Australiaâ€“United States relations

Australiaâ€"United States relations refers to international relations between the Commonwealth of Australia and the United States of America. Australia has also traditionally been aligned with the Commonwealth of Nations; however, Australia has continually strengthened its relationship with the United States since 1942, as Britain's influence in Asia declined. At the governmental level, Australiaâ€"United States relations are formalised by the ANZUS treaty and the Australiaâ€"United States Free Trade Agreement. Australia has fought alongside the United States on every major conflict since WW1, making Australia the second closest ally after the United Kingdom

Both countries had native peoples who were dispossessed of their land. Both have been part of the Western alliance of nations in various wars. There are numerous other similarities.

The penal colonies of Australia were actually a redirect from the Thirteen Colonies, for indentured and penal transportation for debtors was officially first begun in the Province of Georgia. Britain could no longer send convicts to British America in a rebellious climate, so the best choice was in newly claimed land by James Cook in 1770. This resulted in the founding of New South Wales in 1788.

According to the 2012 U.S. Global Leadership Report, 55% of Australians approve of U.S. leadership, with 21% disapproving and 24% uncertain.

Statute of Westminster

The political and economic changes wrought by the Great Depression and Second World War, and the adoption of the Statute of Westminster 1931, necessitated the establishment and expansion of Australian representation overseas, independent of the British Foreign Office. Australia began to establish its first overseas missions (outside of London) in 1940, beginning with Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Embassy opened in Canberra in 1943, constructed in a Georgian architectural style reminiscent of American Colonial Georgian architecture.

Military

In 1908, Prime Minister Alfred Deakin invited the Great White Fleet to visit Australia during its circumnavigation of the world. The fleet stopped in Sydney, Melbourne and Albany. Deakin, a strong advocate for an independent Australian Navy, used the visit to raise the public's enthusiasm about a new navy.

The visit was significant in that it marked the first occasion that a non-Royal Navy fleet had visited Australian waters. Many saw the visit of the Great White Fleet as a major turning point in the creation of the Royal Australian Navy. Shortly after the visit, Australia ordered its first modern warships, a purchase that angered the British Admiralty.

On April 18, 1942, Australian Prime Minister John Curtin put U.S. General Douglas MacArthur in direct command of the Australian military, which comprised the majority of MacArthur's forces at the time. MacArthur's headquarters were located in Brisbane until 1944 and Australian forces remained under MacArthur's overall command until the end of World War II. The famous Australian song Waltzing Matilda is the march of the 1st Marine Division

ANZUS

After the war, the American presence in the southeast Pacific increased immensely, most notably in Japan and the Philippines. In view of the cooperation between the Allies during the war, the decreasing reliance of Australia and New Zealand on the United Kingdom, and America's desire to cement this post-war order in the Pacific, the ANZUS Treaty was signed by Australia, New Zealand and the United States in 1951. This full three-way military alliance replaced the ANZAC Pact that had been in place between Australia and New Zealand since 1944.

Australia, along with New Zealand, has been involved in most major American military endeavors since World War II including the Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War and the Iraq Warâ€"all without invocation of ANZUS. The alliance has only been invoked once, for the invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks on The World Trade Center and The Pentagon.

War on Terror

Following the September 11 attacks, in which eleven Australian citizens were also killed, there was an enormous outpouring of sympathy from Australia for the United States. Prime Minister John Howard became one of President George W. Bush's strongest international supporters, and supported the United States in the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

In 2004 the Bush Administration "fast tracked" a free trade agreement with Australia. The Sydney Morning Herald called the deal a "reward" for Australia's contribution of troops to the Iraq invasion.

However, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd indicated that the 550 Australian combat troops in Iraq would be removed by mid-2008. Despite this, there have been suggestions from the Australian government that might lead to an increase in numbers of Australian troops in Afghanistan to roughly 1,000.

In 2011, during US President Obama's trip to Australia, it was announced that United States Marine Corps and United States Air Force units will be rotated through Australian Defence Force bases in northern Australia to conduct training. This deployment was criticised by the an editorial in the Chinese state-run newspaper People's Daily and Indonesia's foreign minister, but welcomed by Australia's Prime Minister. A poll by the independent Lowy Institute think tank showed that a majority (55%) of Australians approving of the marine deployment and 59% supporting the overall military alliance between the two countries.

In 2013, the USAF announced rotational deployments of fighter and tanker aircraft through Australia.

Political

Since 1985, there have been annual ministerial consultations between the two countries, known as AUSMIN. The venue of the meeting alternates between the two countries. It is attended by senior government ministers such as the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Minister for Defence, US Secretary of Defense and US Secretary of State.

Australian tours by U.S. Presidents

The first Australian visit by a serving United States President was that of Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966 to seek support for Australia's ongoing involvement in the Vietnam war. Australia had previously sent advisers and combat troops to Vietnam. In 1992, George H. W. Bush was the first of four US Presidents to address a joint meeting of the Australian Parliament.

United States tours by Australian Prime Ministers

Kyoto Protocol

Australia's Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, ratified the Kyoto Protocol on December 3, 2007, leaving the United States and Canada as the last major industrial nations not to ratify the agreement. Australia's previous government, led by Liberal John Howard, refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol citing, along with the United States, that it would "damage their economies".

Legal Matters

Some aspects of Australian legal traditions are modeled after its American counterparts.

Censorship

The Obama administration has questioned the Gillard Government's plan to introduce an internet censorship scheme, claiming it opposes the United States foreign policy of encouraging an open internet to spread economic growth and global security. Communications Minister Stephen Conroy says that internet censorship will stop the spread of child pornography from a blacklist of websites, however it was reported that the censorship scheme will prevent the flow of information and would probably be ineffective in combating the spread of child pornography and criminal activities. The United States State Department spokesperson said "The U.S. and Australia are close partners on issues related to cyber matters generally, including national security and economic issues, we do not discuss the details of specific diplomatic exchanges, but can say that in the context of that ongoing relationship, we have raised our concerns on this matter with Australian officials." A spokesperson for Senator Conroy declined to comment, however saying only that the Australian and U.S. governments "liaise regularly on a broad range of issues and it would be inappropriate to discuss the details of these consultations".

Battle of Brisbane

In August 1942, Australian and American troops fought each other in a riot known as the Battle of Brisbane, in the Brisbane central business district. One person died and hundreds were injured.

Trade

Trade between the United States and Australia is strong, as evidenced by the Australiaâ€"United States Free Trade Agreement. The United States is Australiaâ€™s fourth largest export market and its second largest source of imports. The United States is also the largest investor in Australia while Australia is the fifth largest investor in the US.

Australia and the United States also provide significant competition for each other in several third-party exports such as wheat, uranium and wool and, more recently, in the information technology sector. Although the US has a sizable sheep population, American imports of lamb meat from Australia and New Zealand remain stronger than the domestic output.

References

Inline

General

"Background Note: Australia" U.S. Department of State. Aug. 2006. 11 Oct. 2006
"Ancient Heritage, Modern Society" Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. May 2005. 11 Oct. 2006
Dalton, John. Lecture. Bond University. Australian Culture From an International Perspective. Bond University, Gold Coast, Queensland. Fall 2005.
"Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement" Australian Government. 2005. 28 Oct. 2006
"The Australian Continent" Australian Government. 2005. 28 Oct. 2006.
Australia Foreign Relations Country Watch. 2006. 29 Oct. 2006.

External links

History of Australia - United States relations
CIA World Factbook
Embassy of Australia in Washington D.C.
Embassy of the United States in Canberra
Free Trade Agreement

Australiaâ€“United States relations

Monday, June 15, 2015