Australia Is Lobbying for a New Cold War Between China and America
Paranoia about Chinese influence in Australia is on the rise — and the Australian ruling class is stoking tensions between China and the United States. For the sake of world peace and prosperity, they have to be stopped.
A closeup DigitalGlobe via Getty Images WorldView-3 satellite image of the Joint Defence Facility at Pine Gap in the center of Australia. The secretive facility is partly run by the US Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency. (Photo DigitalGlobe via Getty Images)
The decades since 2001 were defined by the “war on terror”; a new cold war between China and the United States may come to shape those that follow. Unlike the tensions between the USSR and America in the twentieth century, relationships between Western countries and China today are complicated by their close economic ties and the United States’ fear of economic displacement.
Ever the loyal subaltern to the world hegemon, Australia has been quick to sign up for this new cold war. The recently announced AUKUS alliance between Australia, the UK, and the United States signals a significant increase in military spending from the antipodean nation. The centerpiece of this deal is Australia’s purchase of nuclear submarines from the United States.
The foreign threat against which Australia claims to be defending itself is obvious. At any rate, it’s not lost on many politicians and public commentators who are stoking fears about China, from Pauline Hanson on the right to Clive Hamilton on the liberal left.
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