The University of Waikato’s Reuben Steff recently wrote a book on NZ’s role amid US-China tensions. (Image: Reuben Steff)
New Zealand is no stranger to tectonic shifts, perched as it is on a volcanic belt, but geopolitical quakes may prove an entirely different matter.
The University of Waikato’s Dr Reuben Steff joins the podcast to argue that without joining the high-tech-focused pillar two of the Australia, UK and US (Aukus) agreement, NZ may find itself at a major disadvantage in the new world order.
Steff argues that not joining Aukus could leave NZ technologically exposed if global tensions boil over.
“ In future conflicts, there may very well be very little competition between militaries that have integrated the most advanced technologies and those that haven't ... In World War I, a country was riding cavalry into battle against tanks. That actually happened in some cases because you had technology changing so quickly, and some countries were able to adapt and adopt the new technology quickly, and other countries were stuck in the past.
“We also know technology is evolving at an exponential rate. We are not going to be able to create these technologies on our own.”
We also discuss US Defence Secretary Peter Hegseth ordering a softer cybersecurity stance toward Russia.
Subscribe on iHeart Radio or wherever you get podcasts
Reading list
- New Zealand's Geopolitics and the US-China Competition (Reuben Steff's book) - Springer Nature
- The Pacific chessboard, and NZ’s place in the US-China power struggle - The Post
- How Chinese warships encircled Australia, without Canberra noticing - The Telegraph
- Can AI sound too human? Sesame's Maya is as unsettling as it is amazing, try it for free - ZDNet
- Meta, HP, and Salesforce lead February’s layoff surge: Why is Big Tech cutting jobs? - Indian Express
- Self-driving taxis are speeding ahead in America, so why is Europe still waiting? - Fortune
