Rate My Professor Robert Patman

Professor Robert Patman is a Professor of International Relations in the Department of Politics at the University of Otago, holding one of the university's inaugural Sesquicentennial Distinguished Chairs appointed in 2019. He earned a BA from the University of Lancaster, an MA from the University of Warwick, and a PhD from the University of Southampton. Patman's research specializations encompass international relations, global security, US foreign policy, great power competition, the Horn of Africa, New Zealand foreign and defence policy, US relations with China and Russia, globalization and conflict, wars between states, intra-state conflicts, and counter-terrorism policies. Throughout his career, he has served as Head of the Department of Politics from 2013 to 2016, editor of the journal International Studies Perspectives from 2010 to 2014, a Fulbright Senior Scholar, and an Honorary Professor at the New Zealand Defence Force Command and Staff College. He co-directs the annual Otago Foreign Policy School.

In recognition of his outstanding commitment to public education on international relations, including over 1000 media appearances in the past two years addressing issues such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, AUKUS, and the Israel-Gaza conflict, Patman received the 2024 Critic and Conscience of Society Award from Universities New Zealand. He has authored or co-edited several key publications, including Strategic Shortfall: The 'Somalia Syndrome' and the March to 9/11 (Praeger, 2010), China and the International System: Becoming a World Power (Routledge, 2013), Science Diplomacy: New Day or False Dawn? (World Scientific, 2015), New Zealand and the World: Past, Present and Future (World Scientific, 2018), and New Zealand's Foreign Policy under the Jacinda Ardern Government: Facing the Challenge of a Disrupted World (World Scientific, 2024). Since the 1990s, particularly following the 9/11 attacks, Patman has been a prominent commentator on global affairs in New Zealand television, radio, newspapers, and international media, contributing to public understanding of complex geopolitical events.