This book examines the impact of Australian public opinion towards defence and foreign policy from the mid-twentieth century to the present day. For most of this period, the public showed little interest in defence and security policy and possessed limited knowledge about the strategic options available. The principal post-war exception to this pattern is, of course, the Vietnam War, when political divisions over Australia’s support for the U.S.-led action eventually resulted in the withdrawal of troops in 1972. The period since 2001 has seen a fundamental change both in the public’s views of defence and foreign affairs, and in how these issues are debated by political elites. This has come about as a result of major changes in the strategic environment such as a heightened public awareness of terrorism, party political divisions over Australia’s military commitment to the 2003-11 Iraq War and the increasing overlap of economic and trade considerations with defence and foreign policies, which has increased the public’s interest in these issues. Combining the expertise of one of Australia's foremost scholars of public opinion with that of an expert of international relations, particularly as pertains to Australia in Asia, this book will be a critical read for those wishing to understand Australia's alliance with the U.S., interactions with Asia and China, and the distinctive challenges posed to Australia by its geographic position.

How does Australia's unique geographical, cultural and historical position influence its approach to foreign policy? What key challenges does Australia face on the world stage, and how can it overcome them? Reflecting the messy reality of foreign policy decision-making, this book helps you to understand the changes and continuities in Australia's approach. For example, does the US withdrawal from Vietnam in 1973 and collapse of South Vietnam continue to cast a shadow over Australian foreign policy, or is it relevant only in understanding the dynamics of the cold war? Using an Australian Strategic Culture framework, O'Keefe sheds light on the characteristics that make Australia behave in a way different to any other country and equips you with analytic skills to understand the main debates, such as: - In what sense could Australia be seen as a 'good' international citizen? - Have national interests trumped global responsibilities? - How does the intersection between civil society and public opinion interact with foreign policy making? This book is essential reading if you are a student of Australian foreign policy, as well as of broader Australian domestic politics and international relations.

Between 2016 and 2020 Australia's foreign and security policies were significantly impacted by profound changes in geopolitics and geoeconomics, particularly as great power competition re-emerged between the United States and China. Australia in World Affairs 2016-2020: A Return to Great-Power Rivalry examines Australia's engagement on the international stage in light of these events. The thirteenth volume in the Australia in World Affairs series builds on the history of Australia's foreign policy covered in other volumes to identify patterns of continuity and change. It catalogues the key developments in this period of world history from an Australian perspective. Organised thematically, chapters cover Australia's foreign policy response to climate change, Australia's strengthened ties to the Indo-Pacific region, and its security interests in Southeast Asia. Australia's increasing security dependence on the US in an age of great-power rivalry is evident throughout.

This handbook provides a comprehensive survey of US foreign policy throughout the Indo-Pacific. Home to around 60 percent of the world’s population; most of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies; around half of the world’s states with full nuclear capabilities; and a complicated web of unresolved tensions, disputes, and conflicts, the Indo-Pacific is arguably the most diverse, dynamic, and contested region on Earth. US strategy there has evolved over centuries, with its physical presence going broadly unchallenged since at least the middle of the last century. However, the rapid development and expanding influence of China – alongside the growth of India, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and others – as well as political and economic crises and disruptions within the United States itself, mean that in recent times the US has come to occupy a newly uncertain position and perceive a range of highly unfamiliar challenges. To explore how the US has managed, and continues to manage, its regional history, and how it approaches the modern-day landscape of an Indo-Pacific only recently normalised within international political discourse, the book contains 33 newly commissioned chapters from leading experts in the field. It does so partly with help from the more traditional realms of International Relations theory as well as more critical realms. It also unpacks US policy and strategy as it pertains to regional governments, states, and multilateral institutions, as well as to pressing issues including inter-state security, human rights, trade, artificial intelligence, and cyber strategy. It does so in four parts: History of the US in the Indo-Pacific Theorising US Policy and Presence in the Indo-Pacific The US and Indo-Pacific States and Institutions The US and Indo-Pacific Issues The book is designed to be of interest to students and scholars of the US in the Indo-/Asia Pacific; the international relations of the Indo-/Asia Pacific; and US foreign policy.

Civil-military relations have changed over time with respect to changing demographics, new domestic and international responsibilities, Industry-Defence cooperation, women in the armed forces and contemporary veteran wellbeing.The New Australian Military Sociology aims to provide an antipodean view to theorising civil-military entanglements and uses Australia’s unique geographic, political and cultural context to serve as a case study for other countries.

A collection of essays on the war in Iraq; including pieces by Jean Chrétien and John Howard, the prime ministers during the war. When it was declared in 2003, the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was intensely controversial. While a few of America's partners, like Australia, joined in the war, many, including Canada, refused to take part. However the war in Iraq was viewed at the time, though, it is clear that that war and the war in Afghanistan have had a profound and lasting impact on international relations. Australia, Canada, and Iraq collects essays by fifteen esteemed academics, officials, and politicians, including the prime ministers of Australia and Canada at the time of the war — John Howard and Jean Chretién, respectively. This volume takes advantage of the perspective offered by the decade since the war to provide a clearer understanding of the Australian and Canadian decisions regarding Iraq, and indeed of the invasion itself.

First Published in 2004. Events in the Gulf Crisis of 1990–91 have highlighted the importance of the increasingly complex and difficult relations between Defence and the Media in time of War – especially in time of limited conflict when the well-being – let alone the security – of the home nation may not be affected. This problem has become especially acute given the growth of the new high technology media and its global spread and immediacy. The question of how to reconcile the competing demands for secrecy on the one hand and the public's right to know on the other is fast emerging as a major question of our times. In Brisbane during 3–5 April 1991, there was held what is believed to be the first ever International Conference on the topic of Defence and the Media in Time of Limited Conflict to look at this and other issues stemming from the problem. Jointly funded by the Queensland University of Technology and the Australian Department of Defence, the three-day Conference was a major success, attracting 160 delegates from Great Britain, the United States, Zambia, Papua New Guinea, Brunei, New Zealand, France, Indonesia and, of course, Australia. This volume publishes nearly all the papers delivered at this conference whose main focus was on post-1945 limited wars especially Vietnam, Northern Ireland, the Falklands, Grenada and the Gulf; all of which receive detailed analysis.

This book considers the changing nature of Australia’s identity and role in the Asia-Pacific, and the forces behind these developments, with particular attention towards security alignments and alliance relationships.