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Saturday, 22 February 2025

Standing On Our Own Two Feet

 




There are conservatives and commentators now arguing that Trump's plan for peace with Putin makes the world a far more dangerous place. That now we can no longer see America as a reliable ally because it went from being Ukraine’s primary support. Really it was the driver behind this war, but still, the US went from sending billions in aid and weapons to Ukraine, to now cutting it out of any peace negotiations.  

But the truth is relying on the US was always a bad idea, and often the countries that have relied on the US end up facing the worst fates. I was just reading this morning about how America backed Saddam Hussein because he opposed Iran, look how that turned out for Hussein. Ukraine being bled on the battlefield and then hung out to dry is a common fate of US allies. As Midnight Oil sung many years ago, “U.S. forces give the nod. It’s a setback for your country.”[1]

Don't take my word for it, either, note Henry Kissinger's words, one of America's most influential and famous Secretaries of State:

"It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal" is attributed to Henry Kissinger. This statement reflects the idea that while being opposed to the U.S. can lead to significant risks, aligning with the U.S. can also result in dire consequences, particularly in the context of U.S. foreign policy and its often unpredictable nature. Kissinger's assertion suggests that the U.S. may not always be a reliable ally, and this has been observed in various historical contexts where nations that relied on U.S. support faced severe repercussions."

America has always reserved the right to turn on its allies when they were no longer needed or a better deal that they believed served their interests, was in the offering. Ukraine has just found this out. Acting like Trump is some new phenomenon for turning on a US ally is just another example of how the people who promote the narrative like to memory hole the real history of how these things work. This was always going to be the way this war ended, with America abandoning Ukraine.

Australia need not worry about this, either. Australia neither sits in Europe, nor Asia, nor America. We are far away from all the major players. We are the most resource rich nation in the world, apart from maybe Russia. We should be strategically neutral, militarily strong, and energy independent.

Instead for decades our governments have instituted a policy of military reliance on America, indeed actual servitude, serving as a US auxiliary force. We have been strategically belligerent having co-invaded numerous countries that neither threatened us or who could have even touched us (except through our immigration policies). And for at least two decades now Australia's energy sector has been hamstrung by radical environmental ideology, imported from the US and Europe. This has caused Australia to burden itself with high energy prices by increasing investment in so-called renewables, when we have all the energy resources a county could ever need for centuries. We could be self-reliant if we wanted to, but our addiction to being in lockstep with the US in its foreign policy has stopped us from every standing on our own two feet.   

However, Australia needs to learn to stand on its own two feet. Now is as good a time as any. Reliance on US support was always a gamble where the chances of being hung out to dry were as high as being able to count on support. If US support looks like what the US did to Ukraine under Biden, or many other examples, then we'd be better off playing no part in foreign wars and adventures anymore, in any way at all.

Australia should be the Switzerland of the South Seas. A land of trading to all sides and picking fights with none. A land where every Australian man is taught to defend his country, but is not sent off to foreign wars. A land which uses its energy riches to enrichen its own citizens, not provide the resources for other major powers to strengthen their nations. Australia could do this. What is stopping it?

List of References


[1] https://genius.com/Midnight-oil-us-forces-lyrics

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