In defiance of nuclear deterrence: anti-nuclear New Zealand after two decades.
In 1984, nuclear-armed and nuclear-powered vessels were banned from New Zealand to express the country's rejection of the nuclear deterrence concept. This led to a disagreement with the United States. Today, the ban on nuclear-powered ships is the only element of the nuclear-free legislation that still strains US-New Zealand relations. This article presents the reasons for the ban on nuclear-powered ships, which include scientific safety concerns, a symbolic rejection of the nuclear deterrence posture, and patriotic factors such as a nuclear-free national identity. The military and economic consequences of the ban are also examined. Since the ban on nuclear-powered vessels appears to be neither widely known abroad nor commonly recognised as a supportive disarmament measure outside New Zealand, it is concluded that whatever the future of this ban will be, New Zealand's anti-nuclear image will remain known internationally through the ban on nuclear arms.
Reitzig
Andreas
A
University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. areitzig@areitzig.com
D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D009520:New Zealand; D009678:Nuclear Energy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D009689:Nuclear Warfare / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011057:Politics; D011640:Public Policy; D012767:Ships / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States