Current affairs - Australia - US Alliance

[Warrigal]

Hopefully, this thread will not become party political. Let's keep discussion civil.

The Australia Prime Minister has yet to meet with the US President face to face. There has been some criticism of Anthony Albanese, our most recently elected PM, for this delay.

Albo, as he is informally known as in Australia, has a scheduled meeting in the next couple of days with Donald Trump in the Oval Office. High on the agenda will be the AUKUS deal concerning nuclear powered submarines and critical minerals and rare earths that China is withholding and which Australia has in abundant supply.

I don't suppose many people in US know about this meeting, or AUKUS, but to us Aussies it is a very important opportunity to strengthen the US/Australia relationship that began way back during WW II.

This link to our national broadcaster, the ABC, provides useful background information.

Delays to the meeting with Trump may play right into Albanese's hands

 

[Llynn]

Australia is a nation I admire greatly. During the Vietnam thingy, Australia always had one or two warships steaming with our fleet in active support. Good sailors and steadfast allies. I personally won't forget.

 

[Been There]

Australia is a nation I admire greatly. During the Vietnam thingy, Australia always had one or two warships steaming with our fleet in active support. Good sailors and steadfast allies. I personally won't forget.

I wouldn’t refer to the Vietnam War as a thingy, whatever that is. The U.S. had 58,000+ soldiers killed during this war (thingy). Not to mention the U.S. spent approximately $111billion, which would be the equivalent to $1trillion in today’s money.

The U.S. has a strong relationship with Australia due to sharing democratic values. There’s no reason why this should change. It would be a blessing to receive added rare earth minerals above what we already do, so that the U.S. can become less dependent on China for these minerals. China has the highest amount of rare earth minerals on the planet, but even so, they depend on Myanmar for heavy rare earth minerals.

 

[Warrigal]

Australia, being the oldest continent, is extremely rich in minerals and there is plenty of everything available not too far below the surface. We are pretty much one giant quarry. There is no chance that our small population could defend ourselves from a well-armed army intent on conquest. We will always need help from powerful allies.

During WW II, after Pearl Harbour, the Japanese forces advanced southwards intending to invade Australia's north. Britain, being hard pressed after the fall of Singapore, refused to defend us and instead tried to send Australian infantry to defend the Jewel in the British Crown, otherwise known as India. Our PM refused and withdrew our troops from Northern Africa to defend the homeland. US forces, under Gen Macarthur, used north Queensland as a base for the Pacific War against Japan, and ever since, Australia and US have been strong allies in conflicts all around the world, from North Korea to Vietnam and in both Gulf Wars and Afghanistan, to name but a few.

In this present age Australia in on the horns of a dilemma. China is our largest trading partner and US is our military ally. US has a trading surplus with Australia but nevertheless we are still subject to 10% tariffs on our exports. This could tip the other way if US starts buying critical minerals and rare earths from Australia.

Would US impose tariffs on these minerals? China won't be happy if it loses US as a customer and will seek to punish Australia. We won't know until Albo and Trump sit down together to thrash out (hopefully) a deal that is good for both partners and then see how Bejing reacts.

You can see why this meeting is vitally important

 

[Llynn]

I wouldn’t refer to the Vietnam War as a thingy, whatever that is. The U.S. had 58,000+ soldiers killed during this war (thingy). Not to mention the U.S. spent approximately $111billion, which would be the equivalent to $1trillion in today’s money.

The U.S. has a strong relationship with Australia due to sharing democratic values. There’s no reason why this should change. It would be a blessing to receive added rare earth minerals above what we already do, so that the U.S. can become less dependent on China for these minerals. China has the highest amount of rare earth minerals on the planet, but even so, they depend on Myanmar for heavy rare earth minerals.

I respect you Marine, and the cost in lives and treasure was a horrid waste as you state; but I have also "been there" and know few things from personal involvement. Our entry into the war was based upon the Gulf of Tonkin resolution and I talked with sailors from the USS Maddox when it was tied up alongside my ship not long afterward. Their stories were very different from the story LBJ fed the the Nation. Furthermore, Congress did not declare war on anyone throughout the whole conflict.

So if it wasn't a War or even a "Police Action" what was it? To my mind thingy is as good as descriptive as any. I mean no disrespect to those who fought and those who died. My country called and I served to the best of my ability as I'm sure you did.