Written by Allan Behm, Advisor to The Australia Institute’s International & Security Affairs program, New Game New Rules says Australia has the potential to be a critical player in bringing peace and prosperity in uncertain times – if it could escape its dependence on the US.
With the subtitle, A Foreign Policy for Dystopian Times, the book argues that Donald Trump’s trashing of the rules based order is an opportunity for Australia to step up and use its power for good.
However, it characterises the foreign policies of recent Australian governments as “reactive and responsive”, lacking confidence and ambition in a strategically contested world.
“Far from being a middle power, Australia is a very substantial power,” said Allan Behm.
“Australia has a great history of peacekeeping and diplomacy. APEC is a beautiful example of what happens when you do exercise your power and create something with it.
“Doc Evatt played a major part in the creation of the UN. Gough Whitlam outlined a vision for embracing Asia which is as relevant today as it was in 1974. Malcolm Fraser stood up to South African apartheid.
“But in recent years Australia’s foreign policy has become unbelievably ordinary. It’s characterised by leaders repeating meaningless phrases like “sovereign ready”, which means absolutely nothing.
“It wouldn’t take a lot of effort for us to have a much more sustainable, impactful foreign policy that stood up for our national interest but also persuaded the world that there is a better way of doing things.
“Donald Trump’s erratic behaviour – his war in Iran, his obsession with tariffs as a foreign policy tool – is in fact an opportunity for Australia to embrace this substantial power.
“We are a large island nation with significant resources. We are a highly educated, highly gifted economy with an enviable standard of living and a long track record of effective diplomacy.
“But the word sees an acolyte of the United States. It is time we stopped looking to the US as our security blanket, as the one that sets the standards and sets the rules.
“What we need is imagination and leadership so we can finally escape the stranglehold of dependency which has pervaded our foreign policy since 1788.”
