By James O’Neill*
“The United States – Australia relationship is built on shared values. In the face of an increasingly complex regional environment, it is vital we work together to overcome these challenges. Another productive discussion with colleagues tonight on how we navigate our way through.”
The above quotation is from a statement made by Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne following a visit to Washington DC by her and Australian Defence Minister Linda Reynolds following discussions with their United States counterparts Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper respectively.
What the local Australian media are also reporting is that the two parties signed an agreement, the contents of which have not been disclosed. The visit to Washington DC by the two Ministers, the content of their discussions, and the agreements released should all be matters of profound concern to the Australian voting public.
It would be a mistake however, to take the latest secret agreement and the known commitments that have flowed from it as representing any kind of policy shift by the Australian government. At least since the CIA engineered coup against the elected Australian government of Gough Whitlam in November 1975 Australia has effectively operated as a colony of the United States.
Whitlam’s brief flowering of foreign policy independence was quickly snuffed out. No Australian government ever since, regardless of nominal political affiliation, has dared to demonstrate the least measure of foreign policy independence. In the past two decades Australia has joined, and remains an integral part of, the illegal invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. A measure of that foreign policy subservience is that none of those foreign policy misadventures were the subject of Parliamentary debates, let alone continued oversight or critical analysis.
One measure of this laxity is that the ABC has recently given air time to allegations of illegal conduct by some Australian army personnel in Afghanistan. The allegations relate to the alleged misconduct of Australian troops, including ill-treatment, torture and murder of Afghan civilians and alleged members of the Taliban. What is astonishing about the allegations is that they relate to incidents up to a decade ago. There has been no explanation as to why it took so long for these allegations to be aired. It is not as if the alleged facts were unknown since their occurrence.
As equally astonishing as the delay in broadcasting these allegations is the total absence of any concern or alarm being raised by the political leadership of both major parties, let alone a demand that the alleged conduct of Australian troops be properly investigated. Even more absent from the discussion (it would be inappropriate to call it a debate) is any suggestion that there is a legitimate justification for the continued presence of Australian troops in Afghanistan.
Feeble suggestions that the troops remain in response to a request from the Afghan government is derisory. That “government” is no more than a puppet regime of the United States occupiers, controls a rapidly diminishing portion of actual Afghan territory, and is a laughing stock among serious geopolitical observers.
By contrast, a wholly fabricated story that did receive enormous media coverage, and featured on the major news broadcast at the time of writing, was yet another piece of United States disinformation suggesting that Russia was paying a bounty for each US soldier that the Taliban was able to kill.
That non-story dominated western mainstream media outlets for several days. It was clearly intended as a distraction from the political infighting within the American political groups, whose common thread seems to be opposition to President Trump’s announced plans for a draw-down of US troops from Afghanistan. It will be a miracle if that actually happens. The various vested interests that want to maintain a US presence in Afghanistan are far stronger than an embattled US President unlikely, on current opinion poll figures, to be re-elected this November.
Similar Australian subservience to the United States can be seen in Iraq. In January of this year the Iraqi parliament demanded all foreign troops (that is, United States, United Kingdom and Australian) should leave. Six months later there has been zero compliance with the legitimate demands of the sovereign Iraqi government.
Again, one has to ask, where is the Australian parliament in all this? The original invasion and occupation were based on the lie of Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction that Saddam Hussein was about to leash upon the freedom loving Western democracies. There were no such weapons. That should have been the cause of profound apologies, rapid withdrawal of foreign occupying troops, and the payment of compensation.
None of that happened. Ignoring the Iraqi government demand to leave exposes the true nature of the invasion and occupation. What then are the “shared values” that Marise Payne speaks of? They certainly do not include a commitment to complying with international law; holding people accountable for profound breaches of the said law; or even acknowledging through Parliamentary debate that Australia has no pretensions to being an independent state but is, as always, willing to be the unquestioning lackey of United States foreign policy.
So what were the “productive discussions” with the Americans that Payne and Reynolds had to overcome regional “challenges?” We are not told the details, but it is a safe bet that a continuation of the past 50 years of Australian subservience to United States geopolitical ambitions is high on the must do list.
Australian subservience to the United States extends beyond military misadventures. The extraordinary anti-Chinese rhetoric emanating from Australian politicians (again party differences are irrelevant) is literally economic suicide. That a country could be persuaded to act in such a way, so profoundly antithetical to its vital economic interests, is a measure of how completely subservient Canberra has become to Washington’s dictates.
