Donald Trump shook the boat, but now it is not the time to sponsor Okos

The world is in a difficult stage of its modern history, and the change of the administration of the new United States in Tak is indisputable.

President Trump has renounced America’s relationship with Europe via NATO, and applied the maximum pressure on Ukraine to push it towards negotiations, and said a little about Russia. Meanwhile, the trade war began, and Australia is now facing steel and aluminum definitions and perhaps more than our closest ally. Does any of this put us? alliance With the United States at a threat? Certainly no. Is Australia’s plans to gain nuclear energy submarines change? Again, no. This is the reason.

Defense strategy in Australia since World War II has been established in its official alliance with the United States 1951 Anzous Treaty. This treaty is obligated by both countries to “act to meet the common danger” if either of them is attacked, and it has succeeded in many tests over the decades – we, after all, are completely different countries. Like all critical defense frameworks, they attract the right to general debate about their exact scope. Alliances are based on relationships, history, reliability and trust – not only treaties. Our strategic foundations are healthy, but any review must be dependent on the facts.

At this point, there is no sign that the United States is an unreliable ally in Australia. On the first 50 days of Trump’s term, senior officials – from the Foreign Minister to the President himself – stressed the importance of Australia for American security. Although the current administration does not necessarily have a consistent vision through the main players, support must be comfortable for Australia. Some have pointed out that the United States and Urub relations diverged as a red flag, but the United States has long urged Europeans to invest more in their defense-this barely new. We may hate the current demands of the demands, however it does not indicate the lack of reliability when it comes to India and the Pacific.

In reality, US officials openly recognize This encourages Europe to deal with its traditional defense that allows the United States to re -focus on deterring conflict with China. This is where Australia comes. A century of ribs is a beautiful phrase – but this is not the reason that countries are working together. During our alliance, we did not agree on everything, but it was rooted in common strategic interests instead of purely common values. These interests are now more compatible than any time since World War II, given the increasingly position of China.

As for the definitions of Australian steel and aluminum, they are not welcome – even unreasonable – but only affect a small part of our exports. This dispute is not equivalent to a fragile basis in our comprehensive defense relationship. The Australia and the United States alliance extends beyond the economic Tiffs or even AUKUS-our plan to obtain nuclear-powered submarines. It supports the sharing of biological intelligence and extended nuclear deterrence, as China expands quickly its nuclear arsenal. North Korea has already shown nuclear capabilities.

When it comes to Aukus, calls to “Plan B” look out of the base. Emergency planning is wise, of course, but there is no evidence that Aukus is out of the right path. Like any major defensive acquisition, it is complicated, and the nuclear dimension adds to the challenge. It will not always go to plan. But the honest question is not “this is fraught with risks?” But “Do we manage the risks effectively?”