New Zealand's Geopolitics - Reuben Steff | Ep. 2 (2026)
About this episode
This episode explores New Zealand's unique strategic culture shaped by its geography and historical context with Dr. Reuben Steff.
In this episode, together with Dr Reuben Steff, we explore how New Zealand’s geographic isolation, colonial legacies, and small-state status have shaped a distinctive strategic culture; one that combines alliance cooperation with a persistent commitment to autonomy, non-nuclear norms, and multilateralism. Reuben Steff Reuben Steff is a Senior Lecturer at Mendel University in Brno whose scholarship engages some of the most pressing questions in contemporary international relations and security. His research spans the implications of artificial intelligence for the global balance of power, the interaction between nuclear deterrence theory and ballistic missile defence within the security dilemma, New Zealand and United States foreign policy, and the dynamics of great-power competition between the United States and China. Publications: New Zealand’s Geopolitics and the US-China Competition ‘Our region is now a strategic theatre’: New Zealand’s balancing response to China The strategic case for New Zealand to join AUKUS Pillar 2 US Foreign Policy in the Age of Trump: Drivers, Strategy and Tactics Emerging Technologies and International Security: Machines, the State, and…
More episodes of The IR thinker
- Russian Soft Power in Africa, Asia & the Middle East - Vladimir Liparteliani | Ep. 9 (2026)
- South Africa's Nuclear Energy - Kelvin Kemm Final | Ep. 8 (2026)
- British Journal of Politics and International Relations - Jack Holland | Ep. 7 (2026)
- Understanding China-Russia Relations - Philip Snow | Ep. 6 (2026)
- The Changing World Order - Mark N. Katz | Ep. 5 (2026)
- Catalonia's Pursuit of Self-government - Marc Sanjaume-Calvet | Ep. 4 (2026)
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The IR thinker podcast page.