Alliance Relationships: Asia Pacific Democracies Working Together. An Australian View
Abstract
Australia is America's oldest friend and ally in the Asia-Pacific region. The countries have fought alongside each other in two World Wars, the Korean and Vietnam wars, the 1991 Gulf War, and most recently in Afghanistan and Iraq. The closeness of Canberra and Washington today is without precedent. Australia is now America's second closest ally in the world, after the United Kingdom. The United States has been a crucial factor in Australian defense policy for over 60 years. Washington provides a robust security guarantee for Australia, including extended nuclear deterrence. Australia's self-reliant defense posture within its own region is immeasurably strengthened by highly privileged access to U.S. intelligence, defense science, weapons, and military logistics support. The alliance with the United States gives Australia greatly added status in world affairs, especially in Asia. However, for the first time since the Vietnam War, there is a debate in Australia about what the United States expects from the alliance and about the nature of U.S. power in the contemporary era, and what that means for Australia. This paper examines Australia's alliance with the United States. How robust is it? Are there emerging difficulties and obstacles that are likely to limit future alliance cooperation? How important are domestic political differences in Australia towards the alliance? Will generational change affect the historical rock-solid support for the U.S. relationship? And how can this historical alliance be adapted to meet new regional and global security challenges in the 21st century?
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA441171
Entities
People
- Paul Dibb
Organizations
- National Defense University