TY - JOUR
T1 - Australia, the US, and the Vietnam and Iraq Wars
T2 - 'Hound Dog, not Lapdog'
AU - Cox, Lloyd
AU - O'Connor, Brendon
PY - 2012/6
Y1 - 2012/6
N2 - The authors refute the portrayal of Australia as America's pliant ally in the Vietnam and Iraq Wars, instead arguing that Australian leaders saw such involvement as strategic opportunities to strengthen the Australian-American alliance. In the case of the Vietnam War particularly, the Australian government also saw these conflicts as a way to draw America into greater military engagement in their region. The authors' interpretation follows earlier revisionist scholarship on the Vietnam War, but is strengthened by new archival evidence. In the case of the 2003 Iraq War, their position is inevitably more provisional due to the lack of archival material. However, after interviewing senior government officials to better understand the Howard government's motivations for military involvement in Iraq, they discern a similar pattern of strategic motivation. The article concludes with a discussion of the costs and benefits of using wars to strengthen the Australian-American alliance.
AB - The authors refute the portrayal of Australia as America's pliant ally in the Vietnam and Iraq Wars, instead arguing that Australian leaders saw such involvement as strategic opportunities to strengthen the Australian-American alliance. In the case of the Vietnam War particularly, the Australian government also saw these conflicts as a way to draw America into greater military engagement in their region. The authors' interpretation follows earlier revisionist scholarship on the Vietnam War, but is strengthened by new archival evidence. In the case of the 2003 Iraq War, their position is inevitably more provisional due to the lack of archival material. However, after interviewing senior government officials to better understand the Howard government's motivations for military involvement in Iraq, they discern a similar pattern of strategic motivation. The article concludes with a discussion of the costs and benefits of using wars to strengthen the Australian-American alliance.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84862297006&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/10361146.2012.677004
DO - 10.1080/10361146.2012.677004
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84862297006
SN - 1036-1146
VL - 47
SP - 173
EP - 187
JO - Australian Journal of Political Science
JF - Australian Journal of Political Science
IS - 2
ER -