Relationship dossier
Cook Islands
United States
Relationship assessment
New diplomatic partnership with a framework for cooperation on maritime security, climate and development
Cook Islands toward United States
+30The Cook Islands joined the United States in a 2023 joint declaration that set out areas for bilateral cooperation, including maritime security, climate change and development.
United States toward Cook Islands
+35The United States recognized the Cook Islands and established diplomatic relations in 2023. It also joined the Cook Islands in a declaration outlining cooperation on maritime security, climate change and development.
Overall relationship
+30The relationship has developed from formal diplomatic ties into a bilateral framework for cooperation, including on maritime security, climate change and development. The partnership is relatively new, and the scale and durability of practical cooperation remain unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
The Cook Islands and the United States established formal diplomatic relations in 2023, alongside a joint declaration outlining cooperation on issues including maritime security, climate change and development. The relationship has a substantive framework, but its implementation and the breadth of ongoing bilateral cooperation are unclear.
Key developments
The United States recognized the Cook Islands and established diplomatic relations; the two governments also announced a joint declaration setting out areas for cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of cooperation under the 2023 joint declaration are unclear.
- The extent of sustained bilateral cooperation beyond the areas named in the declaration is uncertain.