Download full text
(432.8Kb)
Citation Suggestion
Please use the following Persistent Identifier (PID) to cite this document:
https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-83831-6
Exports for your reference manager
Australia and New Zealand's Pacific policy: aligned, not alike
[journal article]
Abstract Faced with growing Chinese engagement in the Pacific, the two traditional regional powers in that world region, Australia and New Zealand (NZ), unveiled major policy initiatives in the late 2010s. Both Australia's 'Pacific Step-up' and NZ's 'Pacific Reset' featured substantial increases in terms of ... view more
Faced with growing Chinese engagement in the Pacific, the two traditional regional powers in that world region, Australia and New Zealand (NZ), unveiled major policy initiatives in the late 2010s. Both Australia's 'Pacific Step-up' and NZ's 'Pacific Reset' featured substantial increases in terms of development cooperation, diplomatic posts, and high-level exchanges and thus credibly signalled the two allies' desire to remain partners of first choice for Pacific Island Countries. Alignment does however not mean that Australia and NZ's Pacific policies are alike. A paired comparison highlights significant differences with respect to security and migration. I argue that the strong focus in Australia's Pacific policy on hard security reflects not only the country's more pronounced military profile and its alliance with the United States but also the country's greater sense of vulnerability which derives in part from its geographic and historical linkages with Melanesia. This contrasts with NZ's more unburdened traditional focus on Polynesia. I then trace the very different Pacific population profiles of the two Australasian states back to NZ's much greater openness to permanent migration from the region - reflecting both constitutional obligations and the development of distinct migration pathways for Pacific people. These differences are of a structural nature and are bound to shape Australia and NZ's policy approaches to the Pacific in the longer term.... view less
Keywords
Australia; New Zealand; Pacific Rim; China; security; migration; migration policy; politics; national state; military; Melanesia; Polynesia
Classification
International Relations, International Politics, Foreign Affairs, Development Policy
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 53-74
Journal
Political Science, 74 (2022) 1
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/00323187.2022.2064759
ISSN
2041-0611
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed