset foreign policy - expert
YouTube video by Q+A with Jack Tame
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
New Zealand has to stop pretending the Trump administration is a good ally when it continues to attack a rules-based order on which NZ foreign policy relies. Discussion begins at 5.25pm mark: www.youtube.com/live/IMSh8vU...
youtube.com
The Hoon for Thursday 20th August 2026
YouTube video by The Hoon
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Global fallout from Foreign Minister's outburst in Parliament risks reputational damage for New Zealand: youtu.be/7YdXyH7Msy8?...
youtu.be
Global Fallout from Foreign Minister's Outburst in NZ Parliament.
YouTube video by Robert Patman
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Australia and New Zealand were frustrated by failure of the PIF foreign ministers to unite in condemnation of China's ICBM missile test into international waters close to Tuvalu: www.news24.com.au/world/global...
news24.com.au
‘Flexing its muscles’: China sends blunt message with missile test
Otago University International Relations Professor Robert Patman believes China’s message is one of “power projection” following its recent ballistic missile test in the Pacific Ocean. “They are reminding the world they are the second superpower. It’s a message to the [Pacific] region,” Mr Patman told News24. “It’s flexing its muscles.”
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Bernard Hickey, Peter Bale and I discuss the global implications of the Foreign Minister telling an Green MP to go back to his "own country". Discussions at 5.40 mark: www.youtube.com/live/uauZo7l...
youtube.com
The Hoon for Thursday 6th August 2026
YouTube video by The Hoon
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
The outburst of the NZ Foreign Minister in the country's Parliament seems to be symptomatic of a deeper problem - diplomatic incoherence: www.odt.co.nz/news/world/f...
odt.co.nz
Foreign policy rethink needed to undo reputational damage, Prof Patman urges
Foreign policy rethink needed to undo reputational damage, Prof Patman urges
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
New Zealand expands security ties in the Pacific Islands region: sc.mp/utr7c?utm_so...
sc.mp
New Zealand’s Pacific defence diplomacy shifts into overdrive
Wellington’s four-month diplomatic blitz aims to lock down regional allies as Washington’s commitment wavers.
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
How another strait in the Middle East could cause a full-blown global economic crisis. www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/why-a-nar...
nzherald.co.nz
Why a narrow strait could tip the Middle East crisis further
International relations professor Robert Patman joins The Front Page to unpack the stakes for global shipping, energy markets, and the risk of further escalation in the Middle East
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
China's strong criticism of New Zealand may be symptomatic of growing confidence in Beijing during the second Trump administration. youtu.be/ErS2Cp9vKnM?...
youtu.be
China's assertiveness linked to perceived Trump weakness
YouTube video by Robert Patman
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Katie Bradford and I discuss the claim of the Putin government that a Russian citizen was passing information to the NZSIS: www.nzherald.co.nz/video/herald...
nzherald.co.nz
Russia likely making an example of citizen accused of spying for NZSIS | Ryan Bridge TODAY
International relations expert Robert Patman discusses allegations that a Russian man spied for New Zealand. Video / Ryan Bridge TODAY
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Peter Bale, Bernard Hickey and I discuss whether NZ's selective approach to international law is blowing back on NZ's core national interests. Discussion begins at 5.22 mark. The Hoon for Thursday 23rd July: www.youtube.com/live/KGrke8-...
youtube.com
The Hoon for Thursday 23rd July 2026
YouTube video by The Hoon
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
China's criticism of NZ for backing the 2016 PCA ruling against Beijing is unwarranted, but it highlights the dangers of NZ taking a selective approach to upholding international law: youtu.be/x-ppCvP2GYI?...
youtu.be
China's rebuke highlights NZ's inconsistency
YouTube video by Robert Patman
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
President Trump's profound strategic misjudgement in launching a war against Iran has left his administration with little or no good options going forward: www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...
rnz.co.nz
Robert Patman discusses latest hostilities between US and Iran
The reignition of hostilities between the United States and Iran has again closed the Strait of Hormuz and seen Iranian missiles fired at targets throughout the Gulf states. Robert Patman, a professor...
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Wallace Chapman, Anna Fifield, Phil O'Reilly, and I discuss China missile launch in Pacific and whether Trump has emboldened Beijing in the Indo-Pacific region. Discussions begin around 5 min. mark. www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...
rnz.co.nz
The Panel with Anna Fifield and Phil O'Reilly, Part 1
Tonight, on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Anna Fifield and Phil O'Reilly. First up, Kaikoura has been today's victim of ferocious weather, with the river bursting its banks. Motel...
