Editorial: Why NZ is important to Obama

Hillary Clinton's visit would have highlighted the continuing ban on military exercises between the US and New Zealand. Photo / Getty Images

Understandably, the United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, chose to postpone her visit to this country because of the earthquake in Haiti. The horrendous death toll and destruction mean relief efforts there must take precedence. Nonetheless, there is inevitable disappointment about the rescheduling of what was shaping as a visit of the utmost significance.

In particular, it would have highlighted the continuing ban on military exercises between the US and New Zealand. This represents the final semblance of a wound that has festered for 25 years. Momentum towards the normalisation of relations has gathered pace over the past few years, but the ultimate gesture of rapprochement remains outstanding. A resumption of military exercises would effectively consign to history a clash sparked by an anti-nuclear policy that, while short on responsibility and credibility, became a symbol of New Zealand independence and maturity, thanks, in part, to America's heavy-handed response.

Several factors suggest that gesture cannot be far away. Indeed, if it was not destined to be made during Mrs Clinton's visit, it will surely be made the next time the New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key, is in Washington. The first driver is New Zealand's recommitment of SAS troops to Afghanistan. This has been a particularly welcome fillip to President Barack Obama at a time when the conflict has become increasingly unpopular and European nations have been reluctant to lift their contributions.

It, of course, makes no sense for our troops to be fighting alongside Americans without having the benefit of exercising together. For that reason, the SAS has already been given permission to train with its US counterpart. But wider contact would be much welcomed by the New Zealand military, which has been hampered by denial of access to leading-edge American defence technology and suchlike.

Other motives for the thaw spring from fundamental tenets of President Obama's foreign policy. One is an extension of US engagement with Asia and the Pacific, as part of his embracing of multilateralism. Another is his emphasis on tackling nuclear proliferation. Last April, President Obama said America, as the only country to have used nuclear weapons in conflict, had a moral responsibility to lead the campaign to abolish them. He kick-started that process by reaching a preliminary agreement for the US and Russia to reduce their nuclear stockpiles by as much as a third.

In April, President Obama plans to accelerate the campaign through an anti-nuclear proliferation summit of about 40 nations in Washington. Mr Key is one of those invited. He will be there as the leader of a country that has enshrined in law an anti-nuclear policy, thereby banning nuclear-armed or powered American military ships from its ports. The credibility of the President's drive to rid the world of nuclear weapons is severely compromised as long as the US maintains sanctions against such a nation.

The shift in US thinking towards New Zealand was emphasised by Mrs Clinton planning to visit just a year into the term of the Obama Administration and for more than the customary fleeting stop. Other issues, such as free trade, would have been discussed. But the focus would, inevitably, have been on the resumption of military exercises.

When President Ronald Reagan imposed the ban in 1985, it seemed inconceivable that it could lead to a lengthy rift between two long-standing allies. New Zealanders' embracing of their anti-nuclear law and American obstinacy saw that it did. Hopefully, the White House's confirmation that is ready to move on will not be long delayed.