In defiance of nuclear deterrence

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

Business · Deterrence theory · Disarmament · International trade · Legislation · Nuclear ethics · Nuclear weapon · Political science · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Island Studies and Pacific Affairs · Law · Nuclear Issues and Defense

• Strategically (in)secure and economically (in)vulnerable

  Open Access•Darren J Lim, Walter Brenno Colnaghi•Australian Journal Of International…•2024

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