Home Australia A Dangerous Ignorance Pervades Both Liberal and Labor Foreign Policy

A Dangerous Ignorance Pervades Both Liberal and Labor Foreign Policy

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L-R Morrison, Dutton, Albanese (gumshoe adaption)

By James O’Neill*

The Australian general election will be held in the next three months or so and those of us  with an interest in foreign policy are looking for signs of what distinguishes the two major parties, Liberal and Labour in the forthcoming battle. Alas, the quest is mainly in vain.

The Liberal government has made a number of moves in recent months in terms of foreign policy, the most important of which has been the formulation of what is manifestly an anti-China alliance of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States (AUKUS). It has been accompanied by several belligerent statements by the minister of defence, Peter Dutton. Most recently, Mr Dutton threatened that any move by China against the island of Taiwan would inevitably lead to a confrontation between Australia and China.

It is a pity that Mr Dutton, like most Australian commentators on the “China issue” is devoid of even a basic knowledge of history. After the Chinese revolution of 1949 brought the Communist party to power in China, the defeated Nationalists fled to the island of Taiwan, which lies close to the Chinese mainland in the South China Sea.

More importantly, the island of Taiwan pretended to continue to be the representative of the whole of China. The most disgraceful illustration of this was that Taiwan (or Formosa is it was then known) continued to hold China’s seat on the United Nations Security Council. This anomaly helps explain why the United Nations Security Council, which was then being boycotted by Russia, was able to vote in favour of the United Nations intervening in the war that had broken out in Korea. It is unimaginable that the PRC would have exceeded to that war being the subject of a Security Council resolution.

The anomaly was finally corrected in 1971 when the General Assembly voted to correct this aberration. The resolution in the General Assembly was voted against by Australia. Fortunately, there were sufficient votes in favour to carry the day and China took its rightful place on the Security Council. This history is worth bearing in mind because in this writer’s opinion the Australian position has never really changed, even though, for the past 30 years, it has benefited enormously from its trade with the People’s Republic.

Dutton’s statement that Australia would come to the support of Taiwan in the event the PRC took forcible action to restore the island to mainland control is really no more than a continuation of that earlier policy, and the sentiment expressed in the vote on the PRC assuming its rightful role as the representative of China on the United Nations Security Council.

It was Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam that recognised the PRC as the legitimate government of China. Unfortunately, that bold move in 1972 to recognise reality has not been carried through by his successors in the modern Labor Party. There was no Labour Party response to Dutton’s expression of support for Taiwan in the event of a conflict with the PRC. It seems that the boldness shown by Gough Whitlam has died a dusty death in the modern Labor Party.

Rather than an independent foreign policy, the modern Labor Party seems firmly committed to the United States view of the world. One should not be surprised by this, irrespective of how disappointing such a betrayal of the Whitlam legacy in fact is. It was after all Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard who first allowed the Americans to set up a naval base in Darwin. The United States military presence in Australia has been steadily expanded ever since.

None of Whitlam’s successes as Labor Prime Minister (there are four of them) were prepared to revisit Whitlam’s pledge to close the Pine Gap United States spy base in the Northern Territory. They have been totally silent on the question of the United States’ ever enlarging military footprint in Australia. In the event of a war with the PRC which current defence Minister Dutton seems eager to facilitate, Pine Gap would be an early and obvious target for Chinese missiles. That also is a phenomenon that seems to leave the Labor Party untroubled.

The current foreign minister Marise Payne has as severely jaundiced a view of Russia as her colleague Dutton does of China. Ms Payne recently expressed Australia’s support for the current United States and United Kingdom campaign against Russia. This campaign has recently reached ridiculous levels, with both countries vehemently declaring that a Russian attack on Ukraine was imminent. This is a position they have been loudly proclaiming for at least the past three months. The campaign, accompanied by the evacuation of the families of their respective diplomatic staff, has done huge damage to the Ukrainian economy. The damage finally caused the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to finally speak out against the blatant warmongering of the Americans and the British.

