- This new Quarterly Essay from respected foreign policy analyst Hugh White is so sensible on every level. He pulls no punches and it's written in crystal clear English, very much unlike the tiresome word-salad bureaucratise indulged in by Kevin Rudd in his recent book The Avoidable War. In fact he calls Rudd out. There can be no 'managed strategic competition' when it comes to China and its ambitious agenda. China has no interest in a deal.
- There are so many quotable sentences in this essay that I underlined virtually every second one! The Quad does not actually do anything except meet, for example.
- Refreshingly White tackles the Taiwan issue head on. He provides the frankest assessment of the situation I've ever read, and I've read a lot on this issue over the last few years.
The best way out of this predicament for America is to abandon ambiguity and acknowledge frankly that it cannot and will not defend Taiwan with armed force. And the best path for Australia is to urge America to do that and to tell Americans plainly that we will not support them in a war over Taiwan.
Because of the serious risk of nuclear war, America better withdraw quickly and gracefully. Abandoning Taiwan to Beijing for example.
- White also makes sense on Ukraine. Russia needs to be offered ‘a respectable place in the international system’. Great powers like Russia and an emerging India are needed to keep China at bay.
- The coming new multi-polar order will balance interests, and the US and Australia need to adjust. Our absurd pro-war posture against China will do us great damage. Her calls out AUKUS for the disaster it is: …it is hard to recall anything more absurd than this whole sad mess.
- To White, Japan presents us with a model on establishing workable relations with China. As do the countries of Southeast Asia who are united in believing that it would be both futile and disastrous for America to try to contain China in a new Cold War. As for the Southwest Pacific, home of Solomon Islands: They will not be frightened into turning their backs on China by our dire warnings.
- He's very critical of our new Albanese government's inability to outline a realistic alternative to the dated, chest-thumping and dangerous Howard/Morrison/Dutton views. Labor has deserted the policy debate and called it bipartisanship.
- This essay is wide-ranging and up to date. It is a thoroughly refreshing and enlightening read. Highly recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment