A Seat at the Table

This fascinating look at global politics follows New Zealand’s fourth term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, from 2015 to 2016. Its engrossing chapters by key players, from the then Minister for Foreign Affairs Murray McCully to the two-term New Zealand President of the Security Council Gerard van Bohemen, offer real insights into the Council’s day-to-day workings. This book examines New Zealand’s efforts to improve Council processes, and asks: Given the dominance of the P5—the United States, China, Russia, France, and the United Kingdom—is there a role on the Security Council for smaller nations? And can they effect meaningful change for those suffering in war-torn and corrupt countries?

Graham Hassall is an associate professor at Victoria University of Wellington (2010–present). He was president of the United Nations Association of New Zealand (2012–16) and is chair of the New Zealand Centre for Global Studies (2018–present). Negar Partow is a senior lecturer at the Centre for Defence and Security Studies, Massey University. She is a New Zealand Institute of International Affairs board member and United Nations Association of New Zealand special officer.