The ANZUS Treaty: A Comprehensive Look at its Origins and Development

This essay delves into the historical significance of the ANZUS Treaty, a pact signed by Australia, New Zealand, and the United States to safeguard against common dangers. It highlights New Zealand's shift from reliance on Britain to forming an alliance with the United States amidst Cold War tensions and the perceived threat of communism. The essay further examines how the treaty has evolved, particularly focusing on Australia's benefits, such as enhanced security and access to American technology. It also touches upon the challenges and changes, including New Zealand's nuclear ship ban and the shift towards annual meetings between the United States and Australia, replacing formal ANZUS council meetings. The essay concludes by referencing key sources that provide further insights into the treaty's historical and contemporary relevance.

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The Anzus Treaty
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The Anzus Treaty.
Historical Significance
This treaty was signed by Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America.
The main reason behind this was to safeguard these nations because an attack on one of
them meant that the others could be at risk. This, as a result, could endanger the safety and
peace of the three nations. As such, a pledge was made with the signatories pledging to act
so that they could deal with the common danger facing them. During this time, New Zealand
had a lot of confidence in Britain knowing that it was well positioned to protect its empires
in its region, (Gossman, 2018, 33). This confidence in Britain was however thwarted when
the Britons surrend3er to their rivals- the Japanese in Singapore. As such, this made New
Zealand vulnerable prompting it to look for alternative security measures or partners
elsewhere.
How it was arrived at
In the year 1945, the United Nations Charter was signed by 51 nations with the aim
of supporting themselves thus having collective security measures, (Fruhling, 2018, 200). To
replace Britain which was now seen as a weakling, New Zealand decided to join forces with
the United States which had dominance at the Pacific during that period. Japan was then
used as a tool to prevent the spread of communism beyond East Asia. Because of the threat
posed by Japan, Australia and New Zealand were worried hence the need to enter into a

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pact (ANZUS) with the United States in 1951 with the sole aim of bolstering and protecting
themselves against communism.
The treaty laid out a measure that could help the three countries. All parties had the
duty of maintaining and developing their military resources which will be helpful in case of
attacks. This also extends to consultations with other neighboring regions on issues of
security, (Acheson and Attlee 2018 160). ANZUS was upheld up to mid-1980s when there
was a row in nuclear ships. The Labor government made a decision to ban nuclear-powered
ships. This lead to the freezing up of New Zealand in the pact by the Americans.
How has it evolved?
From its start, the treaty has brought benefits to Australia. For example, Australia
has enjoyed a secure environment without any sort of security threats. This is alongside
prioritized access to intelligence and American technology, (Gjessing, 2018, 31). The
Australian Defense forces have also been accorded the opportunity to train with American
forces apart from using its military equipment. Presently, annual meetings by the United
States Secretary of State his counterpart the Australian Foreign Minister have been used to
replace ANZUS annual meetings by council members. These meetings mainly cover the
involvement of Australia in the Iraqi War, New Zealand’s ban on missile use as well as the
new cooperation between the United States and New Zealand.

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References
Acheson, D. and Attlee, C., 2018. British views on ANZUS 83–86, 93, 100 defense
policy 19 Indochina 128 Invasion of Egypt 170. Europe, 3(87), p.160.
Frühling, S., 2018. Is ANZUS Really an Alliance? Aligning the US and
Australia. Survival, 60(5), pp.199-218.
Gjessing, M., 2018. High-Level Strategy. In Anglo-Australian Naval Relations, 1945–
1975 (pp. 31-46). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Gossman, L., 2018. ANZUS and the Early Cold War., 33