Robert Patman: Otago University International Relations Professor says Trump lacks credibility to run board of peace

An international relations expert says it would've been hypocritical for New Zealand to sit on Donald Trump's peace board.  

The  Prime Minister and Foreign Minister announced this morning that New Zealand won't be accepting Trump's invitation to join the board. 

The denial comes days after the Government signalled it was considering the offer. 

Otago University Professor Robert Patman told Heather du Plessis-Allan that Trump lacks the credibility to run a board of peace. 

He says he's threatened the territories of two democratic allies this term -- and if  person wants to chair a peace board they have to walk the talk. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Prime Minister has confirmed we will not be signing
on to Donald Trump's so called Board of Peace. The
body was created to oversee reconstruction and peace efforts in Gaza,
but New Zealand will not join. Countries have already joined,
Saudi Arabia and Russia, and we'll be avoiding the eyewatering
price tag that comes with it. Robert Patman is the
Otago University International Relations PROFESSORO is with us now, Hi,

(00:20):
Robert Hi? Hell, obviously the right call, isn't it?

Speaker 2 (00:25):
I think so? Yes? I think given the fact that
New Zealand has traditionally stood and still does for a
two state solution involving Israel and the Palestinians, this Board
of Peace, headed by mister Trump does not have any
Palestine representation on it, and it also doesn't seem to

(00:46):
recognize the principle of political self determination for the Palestinians.
So it will be hypocritical for us to sit on
such a board which falls short in those areas.

Speaker 1 (00:56):
Right now, There's been a reasonable amount of pressure on
the Prime Minister in the last week to answer questions
about it, and he's chosen only today to say it.
Why today is that simply so that we could join
a crowd who all say it at the same time.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
I think that you know, one or two people have said,
why didn't we turn it down immediately? I'd probably find
myself in that camp. But to be fair to the government,
I think that they probably wanted to be seen as
weighing it up carefully and not making an impulsive decision.
But I do think the decision they made is the
right one.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
Now, do you think that it doesn't pose a threat
in any way to the UN? In that the UN
may look at this and realize there are moves of
foot well, at least there is the consideration of setting
up an alternative body that may cause the UN to
actually find some reason to reform itself.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
I don't think it is a serious rival to the UN.
The UN consists of one hundred and ninety three countries,
and a lot of countries have already declined to participate
in mister Trump's so called Board of Peace. And you know,
if you want to chair a board of peace, you
also have to walk the talk. And in thirteen months

(02:09):
in office, mister Trump has threatened to the territories of
two Democratic allies, Denmark and also Canada as well as
he's now threatening Iran. So in a sense, it seems
to lack the sort of credibility you need to draw
in lots of other countries. Now, let's be quite clear,

(02:30):
the UN is struggling, But one of the reasons it's
struggling is because it is saddled with this ridiculous system
in the UN Security Council, of which the US has
an exceptional privilege. The US, Russia, and China, the UK
and France all have the privilege of VETO, so they
can block anything they don't like. We live in the

(02:50):
world where five countries can do two in matters of
war and peace, and that is pretty The rest of
us are putting up the cost. But what do you
do in that situation? Do you move on to a
new international organization? Not necessarily, you try and make the
assisting one much better.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
Yeah, but that's the problem, isn't it, Robert. Nobody's making
the existing one much better, and that's what I'm hoping for. Hey,
thank you for your time. Robert Patman, International Relations Professor,
Otago University. Okay.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
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