Still an Excellent Relationship

# 08-043
Mar. 5, 2008

STILL AN EXCELLENT RELATIONSHIP: AUSTRALIAN-AMERICAN RELATIONS IN TESTING TIMES

The election of new Labor Government in Australia in November 2007 may result in changes in U.S.-Australian relations.

Still an “Excellent” Relationship: Australian-American Relations in Testing Times” is a report recently prepared for APCSS by Dr. William T. Tow. Tow is a professor in the Department of International Relations, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies at the Australian National University.

In this report, Tow states that “the new Australian government led by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd combines a sophisticated but as yet untested blend of idealism and pragmatism that could sharply test the Australian-American alliance.”

In addition, “the Rudd government will push for multilateral regional security dialogues and mechanism in Asia that may force the United States to adjust its own long-standing bilateral security approaches in the region on trade, arms control, and other key issues.”

Tow further states that “the ‘China Factor’ will remain the most critical and potentially the most volatile element in the Australian-American relationship.”

Click here to read the complete report.

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The APCSS addresses regional and global security issues, inviting military and civilian representatives of the United States and 45 Asia-Pacific nations to its comprehensive program of courses and conferences, both in Hawaii and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The Center supports the U.S. Pacific Command’s objective of developing professional and personal ties among national security establishments throughout the region. APCSS focuses on a multilateral and multi-dimensional approach to defining and addressing regional security issues and concerns. The most beneficial result is building relationships of trust and confidence among future leaders and decision-makers within the region.

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