As Morrison said, we live the Indo-Pacific, not Asia-Pacific. The fixation on Asia fizzled out with Keating. Communist China and its threatening behaviour should be enough to put anyone off Asia.

Two things:

One: the reliability of the US, which is always in question. On that one, observe the convoluted engagement between the US and Israel through time.
And our own experiences in 1943 attempting to convince the US of any strategic purpose enough with Australia, to warrant US action as our defensive back-up.
That outcome was almost entirely as luck would have it.

Two:
Politicians with guts.

Even on the superficial level, China is well advanced in their “soft” attack on the purse strings.
This one is the battle already lost before the war begins.
China has controlling interests in most Australian port facilities.
When?? Will our political elite, so accustomed to sucking it up to China, get into step with each other and show some leadership that requires real decisive action outside of attempting to buy their way out of trouble, and falling over themselves to be scorched by wily US carpet baggers, selling peace to the panicked as weapons of war?

Dan

Yes, and needed as never before! And for nations that like us, want the defence model of a free lunch! Even more so! We are the country with the least self-sufficiency/self-reliance in the developed world and because of some of the most absurd and asinine decisions by taxpayer-funded decision-makers, always ready to genuflect to political movements like the peace freak greens! And other disarmament loony tunes who apparently think, if we ask nicely then the lunatic strong men of editorial regimes will leave us and our massive resources alone! Just as they did in Tibet and the Crimea just to name a couple of recent examples.

And why we are now in those crosshairs and totally unprepared to fight! We confront two choices in defence of the realm. To die on your feet fighting for your rights and freedom or on your knees begging for it?

As the record shows those that begged to got zilch, those that fought, Afghanistan, Vietnam etc. could not be subdued or possessed by the invading hordes. Nor the mightiest military powers in the world!

Those that begged like a poor Tibet got sand kicked in their faces and folk disappeared if they rebelled! Or more of the same if they protested over their resources being purloined!

Yes, we are currently, much too reliant on Uncle sam for far too much! And need to step up with hardware nen and material that are all resourced locally! Along with Australian defence plans that would make the invader spend way too much for what they might ever gain!

And if those plans do not include nuclear weapons and nuclear power and nuclear power maritime resources! Then get busy busy learning Mandarin and how to bow, scrap and kowtow!

As for any f the above? Remember it is far easier to beg forgiveness than permission.
Alan B.

Alan B

Most of what you say is selective bluster, which defies the reality of the moment.

The enemy is already inside the walls. And that is where we need politicians with guts to confront the simple imperative of dealing with it.

Chinese have always been a socially destabilising force to be reckoned with. Denying that fact for example, that the white Australia policy was installed to quell dissent in the population, aimed squarely at Chinese residents, quick to take what wasn’t theirs.

Now, and for the foolish, Chinese are divided into good ones and bad ones by politicians, for the sake of property price stability and furthering immigration of wealthy (good) Chinese, supporting the strategy of the politicians own personal wealth creation by the same fawning historic.

That’d be closer the truth than your bluster.

Dan

Chris,

I basically agree with the points you've raised except on one fundamental issue.....THE fundamental issue.

It is very true that the US economy and military remain the most formidable in the world and most certainly in the western world. But that's on paper.

It only matters if the US leadership and the US military leadership are willing and capable of using that force to defend fundamental principles and to defend and support allies. I have significant reservations about that. The US is currently led by the most incompetent team in living memory. Making the Carter regime look good is hardly an achievement. Even worse the US military is led by people who haven't won a war in 30 years and are antagonistic to the use of the force they control.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley is more interested in indoctrinating his subordinates with Critical Race Theory than in training for the next conflict. He is reported as having gone behind the commander-in-chief's back to collaborate with the Chinese. He led the debacle that was the abject retreat from Kabul. Yet he is feted by those who currently rule the US.

At the same time, Resident Biden's regime goes from one policy disaster to the next. Whatismore, given what we know about Joe and his son's financial ties to China and Russia and the bribes that flowed, one is left wondering just how committed Biden is to opposing what are now the US's clear foes.

The US has been chased out of Afghanistan. They were chased out of the Black Sea. They asked for permission to establish bases in other central Asian countries and, when Putin denied that permission, meekly acceded. They allowed the Nord Stream II natural gas pipeline to proceed for no obvious reason or benefit to anyone other than Putin.

/cont

/ cont

It can be argued, and I'd tend to agree, that this might be a mere blip and that the US will come roaring back as the backbone and cornerstone to western civilisation. But I also have my reservations. The ruling elite in the US (Democrats, establishment Republicans and the bureaucracy, Big Tech) came together to destroy the presidency of an outsider. The deplorables have been put in their place. I don't see any indications that they intend to allow them to rise again.

The US is currently led by people who are prepared to sacrifice US power outside the country so long as they retain power inside the country. It is led by people who no longer believe in the American Dream.

If all that changes in 2024, then good. We can all re-calibrate. But I have my doubts.

The next war will be won in space, not in the ocean depths. The subs are symbols, not effective deterrents...not now, not in 2050. Australia has made a $90billion announcement that we are all-in on the defence of western civilisation. But that's foolhardy when we remain unsure if the US is similarly all-in.