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
De-coding Putin's threats against Poland: www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/internati...
nzherald.co.nz
'Putin is in deep trouble': Expert says Poland threat a distraction from Ukraine setbacks
US intel reportedly warned Poland of a possible Russian 'provocation'.
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
NZ's foreign policy blind spot is becoming harder to defend newsroom.co.nz/2026/05/17/n...
newsroom.co.nz
NZ's foreign policy blind spot is becoming harder to defend
From Otago University - Comment: NZ’s soft approach to Trump’s Iran war is exposing the strategic and economic costs of trying to hedge between principle and pragmatism, writes Robert Patman.
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Dr Peter Grace and I discuss the Xi Jinping-Trump meeting in Beijing and the importance of expertise and knowledge at such gatherings: youtu.be/kcMmLsgjNS4?...
youtu.be
The Xi Jinping - Trump Meeting and Intelligence Factor.
YouTube video by Robert Patman
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
‘Dumb on so many levels’: unpacking the Peters v Luxon inferno over Iran emails thespinoff.co.nz/politics/01-...
thespinoff.co.nz
‘Dumb on so many levels’: unpacking the Peters v Luxon inferno over Iran emails
When a prime minister is accusing his foreign minister of 'putting politics ahead of the national interest', it's way beyond a squabble.
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
“The US-led international rules-based order, as we knew it, no longer exists in the Trump era and there is little indication the New Zealand government has fully come to terms with this reality.” www.odt.co.nz/opinion/trum...
odt.co.nz
The Trump administration and NZ
New Zealand has not realised the international rules-based order is over, Robert Patman  writes. The US-led international rules-based order, as we...
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
NZ's hedging on Iran won't be lost on China newsroom.co.nz/2026/04/14/n...
newsroom.co.nz
NZ's hedging on Iran won't be lost on China
Comment from Otago University: Is NZ's Trump-leaning position on the Iran war undermining the country's foreign policy in the eyes of our largest trade partner?
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
Some insights on the closeness of the US-Israel relationship why it may be changing. Alexia Russell, RNZ, The Detail, 27 March 2026: www.rnz.co.nz/news/thedeta...
rnz.co.nz
Why Israel and the US are in lockstep - and why that might be changing
Billions in military aid crosses from the US to Israel but two current conflicts have many younger Americans questioning those ties.
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Is NZ's response to US/Israel attacks on Iran consistent with its support for a rules-based international order: youtu.be/ibzu/NQS0hkU...
youtu.be
NZ's muted response to US/Israel attacks on Iran could backfire.
YouTube video by Robert Patman
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Global significance of Mark Carney's Davos speech at a time of "rupture" www.youtube.com/watch?v=EugM...
youtube.com
Global significance of Carney's Davos speech
YouTube video by Robert Patman
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Time to stop 'babying' Trump. Mark Carney is right. The old global order is over and New Zealand should heed this advice: www.odt.co.nz/news/world/o...
odt.co.nz
'Old order is over' - and why NZ should take heed
Canadian PM Mark Carney says middle and small powers mustn't cave in to bullying by great powers, and they should join forces to protect values and...
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
An article called “Greenland - NATO’s Cemetery?” in the Russian govt newspaper, Rossiyskaya Gazeta (19 Jan. 2026) fully backed Trump's “rapid annexation” of Greenland but warned it would be “dangerous for the American president to ‘back down’ over Greenland": www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ffF...
youtube.com
Russia issues STUNNING response to Trump’s Greenland threats
YouTube video by Brian Tyler Cohen
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
If the rules-based system is really crumbling, what could that mean for New Zealand? thespinoff.co.nz/politics/20-...
thespinoff.co.nz
If the rules-based system is really crumbling, what could that mean for New Zealand?
Everybody's talking about World War Three, but we're as safe as safe can be… right? We asked some experts.
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Gerard Otto and I discussed Trump's intervention in Venezuela, the erosion of international law and the implications for New Zealand: youtu.be/cqc69Cg1188
youtu.be
G News Podcast - Prof Robert Patman - 15 Jan 25
YouTube video by G News
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
As Trump rewrites the rules in Venezuela, NZ faces a foreign policy reckoning theconversation.com/as-trump-rew...
theconversation.com
As Trump rewrites the rules in Venezuela, NZ faces a foreign policy reckoning
The US intervention in Venezuela makes it clear NZ’s ‘softly softly’ foreign policy isn’t a feasible long-term response to a shifting world order.
