“This volume is about our capacity to make sense of a turbulent world…”
from the introduction by Roderic Alley

In 2003 Victoria University hosted the Fourth Wellington Conference on World Affairs. This book is a collection of papers from that gathering. The theme was ‘ New Zealand in World Affairs’ and focused on three major threads: New Zealand’s role in the Pacific, Trans-Tasman relations and New Zealand in a globalising world.

Chapters include a discussion and deconstruction of globalization; the role of diplomacy in a global world; security in Oceania in the post 9/11 era; a survey of diplomacy, politics with regard to nuclear testing by the French and an investigation of the differing world views held by Australia and New Zealand.

“Economic globalisation is being driven by transnational corporations, which are now the major player in world economics. They—rather than national governments—set the pace of economic change. The anti-globalisation demonstrators are right to identify the problems that some corporations create, such as the exploitation of labour (including child labour), the manipulation of national taxation regimes to avoid paying tax , and the destruction of the environment. They can also play havoc with foreign currency transactions. For example, American banker Andy Krieger was one of the legendary foreign currency speculators in the late 1980s . He speculated particularly on the NZ$ (the “Kiwi”). On one occasion he sold roughly the entire money supply of New Zealand. New Zealand finance officials privately told him that they did not mind him driving down the price of the Kiwi because it would make exports cheaper and spur economic growth. In other words, this 25 year old trader could do what the government could not—drive down the Kiwi’s value and force economic change on a lethargic business community.” From Keith Suter’s chapter on New Zealand’s role in the Pacific

Edited by Ralph Pettman, professor in the Political Science and International Relations Programme at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand in a Globalising World has includes contributions by noted New Zealand experts; Brian Easton, Denis Mclean and Malcolm McKinnon as well as from overseas scholars.

Contributors and Topics • Analysts, Practitioners and Not Getting It Wrong Roderic Alley • Deconstructing Globalisation Alejandro Groppo • The Marsden ‘Globalisation and New Zealand’ Project Brian Easton • Sovereignty, Globalisation and New Zealand Foreign Policy Robert Patman • Diplomatic ‘Interests’ Malcolm McKinnon • Security in Oceania in the Post-9/11 and -Bali Era John Henderson • New Zealand’s Role in the Pacific Keith Suter • The Concept of the ‘Failed State’ Richard Herr • Diplomacy, Politics and Nuclear Testing Stephen Hoadley • South-West Pacific Jon Fraenkel • Looking Out from Down Under Terence O’Brien • Being on the Right Side of History Les Holborow • A Tale of Two Nation-States Damian Edwards • It’s the Region, Stupid! Denis McLean •