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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSMH: Australia's foreign policy is getting clumsy and arrogant
Link to tweet
Theyre just having a sook.
Its a sentence that has been heard a few times over the past 48 hours, as Coalition MPs rubbish any suggestion that Australia has seriously harmed itself in infuriating France over dumping the $90 billion submarine deal.
Its a thuggish mentality, devoid of humility, that encapsulates everything that is wrong about Australian foreign policy at the moment. The idea that we couldnt have done this any other way is laughable for a number of reasons.
First, the Morrison government should not have given France the impression that the submarine deal was back on track over the past six months. As recently as June this year, French President Emmanuel Macron backed Australia in its worsening tussle with China, standing alongside Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the Elysee Palace courtyard in Paris. What Macron didnt know was that four days earlier, Morrison had used a meeting with US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to discuss the secret plan to ditch the French submarines and build a nuclear-powered fleet with the United States and Britain.
Second, Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton should not have agreed to significantly enhance defence cooperation with their French counterparts less than a month ago when they were about to announce the submarine deal was dead.
Australia hasnt just angered the most important European power in the Indo-Pacific. It has dragged its greatest ally, the US, into a diplomatic row with Europe at a time when Biden is trying to mend relations in the continent after years of Donald Trump publicly snubbing European allies. Australias actions right now have serious implications on the world stage and there are questions about whether our diplomacy has been strong enough to support our strategic intentions
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-s-foreign-policy-is-getting-clumsy-and-arrogant-20210918-p58ssr.html
Its a sentence that has been heard a few times over the past 48 hours, as Coalition MPs rubbish any suggestion that Australia has seriously harmed itself in infuriating France over dumping the $90 billion submarine deal.
Its a thuggish mentality, devoid of humility, that encapsulates everything that is wrong about Australian foreign policy at the moment. The idea that we couldnt have done this any other way is laughable for a number of reasons.
First, the Morrison government should not have given France the impression that the submarine deal was back on track over the past six months. As recently as June this year, French President Emmanuel Macron backed Australia in its worsening tussle with China, standing alongside Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the Elysee Palace courtyard in Paris. What Macron didnt know was that four days earlier, Morrison had used a meeting with US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to discuss the secret plan to ditch the French submarines and build a nuclear-powered fleet with the United States and Britain.
Second, Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton should not have agreed to significantly enhance defence cooperation with their French counterparts less than a month ago when they were about to announce the submarine deal was dead.
Australia hasnt just angered the most important European power in the Indo-Pacific. It has dragged its greatest ally, the US, into a diplomatic row with Europe at a time when Biden is trying to mend relations in the continent after years of Donald Trump publicly snubbing European allies. Australias actions right now have serious implications on the world stage and there are questions about whether our diplomacy has been strong enough to support our strategic intentions
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-s-foreign-policy-is-getting-clumsy-and-arrogant-20210918-p58ssr.html
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SMH: Australia's foreign policy is getting clumsy and arrogant (Original Post)
BeyondGeography
Sep 2021
OP
Even if Australia handled this badly, it does sound like they had reason to be...
Silent3
Sep 2021
#1
Lies, duplicity and a basic lack of respect didn't have to be part of the package
BeyondGeography
Sep 2021
#2
Silent3
(15,020 posts)1. Even if Australia handled this badly, it does sound like they had reason to be...
...unhappy with the deal with France.
And if Australia simply didn't want the French subs anymore, what's the US supposed to have done? Turn down Australia ourselves, and insist Australia keep France happy?
BeyondGeography
(39,284 posts)2. Lies, duplicity and a basic lack of respect didn't have to be part of the package
Being upfront about breaking the deal would have worked in the end and it would have taken more time. Right now, thats looking like an investment that should have been made.
What was the rush
a good FP headline after Afghanistan? Hows that working out?