An enduring feature of Australias strategic policy is the alliance with the United States. Australian policymakers have made major material contributions in support of this relationship over the years, despite an absence of direct strategic threats and the fact that its economic relationship with China has become increasingly important. The paper analyses the context in which Australian strategic policy is embedded and the forces that inform policy choices. It is suggested that the institutionalization of Australias distinctive strategic culture imparts a degree of path dependency to strategic policy that makes significant change unlikely despite a rapidly evolving external environment, despite the fact that the impact of the Trump Administrations policies has been broadly negative from Australias perspective.
↧