Independent Ally : Australia in an age of power transition / Shannon Tow.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Tow, Shannon, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Australia--Foreign relations--21st century.

Australia.

Australia--Politics and government--21st century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Carlton, Vic.: MUP Academic Digital, 2017.

Summary:

Will regional powers in the Asia-Pacific have to choose between China and the United States? In Independent Ally, Shannon Tow challenges this prevailing view. She explores how one key regional power, Australia, has repeatedly developed a strong relationship with a rising power while simultaneously preserving its alliance with a dominant global power. Far from being a 'dependent ally' that simply follows the policies of its great and powerful friends, Australia has consistently developed and pursued an independent foreign policy toward those great powers that have played an important role in shaping its destiny. It has proactively negotiated the terms of its relationships with those powers in ways that have been mutually complementary and that have supported its strategic interests in regional order. The extent to which Australia can do so in future relates directly to the findings and lessons this study provides. Drawing on newly released archival material and interviews with prominent former policymakers, this book examines how six different Australian Prime Ministers successfully navigated these great power relationships over the last century.

Contents:

Intro; Title; Copyright; Contents; Acknowledgements; PART 1: Conceptual Framework; 1 Introduction; 2 Junior Allies and Power Shift in the International System; PART 2: Australian Engagement with a Rising United States, 1908-51; 3 Deakin and a Rising United States; 4 Lyons and the Trade Diversion Policy; 5 Menzies, Spender and the New Pacific Power; PART 3: Australian Engagement with a Rising China, 1971-2007; 6 Whitlam and the Diplomatic Recognition of China; 7 Hawke's Response to Tiananmen Square; 8 Howard and Growing Chinese Strategic Power; PART 4: Reflections and Comparisons 9 Australia, an Independent Ally Epilogue; Bibliography; Index

Notes:

Includes bibliography and index.

ISBN:

9780522869675

052286967X