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
Jack Nyhof and I discuss Trump's opposition to an international rules-based order and the implications for Australia and New Zealand: www.skynews.com.au/world-news/u...
skynews.com.au
Donald Trump moving away from international ‘rules-based order’
University of Otago Department of Politics Professor Robert Patman claims US President Donald Trump is moving away from an international “rules-based order”. “That’s been a pattern of Trump’s second term in the White House,” Mr Patman told Sky News Australia. “Mr Trump made it quite clear he has little time for international law or international institutions unless they work in the interest of America first.”
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
Jack Nyhof and I discuss the territorial sticking point in Trump's Ukraine peace plan: www.skynews.com.au/world-news/g...
skynews.com.au
‘Game breaker’: Territorial ‘sticking point’ threatens Ukraine peace deal
University of Otago Department of Politics Professor Robert Patman claims the territorial “sticking point” in the Ukraine peace deal is a “game breaker”. “President Trump, when he said 95 per cent deal has nearly been done,” Mr Patman told Sky News Australia. “The five per cent, given it’s based on a territorial sticking point, looks like it could be more than a thorny sticking point, but actually a game breaker.”
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 20/12/2025
Lee Feinstein, Peter Bale, Bernard Hickey and I discuss Trump's National Security Strategy document and whether the intern. rules-based order is finished. Discussion begins 20 mins into show. www.youtube.com/live/VrI_o6e...
youtube.com
The Hoon for Thursday 18th December 2025
YouTube video by The Hoon
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 20/12/2025
Reflecting on 2025, it is evident that New Zealand's foreign policy lacked robustness in upholding a system of rules-based trade and diplomacy: www.odt.co.nz/news/world/g...
odt.co.nz
Global Insight: 'Soft power counts' in troubled times
The last episode of Global Insight for 2025 reviews the biggest stories of the year.
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
Trump’s National Security Strategy document now leaves the National-led coalition government with little room to avoid reassessing its stated goal of closer strategic alignment with the US. theconversation.com/trumps-new-s...
theconversation.com
Trump’s new security strategy exposes the limits of NZ’s ‘softly-softly’ diplomacy
The new US National Security Strategy marks a historic break – and a problem for the NZ government’s policy of closer strategic alignment with Washington.
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
Bruce Munro and I discuss the changing dynamics of the Ukraine conflict and how Zelenskyy is now taking the war into Russia's homeland on a consistent basis. youtu.be/_39HmMIfmKE?...
youtu.be
Ukraine takes the war to Putin's Russia
YouTube video by Robert Patman
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
Bernard Hickey, Peter Bale and I analyse the Xi Jinping - Trump APEC meeting and Christopher Luxon's brief encounter with the US president. Discussion begins at 5.25 mark. www.youtube.com/live/ji3mlnf...
youtube.com
The Hoon for Thursday 30th October 2025
YouTube video by The Hoon
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
Bernard Hickey, Peter Bale and I discuss how the economic squeeze is beginning to impact Putin's invasion of Ukraine and how China is managing the Trump challenge. Discussion begins at around 5.20' mark. The Hoon for Thursday 23rd October 2025 youtube.com/live/zLVNuOS... via @YouTube
youtube.com
The Hoon for Thursday 23rd October 2025
YouTube video by The Hoon
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
New Zealand has no national interest in any settlement in Ukraine that compromises the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity: youtu.be/lE-87nzxyGU?...
youtu.be
NZ has no interest in Ukraine deal that rewards Putin's invasion
YouTube video by Robert Patman
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
This is a timely and excellent documentary on New Zealand government's response to the two-year catastrophic conflict in Gaza: www.thearts.co.nz/boosted/proj...
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
It will pay for NZ to be sceptical about Trump's peace plan newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/03/i...
newsroom.co.nz
It will pay for NZ to be sceptical about Trump's peace plan
Opinion from Otago University: NZ’s approach to recognising Palestine as a state has been puzzling. How might that change if Trump’s peace plan succeeds?
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
By not recognising a Palestinian state, NZ puts its own hard-won reputation on the line theconversation.com/by-not-recog...
theconversation.com
By not recognising a Palestinian state, NZ puts its own hard-won reputation on the line
By not joining its close allies over the question of Palestinian statehood, NZ risks being ‘on the wrong side of history’.
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Robert Patman @robertgpatman.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
President Trump's self-congratulatory and bizarre UN General Assembly address seems to confirm US relative decline and increasing marginalisation: www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/internati...
nzherald.co.nz
International relations professor on President Trump's controversial UN General Assembly address
International relations Professor Robert Patman gives his take on Donald Trump's UN General Assembly address. Video / NZ Herald
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