Diplomacy dialled up to 11: Australia saddles up with US as Indo-Pacific heads for cold war | Katharine Murphy
by Katharine Murphy from on (#5PKS5)
Australia didn't announce the forever partnership' while Donald Trump was in the White House. What happens if he returns?
Ever flexible, ever the pragmatist, Scott Morrison started thinking about his new forever partnership" with the United States and Britain 18 months ago while Australia was still tied to a $90bn contract with France to build submarines.
Australia looked to America because of a practical consideration. If the Morrison government was going to jettison the troubled French proposal, and countenance the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, the US possessed the technology that would suit Australia's purposes.
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