The U.S. and New Zealand have been feuding since 1984, when Prime Minister David Lange kept an election promise to ban American nuclear-armed and -powered ships from his country's ports. In effect, that killed the ANZUS Security Treaty linking Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. in defense of the southern Pacific.
The U.S., contending that New Zealand had violated its responsibilities to the alliance, stopped sending naval vessels on port calls there and suspended security guarantees and high-level contacts with the Wellington government. The treaty remained technically in effect, however, and the U.S. hoped Lange might come around. But last week,...