NZ 'a close friend' but no US ally

[brettdale]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/3998088a10.html

NZ 'a close friend' but no US ally

The United States has reminded New Zealand that it is a "close friend'' but not an ally, dashing any hopes Prime Minister Helen Clark's visit may result in a resumption of military ties.
NZ FACES BARRIERS TO FREE TRADE DEAL WITH US - CLARK

Clark leaves New Zealand for Washington DC tonight, where she will meet President George W Bush at the White House on Wednesday (Thursday New Zealand time).

The Prime Minister received a boost on the eve of her departure, with the US State Department announcing 2007 would be "The Year of the Pacific'', and declaring that America would seek to expand its engagement and reverse "any perception that the US has withdrawn from the Pacific''.

Speaking to the House committee on foreign affairs in Congress, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Glyn Davies said growing political, environmental and economic challenges, compounded by longer-term transnational threats, "menaced'' some of the island societies.

"We believe it is crucial to keep this vast, strategic region and its mostly small, sometimes struggling states firmly on our side.''

[rodeodance]

1. ha ha--first bush wants to reassure LatinA--now the Pacific!

[jeff30997]

2. I wonder if Chimpy...

Will give her a neck massage ?

[Dead_Parrot]

3. So, we can get our forces out of Afghanistan?

:shrug:

[brettdale]

4. I dont think that will happen

It seems we are stuck there for a long long time, I hope Helen doesn't go the Diplomatic route, but Im afraid I think she will.

[nealmhughes]

5. Not true! NZ is a member of ANZAC and has troops in Afghanistan!

The US is miffed at NZ over their "nuclear exclusion act" which prohibits nuclear-fueled ships to enter NZ waters or any weapons in their waters or on their soil.

The US/Australia/NZ alliance is as solid as the NATO alliance (on paper). An attack on NZ is an attack on the US and Australia.

If that ain't an ally, then I don't know what is...

[WinkyDink]

6. YOU are not The Decider.

[Bear down under]

7. The treaty is called ANZUS, not ANZAC

Stands for Australia, New Zealand and United States. (Anzac stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, the corps that won fame in World War I.)

The ANZUS treaty was signed in 1951 and was originally a three-way pact between the three countries. But in 1984 NZ banned all nuclear powered or armed warships (not just US) from its territory and formally withdrew from ANZUS, and the treaty is now effectively two mutual defence pacts, ie between Australia and NZ and Australia and the US. If that sounds complicated I don't understand it either.

So the postition in the OP headline is correct: New Zealand is friendly to the US but not a (military) ally.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANZUS

Whether ANZUS has been beneficial overall to Australia is debatable, though debate here has been muted. It was invoked to get us embroiled in Korea, Vietnam and Iraq, conflicts with which we would appear to have no particular interest, and it does seem a bit strange that a superpower like the US should need one as small as Australia (or NZ) to come to its rescue -- though the strategic importance to it of bases on the Australian continent should not be underestimated. On the other hand, one might argue that a small country like Oz does benefit from enjoying the protection of a superpower. The only problem with that is that military strategists occasionally point out that the only country actually capable of mounting a successful invasion of Australia is the United States itself.