Russia has no intention of invading Ukraine. Its forces will be used in the event that the Ukrainians are stupid enough to attack either of the two breakaway republics of the Dombass, or Crimea. Both major political parties in Australia seem oblivious to what actually happened in Crimea. In this they are aided and abetted by the mainstream media whose grasp of history is equally unreliable.

They conveniently forget that Australian troops fought in the Crimean war in the 1850s. Who were they fighting? None other than Russia, whose territory it was. They similarly conveniently overlook recent history. Crimea was gifted to Ukraine by Soviet president Khrushchev in 1954. The Crimean’s were not consulted as to the exercise of the gifting of their country.

They simply ignore the fact that following the United States inspired and financed coup that overthrew the legitimately elected Ukrainian president, the Crimeans held a vote as to whether they wished to stay in the new, fascist government controlled, country of Ukraine. They held a referendum, also ignored by our media, and more than 90% of the population voted to re-join Russia. Crimea followed a democratic process.  The same thing happened in Kosovo, although one never reads about its “illegal” separation from Serbia, presumably because the Kosovans are now part of the western alliance.

In the forthcoming general election, we can expect more distortion of the historical reality. In this, the Labor Party are as guilty as the Liberals. The tragedy is that their stupidity and ignorance may involve Australia in a war with either or both Russia and China. The country deserves better than to be led by such dangerously ignorant people.

*Geopolitical analyst.  He may be contacted at jamesoneill83@icloud.com

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23 COMMENTS

    • He uses words like “legitimate” and “rightful” to describe the greatest mass murderer of the 20th century (Mao). Without picking a side, I can say these characterisations are absurd.
      China is the great excuse for Australia’s descent into Globalism, manufacturing jobs all exported. We are told we are totally reliant on our sensitive masters in Beijing. Before, things were fine dealing with Japan, Korea, Taiwan, HongKong, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Pakistan etc. China should be treated as one of these many and nothing special. It gets special treatment from ALP agents who are communo-fascists pushing Globalist agendas.
      Follow China and you too can have a social credit score, own nothing and be happy. Register for your travel with our downloadable app. Want to go to the cafe for lunch ? Be sure to keep your injection schedule up-to-date. If you’re not happy, this way into the pit please.

  7. You know that Australia has long history with Taiwan. It was the biggest producer camphor oil that had a multitude of uses including early plastic’s and rust control. The oils processed into a solid left a product that would go solid to gas-gas back to solid. No liquid state, could make a silicon chip and medical. Highly sort after and caused trade issues, till synthesized.
    Dutton’s playing word games. Australia used Taiwan for a middle man 49 – 72 by an understanding of political expediency, for all.:1972 HAS diplomatic relations between Aus and China(forget national/republlc) China’s IS recognised as the sole legal government of China. Tibet now annexed, Hong Kong unifying at lease end !999. Only people recognising Taiwan as sole government now is 15 countries like Haiti, Holy See, Marshall Islands and Nauru. Columbo plan.

    Trade and Education does lift off 1972 and by 2020 we have 16billion out 10billion in as trade.
    There are still 16 Indigenous groups, that still never get a look in.

    2014 has Australia’s New Colombo Plan that I will leave for now ,but the one interesting thing was in 2019 Taiwan(think like our Tasmania now)Formosa Steel buys a 1.2billion stake in Fortescue Metals. The silk road a long haul system but some goods entering and leaving enroute, used franchised, sole trading, middle merchants who would buy lots, and on sell. The silk road has been up for a while, just noticed, the NSW Rum Corps had this system. Barter is fun till India.
    Dfat has briefed Dutton, he is doing controversy. China can hit us many ways and in short time, what could we do about it. China is pragmatic and will trade with us, like or not

    • Reaction Video: Watching the 60 Minutes Australia Episode “War with China”

      AUKUS: Australia-UK-US War Alliance Against China

      If the UN declares Taiwan to be a country, then US controlled Taiwan would have equal control over the South China Sea with China. US and Australian warships would be up and down China’s coast all day every day.
      “All wars are Bankers wars”

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