Danielle, thanks for visiting my blog and for your kind words.

Mac, you're right, we are tied to a declining world power, one that both loves and needs war.

Most Australians don't bother to think about America or question why it has military bases spread all over the world, why it invades and occupies resource-rich countries, why it sticks its nose into the affairs of so many countries, why it controls so many countries by using promises of aid, why it's in bed with so many dictators and tyrannical Kings, why it supports capitalism and greed, etc.

If they bothered to ask themselves these questions, they might change their attitude dramatically. Could I suggest the OLO readers have a look at anti-war.com, get a different perspective on things. Currently the FBI is raiding the homes of anti-war activists in an attempt to close them down.

America wants its citizens to think war, to love war, to see war as the solution to all problems.

Such thinking borders on insanity!

http://www.anti-war.com

Not having read yet the main articles this writer refers to, it's quite difficult to comment knowledgeably. That the strategic balance is changing is beyond doubt, and struggles between major powers are very rarely violence-free: indeed, if this one is, it will be the first.
The question for Australian foreign policy is how to not get swept up in the coming violence, as well as trying to prevent that violence from being the last thing humans on this earth ever do

LOL mac and David G

Enjoy your America-bashing.

I have a feeling you are not going to enjoy the "post-America" world as much as you imagine. I think we are in for a VERY rough time.

camo

Powershifts are times of maximum danger. It is not at all clear what is the best way forward and in truth we won't know for a while. Hard-headed calculation rather than playing to prejudices is what is needed.

Stevenimyer, I'm glad you enjoy reading the truth about America.

I agree with your premise that we could be moving into an uncertain world but Steven, it's already uncertain.

And being buddy boys with America, the world's most hated, feared and greedy imperial nation, makes it more so.

Australia needs to seek alliances with peaceful nations, not with warmongers.

stevenlmeyer,

I have to agree with David G that the US is a remarkably bellicose society with an appalling record of usually futile 'interventions' since 1945 at the cost of millions of lives. America can't even finance its own wars anymore without East Asian finance, a rather ominous development to say the least, which accelerates the nation's decline.
And, no I'm not going to 'enjoy' the 'post-America' world much, fortunately I probably won't live to see it. We,in this little Western outpost, need to adjust to the new stategic realities, quickly and intelligently as there are enormous opportunities in Asia. Australia is effectively shut out of the EU and the USA because of trade barriers and their mature economies, so East and South Asia are our best economic opportunities in history.
Through most of history India and China have been the economic giants and after 500 years of Western hegemony the situation is returning to normal.

A note of caution, many years ago, when I was at Business School 'Japan as #1' was all the rage, not any more, futurology is an inexact discipline.

Yes our relationship with the USA has become abusive to the point one would have to be a stooge not to think twice about it;
Since we have sacrificed ourself to the USA we have:
1- a one-sided free trade agreement
2- Given grief over AWB and cheated out of our majority in wheat imports.
3- Twice had attempts by our 'friends' to dump Gitmo terrorists on our shores (Bush and Obama tried it).
4- Had a citizen deported for software piracy for 10 years (illegal).
5- No action against stationed US soldiers for assaults against Australians

And why?
-Because China is going to invade us for some reason despite being transported to one of the most wealthy superpowers from trade with foreign countries (most especially us)
-Because Indonesia, a multi-ethnic democracy with a moderate (or at worse borderline conservative) Islamic majority, and a tiny wahabi fringe in impoverished remote areas, is going to go 'crazy' and attack us, because deep down they're jealous that they're stuck on a series of tropical islands with high quality soil when they could be partying it up on a desert continent.

In other words, we're getting screwed- and also alienated from the world, and increasing our profile to terrorists, for the sake of two non-existent threats.

My solution is we take a more neutral foreign policy; We could throw in a bit about being dragged into Iraq, but also Israeli spies forging Australian passports, and the attempt to give us Gitmo detainees as a reason for refusing to participate further (so any Islamists don't get any silly ideas that we're more privy to their activities).