The world is changing fast. The Prime Minister on what it means for us
Same, same but different might describe New Zealand’s stance on Russia.
It began as a diplomatic clanger when Foreign Minister Winston Peters appeared reluctant to shift blame back to that country, for the nerve agent attack on a former Soviet double agent in the UK city of Salisbury – for fear it would jeopardise his efforts to get suspended FTA talks back on track.
Those efforts back on the scrap heap, it ended with no real doubt New Zealand was on the right side of the argument; that is with the UK.
But no doubt part of the highlevel trade and relations tour he and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have been on over the past two weeks was dedicated to damage control as New Zealand sought assurances over FTA support from European Union countries and the UK.
Hot off the heels of a successful European tour, meeting the leaders of France, Germany, the UK and four of the Five Eyes intelligence network, as much as she might have liked to, Ardern could not escape questions of Russia.
But it was not all about New Zealand. The backdrop of Russian aggression permeated every leaders’ talking points.
And while New Zealand’s position is ultimately on the same page as our Five Eyes partners, it’s also slightly different. It may not be a bad thing.
Ardern sat down with Stuff to discuss New Zealand’s reliance on the ‘‘international rules-based system’’. It’s a jargon term that likely means little to the public, but has been thrown glaringly into view in the face of a concerted attack on the very matrix within which we live.
‘‘I think what you’ll hear from New Zealand’s position and standpoint is that we have always promoted the use of those international platforms and international order and rule of law,’’ said Ardern. ‘‘Because we are amongst the many countries that lose if we do not maintain that principle.’’
The system includes the UN, the International Court of Justice, the World Trade Organisation – all systems that while flawed, preserve peace and prosperity that a small country relies on. ‘‘We’re a small nation, who has equal voice at the table in those international forums where we don’t want to see a rise in unilateral action by either
those that we consider partners with shared values, or equally open the door for those who don’t share our values and principles to have a basis for which to undertake unilateral action,’’ said Ardern.
Not speaking only to Salisbury; retaliatory strikes in Syria against seemingly Russian-supported chemical attacks, Russia’s known interference in the US Presidential Election and global state-sanctioned cyber attacks have nearly all Western leaders in a state of alarm.
A general Russian chaos theory might be an easy explanation for the apparent war the state is waging on the western world.
Russia is facing a major resource shortage, it can’t compete with many of the major powers economically, militarily or in international influence and so for a leader like Vladimir Putin – to whom power and strength are one and the same – it isn’t about beating enemies rather, pulling them down.
Ardern says there have been a number of moments in history, where leaders bent on not following the rules have ‘‘sought chaos in their approach’’.
‘‘Power is manifest in very different ways. Some manifest their power through economic heft, some utilise their power through subversive means.
‘‘We have to make sure that no matter what, we take a consistent approach with everyone and New Zealand is a loser when countries don’t,’’ she says.
During a ‘‘Four Eyes Meeting’’ – of four of the Five Eyes partners who happened to all be in London for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting last week, all leaders made a brief public statement pointing to the necessity for the Us-led missile strikes in Syria and Russia’s shared responsibility for the chemical attacks that prompted them.
Ardern at the end, added a more forceful addendum than the others: ‘‘We agree with the need to send a clear message and that clear message has been sent. Given the action was taken to call out a breach of international law, now we must seek to return to the international order that we have been seeking to defend.’’
Critics have been in a flap over a perceived lack of support from New Zealand, but for a controversial spy network like the Five Eyes, it may not hurt the alliance to have a less hawkish voice among the ranks, where public opinion over its actions is concerned.