Australia, Korea, and East Asia: Re-calibrating Relations with Regional Powers

In Australia, rhetorical commitment to the United States alliance has never been stronger, yet there have been a number of historical episodes in which Australia’s interests have not received the notice in Washington that the nation’s leaders thought was deserved. The response at times of uncertainty has been to take actions that have underlined alliance loyalty. With clear signs of limitations on U.S. capability, and the continued rise of China to be the pre-eminent power in the Western Pacific, such a response may no longer be appropriate. For the first time in history, Australia’s security guarantor is not its principal trading partner. This experience has some parallels in the case of the Republic of Korea, although the full force of the regional sea change has been so far constrained by the continued threat posed by North Korea.