Different nightmares, shared dreams? Australia and New Zealand's intuitive alliance
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Date
2024-10-23
Open Access Location
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor and Francis Group
Rights
(c) 2024 The Author/s
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Abstract
What does this apparent relegation of the strategic significance of Australia’s relationship with New Zealand to a partnership in Australia’s 2023 Defence Strategic Review tell us about the status of the Australia-New Zealand alliance? Based on interviews and roundtables with leaders, officials, and academics in both countries in late 2023 and early 2024, we argue that the depth and breadth of Australia and New Zealand’s defence, economic, regulatory, and people-to-people cooperation and integration has made their relationship ‘intuitive’. That is, Australia and New Zealand’s relationship has come to be seen as part of the natural order of things, so that the two countries see each other as a natural, permanent partner, parting company with whom is unthinkable. But we also argue that this may prevent the two neighbours from recognising and responding to tensions. To address this, we examine differences between the two countries’ perceptions of themselves, their strategic interests, and their alliance, and find that the management of expectations will continue to generate tensions. While we conclude that these tensions will not fundamentally undermine the relationship, we acknowledge that it has not yet been seriously tested, for example by conflict in East Asia.
Description
Keywords
Australia, New Zealand, Alliance
Citation
Powles A, Wallis J. (2024). Different nightmares, shared dreams? Australia and New Zealand's intuitive alliance. Australian Journal of International Affairs. 78. 5. (pp. 536-560).