‘What have you done for me lately?’ former top US diplomat David Stillwell asks NZ

Brigadier General David Stillwell isn't here to tell New Zealand what to do, but he is happy to point out the consequences of our choices.

Stillwell was US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2019 to 2021. He retired from the Air Force in 2015 as a Brigadier General and the Asia advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

He tells RNZ's 30 with Guyon Espiner it's "not for me to judge" defence spending or New Zealand's anti-nuclear policy. But, when asked to assess the state of the relationship between the US and New Zealand, he says: "What have you done for me lately? In the end, international affairs are driven by real politics. Relationships are all give and take, right? It can't be one way."

Stillwell served both the Biden and Trump administrations and insists he is not a "shill for any particular administration", but it's clear he is much more aligned with the current administration's view of the world.

President Trump has led a largely successful campaign for traditional US allies to boost their commitment to defence spending.

At last month's Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth suggested New Zealand's plan to lift defence spending to 2 percent of GDP was "freeloading" on America's historical security support.

Stillwell said he did not necessarily agree with Hegseth's comment, noting New Zealand is not a formal member of the NATO alliance.

"But I do think there's a message that goes with how much you contribute to your own defense. That number cannot include expecting the US to ride to the rescue the next time the Chinese Navy does exercises in your waters, or is raiding your fish stocks and ... you don't have a navy or a coast guard to defend yourselves, and so now you look to us."

* 30 with Guyon Espiner comes out every week on RNZ, Youtube, Spotify and wherever you get podcasts.

Consequences of anti-nuclear policy

New Zealand's long-standing anti-nuclear policy is similarly something he would not "sit in judgment" on, but that has consequences.

America's nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are like major cities, capable of producing large amounts of energy, electricity, and water, Stillwell said. They were used in the recovery effort after the 2004 Indian Ocean Boxing Day tsunami.

"If there were a major problem in New Zealand, if you needed that capability here, I would ask New Zealand, how you feel about accepting. Would that change your mind again? And that's up to you. If you want capability, then you then do whatever you have to do, legislative wise," Stillwell said.

"If you want defense cooperation and you invite us out, and then you ask difficult questions that we, by our own policy, cannot answer, then you should expect the result."

Working with Trump

In the interview, Stillwell also discussed the impact of Donald Trump's presidency on the world. He said Trump is "100 percent" a force for good in the world, highlighting a willingness to act, and to be persuaded by strong arguments from his advisers. These were not characteristics of the Biden administration, which "never did anything" about major geo-strategic issues because it was always waiting for "absolutely risk-free" solutions.

"As you know, Donald Trump is not a typical politician, and he does things differently ... By keeping people off balance, it definitely drove things in the right direction," Stillwell said.

"Can you overuse that strategy or that approach? Maybe to the point where your adversaries and your friends might begin to doubt what you can do again."

'Something we can work with now' in Iran

Trump's decision to start a war with Iran had not accomplished everything it was supposed to.

"Of course not. We tried, we failed, but I think we have something we can work with now," Stillwell said.

The Iranian command and control structure and its capability to attack its neighbours had been degraded.

"So to say that it's a complete failure isn't quite right.

"Did it achieve regime change? Did it make it a peaceful democratic Iran? It did not. Is that an achievement goal we would like? I'd love to see that. The Iranian people would love to see that, but did we achieve some of the objectives, or at least the most important ones? I think we did."