We are living in the midst of a dramatic change. The rise of emerging nations, particularly India and China, has altered the global economy. The EU and US now account for around half of the global middle class, but within a decade that is likely to be less than one third, mainly due to economic growth in Asia.
There are obvious implications for trade. In New Zealand can benefit from opportunities for exports to Asia of our products, tourism and services like education, as well as welcoming Asian migration that adds to the richness of cultures, food and peoples in our increasingly cosmopolitan society.
But the approach to extend a hand of friendship to Asia is now in question. Instead New Zealand’s foreign policy has become dominated by our relationship with the United States. This has become apparent in three key areas.
Firstly, the decision to send troops to support military training in Iraq has been a step towards closer alignment with the US. Previously New Zealand declined to send troops for the invasion of Iraq, as part of its independent foreign policy, and our contributions in Afghanistan were primarily to assist provincial reconstruction. After fifteen years of US-led interventions, the Middle East is mired in violent conflicts with millions of displaced people and massive suffering. New Zealand’s decision to contribute to military training can only be understood as ‘doing our bit’ to help the US-led forces.
Secondly, the revelations that New Zealand has been spying on Pacific and Asian governments as part of the Five Eyes alliance, alongside the US, Australia, Canada and the UK, has resulted in strong condemnation by some Asian and Pacific governments. The Five Eyes group has also faced allegations that surveillance has been used to gain commercial advantage for their companies.
Thirdly, New Zealand is negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) with the US, Japan, Australia, Canada and seven other nations. President Obama has justified this agreement to sceptical US Republicans as creating a trading bloc that will contain China’s economic influence in Asia. By being part of the agreement, the New Zealand government is aligning itself with the US in its policy of containment of China.
New Zealand’s successful campaign for election onto the UN Security Council emphasised our record of independence as a small nation. But recent policies call this into question. This is a crucial time. We have taken over the Security Council Presidency from 1 July. The Green Party is calling for the government to use our influence to support peace and security, particularly in the Middle East, acting as an independent voice, and to address the strategic threat of climate change that threatens the security issue of our planet and us all.
Barry Coates is on the Green Party list, just outside Parliament. He was formerly the Executive Director of Oxfam New Zealand.