Alliance Revisited

New Zealand and the United States fought side by side in both World Wars, in the Korean War, Vietnam and in various Cold War conflicts, but with stringent nuclear policies introduced in New Zealand in 1985, relations between the two countries cooled. The presence of New Zealand troops at Germany’s Hohenfels’ Joint Multinational Readiness Center this month as part of the Cooperative Spirit exercise signals warming in a defence relationship that has been frosty for more than 20 years. There is evidence that Kiwis want to contribute to global security. New Zealand Defence Minister Phil Goff has been in Washington arguing for a free trade agreement with the U.S. in his role as trade minister. “The defence  relationship with the United States has undergone a major shift,” Goff said. “Since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, there has been an acknowledgement that we can and should work closely together in support of our shared  interests, while maintaining our commonly understood difference,” he said.