&gt; The US is not so all-powerful that it can compel governments to act against their own best interest, only powerful enough to align interests, by hook or crook.<p>What world do you live in? The United States often compels governments to act against their own interests. The 1973 US backed coup leading to the death of 11,000 civilians. The Iranian-Contras. The School of the Americas, which literally trained terrorists in South America, Iraq!<p>Thirty years from now, declassified information will show the US caused the rebellion in Libya and that the US directly funded ISIS.<p>Granted New Zealand is a Commonwealth State and it&#x27;d be much more difficult to go to war with a developed English speaking nation, but they are still under the thumb of the US&#x2F;UK empire. They ruled the spying on Kim Dotcom was illegal, then changed the laws to make it retroactively legal...and also allow the GCHB to spy on anyone they want.