Australia's role

Australia's role as an international citizen has been limited by our almost paranoia concern with Australia's security. Between 1901 and 1972, Australia's foreign policy has concentrated heavily on how to protect Australia - defence.
To this end, Australian governments have focused on our relationships with 'Great and Powerful Friends' - Britain until 1945, and then increasingly with the United States.

Australia has always viewed our northern Asian neighbours with a wary eye. Threats such as Japanese militarism and invasion, the threat of communism and invasion by China, the collapse of European colonialism in SE Asia and the emergence of Asian nationalism and today terrorism, have all played a part in keeping Australia in an almost paranoia state of hysterical reaction.

This has also been tinged with racism - our fears of being overrun by the 'yellow horde'. Australians have until 1972, seen themselves as British, as British citizens living in the South Pacific. Even with the first world war and the birth of ANZAC, Australian nationalism has often been buried under our pride of being British. This Britishness in our identity has often blinded Australians to the reality beyond our shores.

After 1945, Australia began to slowly realise that we could not keep our eyes shut and pretend that Asia did not exist.
The failure of Britain to provide an adequate defence for singapore, made Australia realise that we had to 'engage' with our neighbours in some form. Under the Chifley government, Australia looked to the United Nations and Australia's role in the global community, that Australia should play an active part in global and regional issues.

However, the defeat of Chifley government and the election of Menzies Liberal government reverted back to a policy of 'Great and Powerful friends'. International events such as the Berlin Blockade, the rise of Communism in China, the growing strength of Soviet Union, and the North Korean invasion of South Korea, all convinced Australians that we were threatened by the red peril.

Under Robert Menzies government, Australia developed a closer relationship with the United States. In 1951, the ANZUS agreement was concluded between the U.S, Australia and New Zealand to protect each other against any real or imagined threats. Under the auspices of ANZUS and preventing communist aggression, Australia entered into the Korean War.

However, Australia still continued to see Asia as a threat than as a possible friend. The fear of communism in SE Asia, Australia joined SEATO (today called the Five Power Defence Arrangement).

The foreign minister Percy Spender was instrumental in Australia's active contribution to the Colombo Plan, in which Australia would provide financial aid to SE Asian countries in order to combat poverty and economic hardship, which provided a base for communism.

Australia's view of Southeast Asia was forcibly changed with the Indonesian takeover of West Papua (Irian Jaya) in 1963, and the rise of communism in South East Asia, particularly in Vietnam.

The failure of the Vietnam War saw U.S foreign policy retreat from SE Asia. As the U.S licked its wounds from the war, it expected Australia to play a greater role in defence and regional security in the Asia-Pacific region.

In 1972, the new Labour government under Gough Whitlam began to increase Australia's relationships with our Asian neighbours, including China. However, Whitlam's government was tainted by the 1975 failure to condemn the Indonesian Takeover of East Timor

During the 1980's, Australia recongised the importance of trade with our Asian neighbours on the Australian economy, particularly Japan. While the Labour government under Hawke and later Keating kept our defence ties with the U.S strong, it was Keating who encouraged the development of APEC and the eminent persons meeeting of APEC leaders.

It was also under Keating that Australia joined in 1994 the Asian Regional Forum, a security arm of ASEAN in which leaders gathered to discuss regional concerns and issues.
But under Keating, Australia also played a role in the 1991 Gulf War - marking Australia's engagement in global affairs and our role as an international citizen.

Under the Howard Liberal government, Australia has been proactive in resolving regional disputes such as our involvement in East Timor in 1999. However, under John Howard Australia's foreign policy has seemed to go back into our fears of Asia - concerns about terrorism - bali bombings, boat people - the tampa incident and defusing potentially political crisis.

While Australia is playing an active role in Afghanistan and Iraq in combating terrorism and ensuring security in the Middle East, our current role does leave the question open if Australia is reverting back again to our 'Great and Powerful friends' foreign policy, while John Howard has done little to promote Australia's role in the United Nations.