(Un)reliable partner? Australian security, the American alliance and China in uncertain times

Is the United States the reliable guarantor of Australian security that its boosters claim it to be? If it is not, what are the implications for Australia’s defence and foreign policy? In this chapter, we explore these questions within the context of a broader discussion about Australian foreign policy with respect to China and the existing U.S.-led international order. We begin with a consideration of the U.S.-led, liberal international order and Australia’s support of it and of the United States more specifically. We continue by examining the impact of the U.S. alliance on Australia’s relations with China, and the impact of recent Chinese foreign policy on the alliance, which we view as mutually constitutive. We note the challenges that the U.S.-led order faces in Asia, which pose difficult choices for Australia. This is followed with a discussion of the United States’ own febrile domestic U.S. politics and its dangers for Australia. These, we suggest, raise important questions about the reliability of the U.S. security guarantee, and the ‘all the way with the USA’ strategic posture adopted by both of Australia’s major political parties. Finally, we provide a brief sketch of an alternative Australian foreign policy that avoids the pitfalls of over-reliance on one country, albeit one as powerful as the United States.