Learning from New Zealand

For all their similarities, Australia and New Zealand have aways seen and responded to the world differently. Those differences are especially interesting at a time when the two countries face, with the rise of preponderant Asian great powers—the most profound change in their strategic circumstances since European settlement. As Australia’s relative strategic weight in the region declines, Canberra may have something to learn about how to navigate the difficult decades ahead from New Zealand’s long experience as a successful small power. And New Zealand may find that in its own interests it needs to help Canberra understand more clearly the dangers that lie ahead if old assumptions cloud Australia’s thinking about new realities.