RETURN TO THE ALLIANCE: THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS OF NEW ZEALAND’S GOVERNMENT REGARDING TO THE RECONCILIATION OF DEFENSE RELATIONS BETWEEN NEW ZEALAND AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (2010-2016)

Abstract

After the enactment of anti-nuclear policy of New Zealand’s government in 1985, the bilateral relationship between New Zealand and the U.S. was threatened to end. The U.S. reacted by limiting their bilateral relations, including the defense related matters with New Zealand. Their quarrels were also affecting the dynamics within the tripartite security partnership ANZUS, and had yet to reconcile ever since. Finally, after 25 years on hiatus, the relationship between New Zealand and the U.S. has been thawed. On November 2010, both countries signed the Wellington Declaration, which believed to be the beginning of their reconciliation. Their commitment to engage in stronger and deeper security partnership was strengthened in June 2012 by signing Washington Declaration—which emphasized their security partnership in several areas, including maritime security and disaster relief. These two declarations, coupled with the initiative of the U.S. through “rebalance policy”, were later mentioned explicitly inside the New Zealand’s Defence White Paper 2016, whereas also confirmed that the U.S. is the “closest partner” of New Zealand. In line with those abovementioned facts, this research will focus on how New Zealand’s decision-makers considered the security dynamics between New Zealand and the U.S. as one of the points written inside the White Papers 2016, using the frameworks of neorealism, balance of power, threat perception, foreign policy of small states, and defense policy. Based on my findings, thereat perception somehow contributed to the defense and security dynamics between New Zealand and the U.S., which made the reconciliation becomes possible.