Shared Values Bring Us Closer

An OpEd by Chargé d'Affaires Dave Keegan, as it appeared in the The Press of Wednesday April 29, 2009.

Around the world pundits are getting ready to pass judgement on the first 100 days of the Obama Administration, ending today.  US diplomat Dave Keegan gives a perspective on the US-New Zealand relationship.

With long experience as a U.S. diplomat, and from my front-row seat as Chargé d’Affaires at our Embassy in Wellington, I have noticed significant changes in U.S. foreign policy and in the way the U.S. is interacting with the world since January 20. There can be no doubt that the global challenges are grave. Obvious solutions are not always ready-to-hand but I would like to share with you some of the United States’ efforts to work with New Zealand and the wider international community to tackle, step-by-step, our shared challenges.  This snapshot covers just 14 days - much has happened before and even since:

March 25

As I sat listening to Murray McCully speak in Auckland I found myself nodding. I wholeheartedly agreed when he said, U.S.-N.Z. relations are ‘in better shape than we have seen in 25 years,’ and is the result of careful and constructive effort on both sides. As he said, for too long both countries dwelt on our differences “and blurred our focus on…our shared interests, our shared history, and our shared values.”

March 27

Two days later I had the pleasure of conveying the U.S’s congratulations to Helen Clark on her nomination to lead the U.N. Development Programme. As I said to her, New Zealand has a deserved reputation for transparency and inclusiveness; teamed with her personal leadership strengths, the programme’s future could not be in more capable hands. She will be aware that the U.S. is fully committed to helping the most vulnerable -- U.S. Development Assistance totalled around $26.0 billion in calendar year 2008, a $4.2 billion, or 19 percent increase on the year before. Even in these trying economic times, we will continue to play our part.

March 31

The U.S announced we will seek a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council with the goal of working to make it a more effective body to promote and protect human rights.  Welcoming the announcement, the N.Z. Government swiftly withdrew its own candidature for the role, explaining that U.S. membership would be “more likely to create positive changes more quickly than we could have hoped to achieve them.”  The U.S. bid is an example of the Obama Administration's "new era of engagement”-- a commitment that New Zealand’s Foreign Minister has recognized saying the new U.S. administration “has already signalled that it will engage more in international institutions.”  Mr McCully added that he looked forward to “America's constructive involvement in the elements of international society that need reform and reinvigoration, most notably the U.N.”

April 6

The following week began with President Obama declaring a commitment to work toward a world free from nuclear weapons.  Calling upon all nuclear weapon states to join us, the President nonetheless recognised that "as the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon, the U.S. has a moral responsibility to act.” He vowed that the U.S. will begin a sequence of concrete steps towards what he acknowledged is a long-term goal, but one that must be pursued immediately and with full conviction.  "This goal will not be reached quickly,” said President Obama, but we “must ignore the voices who tell us that the world cannot change."  Unsurprisingly, the President’s anti-nuclear stand has been warmly welcomed here in New Zealand, drawing plaudits from MPs across the spectrum, the media, NGO groups, and the general public.

April 7

One day later the President signalled his desire for engagement with the Muslim world; “broader engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect. We will listen carefully, we will bridge misunderstandings, and we will seek common ground. …When people look back on this time, let it be said of America that we extended the hand of friendship to all people,” he said.

April 7

At a meeting of around 400 diplomats, Antarctic experts, and polar scientists from 47 countries both our countries celebrated our cooperation in Antarctica which has been thriving for half a century. Addressing the meeting Secretary Clinton stressed the importance of global cooperation on the Ice saying, “Exploring our planet, protecting its future, is too large a task for any one country to undertake. And of course, no country owns the market on good ideas. Breakthroughs can… come from anywhere and everywhere, especially when genuine collaboration and teamwork are involved.”

April 8

Meeting in Washington D.C., Secretary Clinton agreed with Minister McCully that the U.S.-N.Z. relationship is at its best in a ¼ of a century, adding “we look forward to building on the progress we have already made".  At the conclusion of their talks the two signed an agreement forwarding work against the global spread of weapons of mass destruction.  “This is a practical way for New Zealand to assist international efforts to…reduce the potential for nuclear weapons to end up in the wrong hands,” said Minister McCully.

The United States and New Zealand share deeply held values, and our growing friendship is built on those values. Now we must seize the initiative together to make our world more prosperous and more secure.