Tampa Prep 2009-2010 Impact Defense File
AT: U.S. Australian Relations
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- http://www.australianreview.net/digest/2008/07/phillips.html,Junaid
- Despite unpopular policies in the US- relations remain high
- Relations are so high they can’t be disturbed AFP
- United States has "no better ally."
AT: U.S. Australian RelationsAustralia won’t abandon the US or question the alliance Dennis Phillips, Professor of US Foreign Policy, University of Sydney, June 2008, Australian review of Public Affairs, http://www.australianreview.net/digest/2008/07/phillips.html,Junaid Nothing in Australian politics basks in a warmer, bipartisan glow than the Australian-American alliance (ANZUS). For more than a half century now—and 67 years after a Labor Prime Minister famously declared, ‘Without any inhibitions of any kind, I make it quite clear that Australia looks to America free of any pangs as to our traditional links or kinship with the United Kingdom’ (Curtin 1941)—the American alliance remains the absolute bedrock of the nation’s foreign policy. It matters not which political party commands a majority in the Australian parliament or whether Australia is led by the ‘man of steel’ (John Howard, 1996–2007), or by ‘My name is Kevin and I’m here to help’ (Kevin Rudd, 2007–), Australia’s loyalty to ANZUS is paramount and unquestioned. As Alan Renouf, former Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs, noted long ago, the American alliance has entrenched itself as ‘the equivalent of the Bible in foreign relations’ (Renouf 1979, p. 115). Historian Peter Edwards put it somewhat less dramatically when he explained, ‘The Australian-American alliance is far more than just another bilateral relationship. … It has become a political institution in its own right, comparable with a political party or the monarchy’ (Edwards 2005, p. 2). Despite unpopular policies in the US- relations remain high Bruce Vaughn, Specialist in Asian Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade, 8-8-07, Federation of American Scientists, Junaid Australia’s commitment to military operations in Iraq may be curtailed, especially if the opposition Labor Party succeeds in ousting Prime Minister Howard in elections which many believe are likely to be held by the end of the year. The Australian Left is increasingly disillusioned with the war in Iraq and has perceived the United States as pursuing an increasingly unilateral foreign policy. U.S. Policies on Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, and Abu Ghraib, have negatively affected segments of the Australian public’s perceptions of American power. Despite this, support for the ANZUS alliance with the United States remains strong among most Australians. Relations are so high they can’t be disturbed AFP. Global News Agency. 2/23/08. Australia, US reaffirm security talks. < http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Australia_US_reaffirm_security_talk_02232008.html> http://rawstory.com Australia reaffirmed its close security relations with the United States Saturday but said it has no plans to add more troops to its force in Afghanistan. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates and US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte met Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon for the first annual review of relations under the new Labor government. "Both sides underlined that Australia and the United States benefit from substantial coverage in their strategic and security policy," they said in a joint statement. Gates praised Australia's "global leadership" and said the United States has "no better ally." "Above all it is clear we agree on the challenges we face together and the solutions we must forge together," he said. Among other things, they discussed the way forward in Afghanistan for Australia, which has nearly 1,000 troops serving in the violence-ridden southern part of the country, the ministers said. "We have no proposal to increase the 1,000 or so troops we have in Afghanistan," said Smith at a news conference. He said Australia was looking to shift its efforts toward non-military assistance in the form of police trainers, and work aimed at increasing the Afghan government's capacity to provide for its people. But, he said, "When it comes to Afghanistan, I wouldn't be quite so underwhelming about our contributions to Afghanistan: over a thousand troops in one of the toughest areas. "There are other nation states whose contributions are not nearly as profound, in not nearly as hard-fought areas, and in addition to that we are certainly not contemplating a drawdown," he said. The United States is sending in an additional 3,200 marines in anticipation of a possible Taliban offensive in the spring, and has been pressing NATO allies to fill shortfalls in troops and equipment under the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's centre-left government confirmed this week that it would honour an election pledge to pull 550 combat troops out of southern Iraq by the middle of the year. Australia will still have about 1,000 military personnel in and around Iraq, including a 110-strong security detachment in Baghdad and personnel for aircraft and a warship based outside Iraq. The two sides also discussed China, and shared views on developments in southeast Asia and the Pacific islands. Smith said Australia's growing economic ties with China were "win-win," with no adverse impact on its relationship with the United States. "Australia's economic engagement with China is only beaten by the United States economic engagement with China," he said. The pair are the most senior US officials to visit Australia since Rudd won office in November and Gates said he looked forward to an ongoing high-level dialogue to see where the new government in Canberra was headed. "We anticipate there will be a great deal of continuity. We have a lot of common interests," he told reporters on Friday. "Continuity doesn't mean there won't be change to tactics or approaches to certain problems," Gates said. "What I was referring to was continuity in the close relationship between the United States and Australia, and vice versa, for a long time." Australia has long been the United States' closest ally in the region, one whose previous conservative government provided troops and staunch political backing to US-led operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Rudd government's new tack on Iraq comes as the United States is wrestling with how quickly and deeply to draw down the 155,000-strong US force deployed there. The top US military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, is expected to make recommendations as early as next month on whether further cuts can be made to forces after a drawdown of five combat brigades, about 20,000 troops, by July. Gates said Petraeus and his commanders had persuaded him that a brief pause would be needed to consolidate and assess the situation in July. "My hope still is that we will be able to further draw down our troops in Iraq over the course of the next 10 to 12 months," Gates said. Directory: files -> documents documents -> North Mankato Taylor Library documents -> In the Red and Brown Water documents -> - documents -> I. Disaster Summary Sheet II. 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