Political links

Introduction

Despite its isolation, Australia is and always has been deeply involved in world politics. Its political links in the globe are influenced both by its geographical location and its government's priorities in foreign and trade policies. These relations are shaped by the main international challenges seen to be facing Australia in the near future. Some leading trends in the international environment to which Australia's foreign policies are geared include globalisation, with the enmeshment of Australia's economy in the global economy and an increase in the number of activities conducted on a transnational basis. Australia's highest trade and foreign affairs priority areas are in the Asia-Pacific, particularly with its leading powers, China and Japan and Australia's main strategic ally, the United States. Australia's political links include not just foreign affairs, trade, and defence, but also aid and investment agreements as well as international treaties. Reciprocal visits by politicians on a global scale have strengthened these links.

Previous political links

Australia's involvement in world politics has included nearly every major military conflict since it federated in 1901. Australian troops served Imperial British interests in the Boer War and continued to serve in both of the World Wars, with an increasing level of political involvement with the United States since the 'Pacific Campaign' against the threat of Japanese invasion. It was also involved in two of the major conflicts of the Cold War, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and participated in many of the international agreements and treaties of the period, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (1967) and ANZUS (1952). Since then Australia's interests have led to the deployment of troops to both Gulf Wars, to Afghanistan and to Iraq. Australia has also been involved in international peacekeeping and humanitarian projects in Bosnia, Bougainville, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Namibia, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, Somalia and Zimbabwe, leading the only two United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions in its region in Cambodia and East Timor. Further, Australia was one of the first countries to join the UN in 1945 and played an important role in drafting the UN Charter.

Current political links

Australia's ongoing political links are shaped by the trend of globalisation, with technological advances and the emergence of a global economy which has drawn Australia closer to overseas issues and other influences. Particularly important has been the influence exerted on Australia from its highest foreign affairs priority partners. These include China, Japan, Indonesia and the United States, as well as Europe, which also shares historical, political and trade links with Australia that have significantly shaped its strategic alliances. The complex nature of these factors has prompted the view that Australia's political and strategic concerns are no longer confined to the concerns of government but to complex economic and other links with overseas countries. Australia's government has attempted to adapt its foreign affairs, trade and defence policies to this with an emphasis put on investment agreements and other international agreements and treaties that address commercial, industrial, economic and social development and environmental concerns. Despite the changes that have occurred in Australia's international orientation, it still actively participates in the affairs of the Commonwealth (formerly British Commonwealth or Empire).

Australia and the United Nations

The United Nations (UN) is an international organisation of 191 independent countries that cooperate voluntarily on issues such as world peace, security and development. The UN was formed in 1945 immediately after World War II and continues to address international disputes through its peacekeeping and humanitarian operations.

Australia-United States ANZUS Treaty

Strong political links with the United States are reflected in Australia's membership of ANZUS (1952) which is now a bilateral pact aiming for the practical cooperation of intelligence, defence technologies, and logistics support and arrangements. Historically, Australian and American defence forces fought alongside each other during both of the World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, both Gulf Wars, and in Somalia.

ANZUS was once a trilateral treaty with the addition of New Zealand in 1952. In 1984, however, the treaty ceased to be trilateral due to New Zealand's adoption of a non-nuclear policy. The following year, a US destroyer was denied access to a New Zealand port after US officials failed to assure it that the ship carried no nuclear weapons. Since then, the US government has said that it would no longer guarantee New Zealand's safety under the ANZUS Treaty, but Australia's close defence ties with the US (and Australia's own defence ties with New Zealand) remain. This demonstrates the vulnerable nature of global ties even between the most powerful or stable countries.

Commonwealth organisations

Australia is multilaterally involved with the Commonwealth of Nations. In doing so it aims to promote its shared values of democracy and rule of law, human rights, equity, access to education and sustainable development. The Commonwealth is a voluntary association that consists of 53 developed and developing countries which have had colonial links in the former British Commonwealth or Empire. Most of its members are republics and together they contain 30 percent of the world's population with 1.8 billion people. The Commonwealth has a role in observing elections in Commonwealth countries and assisting member countries by developing best practice guidelines on administrative, judicial, and regulatory matters. In recent years it has also attempted to prevent and resolve conflicts in countries such as Bangladesh, Lesotho, Sierra Leone, Fiji and the Solomon Islands. In addition to this, Australia has supported an increased role for the Commonwealth in protecting human rights in member states and emphasising shared common law traditions by combating corruption and implementing international human rights conventions.

ASEAN regional forum

Political links on an immediate regional level are in Australia's signing of treaties and agreements with its South East Asian partners. This has included participation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (1967), which consists of Burma, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Australia works with ASEAN as a dialogue partner in liberalising regional trade, and expanding its security links in tackling issues such as defence, illegal immigrants, refugees, trans-national crime and piracy, environmental protection and counter-terrorism. ASEAN members aim at cooperation in these areas not as a military pact but in reliance on diplomatic means to settle disputes with each other.

South Pacific Islands involvement

Australia's political involvement with Papua New Guinea and other South Pacific island nations is another international link. Despite the sharp differences between Australia and these countries, their close proximity and some joint peacekeeping efforts makes the link considerably strong, as is the link with New Zealand given its closeness and common history. Shared historical experiences do exist with countries previously administered by Australia like Papua New Guinea, which gained independence in 1975 with serious unresolved issues, such as whether to adopt a Western or Melanesian political system, and its ability to manage tribal and linguistic differences. This created complex problems for Australia to work out with its former colony.

International counter-terrorism

In recent years Australia's strategic environment has changed in the wake of the increased threat of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in countries seen to be hostile to regional allies. Australia has signed agreements on the issues of international terrorism with Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei, aiming to continue negotiations with other governments with diplomatic, legislative, police and intelligence cooperation. It has also offered assistance in direct military involvement and border controls. In alignment with the United States it has engaged in cooperative military activities in Iraq and Afghanistan, and responded to the threat of weapons of mass destruction with a readiness to deploy troops to distant trouble spots, and to offer protection from missile attacks.