AUKUS is once again in the spotlight. The anti-Chinese security pact between Australia, UK and the US (sometimes described as an “Asian NATO”) has been controversial from the beginning. Together with the QUAD, it has certainly increased tensions in the Asia-Pacific region. One of its aims is helping Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.
Paul Keating, Australian former Prime Minister, had already used strong language last year to describe AUKUS as the “worst deal in all history”, adding that it would turn Australia into the United States’ 51st state. Last week, he again used the same expression, adding that it would make his country a target by aligning it with American aggression towards China. The same week, Ross Garnaut (the former Australian ambassador to China, who was also the main economic adviser to former prime minister Bob Hawke), questioned whether AUKUS is even “consistent with the preservation of Australian sovereign independence in future decisions on war and peace.”
He cautioned Australia against failing to diversify its options in terms of partnerships and foreign policy. As I wrote before, Australia has historically been called the “coup capital” of the so-called democratic world and the American influence over that nation over decades has a lot to do with this. Washington’s blatant intervention in Canberra’s foreign policy is best exemplified by the infamous........