New Zealand's defence policy: From realism to idealism?

McCraw, D. (2008). New Zealand's defence policy: From realism to idealism? Defense & Security Analysis, 24(1), 19-32.

Permanent Research Commons link: https://hdl.handle.net/10289/8295

New Zealand’s defence policy over the last 25 years has changed dramatically, going

from being anchored in a Realist view of the world to being one influenced more by a

Liberal Internationalist view of international relations. This has meant that defence

policy has gone from one reliant on a balanced military force and collective security

with allies to one that is attuned primarily to peace-keeping and determinedly independent

of allies. The change is mainly the result of the increasing influence of the Labour

party’s ideology on defence policy.

2008

Routledge