The respected Indian commentator M.K. Bhadrakumar (indianpunchline.com 29 July 2020) has a more optimistic view of Australia diverging from the United States line. He quotes Payne’s speech at the meeting where she said “the secretary’s speeches (on China) are his own, Australia’s positions are our own: and we operate, as you would expect, on the basis of our shared values……. But most importantly from our perspective, we make our own decisions.”
These are fine sentiments. The trouble is they have not been matched by Australia’s actions over the past 50 years which, since the overthrow of the Whitlam government has been matched by almost qualified obeisance to US interests.
Payne’s speech is better interpreted as a realisation that the world being inflicted with the policies of Trump and his evangelical secretary of state Pompeo now has a very limited shelf life. Whether the professed independence translates into actual policy differences on the likely coming to power of a Biden administration is at best a moot point. The rhetoric from the Biden camp suggests that US-China policies will remain equally conflicted.
Australia’s past record would suggest Paine’s rhetoric will not match the reality of a new United States administration. It would be a brave analyst who would bet otherwise.
*Geopolitical analyst. He can be contacted at jamesoneill83@icloud.com
There are bigger things happening, behind the scenes, that you’re not privy to.
Leave it be.
‘ There are bigger things happening, behind the scenes ‘, that’s what we’re always told.
The classic ‘cop-out’ so that we continue to STFU and continue prostrating ourselves to the ‘exceptional and indispensible’ nation.
Bob, would you care to elaborate on those ‘bigger things’ ?
Yes, most likely.
Maybe wise to remain sitting under the ‘mushroom’ digesting what we are fed. Better than been drowned in a rice paddy.
I cannot think of two more admirable women …
(speaking of Syria, that is) than the First Lady of Syria, Mrs Asma al-Assad, and the intrepid independent Canadian journalist Eva K Bartlett.
Eva just published this masterpiece on notes taken following a personal meeting with Mrs al-Assad (the Lioness of Damascus –Rose in the Desert)
Impressions from An Informal Meeting With Asma Al-Assad, Syria’s First Lady
https://ingaza.wordpress.com/2020/07/29/impressions-from-an-informal-meeting-with-asma-al-assad-syrias-first-lady/
Terry, I too was in a café recently as the Taliban bounty narrative was wheeled out and could not help looking at the television screens in the distance – pathetic narrative spewers touting “Why is Trump paying terrorists to kill Americans?“
… And then to avoid complete embarrassment they just eased the fairy tale out of the headlines as if it had never ever happened – it had served its purpose. Reminds me of Fauci and his advice NOT to use face masks – but is now promoting eye goggles.
As for Payne, Reynolds – low level initiates – nothing to do with Australia or Australians – sickening.
Australian war crime investigations go the same way as those of the USA,no where.
The Coalition Murder video seen by millions has achieved just one thing,the imprisonment and persecution of a journalist abandoned by our government and delivered into the hands of our Five Eyes(UK /USA)”colleagues”.
Despite knowing that the MSM has been a purveyor of lies since God knows when, I am amazed at the number of people who subscribe to their espousing that Biden has a lead in the polls. What polls conducted by whom?
Surely the American public, although not overbright on average, would fall for voting in, a group of criminals, acting on behalf of the Cabal. Although some of Trump’s team still seem to be war hawks, overall I think that they can see there would be no sense in an all out confrontation with China. Trade wars are one thing, but armed conflict is another.
Up until recent years, I had always been a Labor voter, until I became educated, now knowing that there is very little difference in policies between the two major parties. 10 years ago I would never have suggested that the Republicans were a better bet for the US. However, in my opinion, if the Democrats, do get into the Whitehouse, we are all doomed.
Apart from that I am in full agreement with James.
Our politicians since Whitlam have all been whimps, or have had their hands in somebody else’s pockets. If it wasn’t the UK it was the US that they were kowtowing to.
I wonder why the Services go under the banner of “the ADF (Australian DEFENCE Force)? These Services spend much of their time being an INVADING Force. If we were attacked at any time in the last 67 years, since Korea, most of our “defence” was overseas attacking some other country.
Something that I don’t think anybody has given any thought to, is that all these actions overseas cost the Australian taxpayer a fortune. Does Australia get any reimbursement for the cost of other Nation’s wars, as well as human loss? Nearly all military equipment is bought from overseas for the benefit of another country’s economy. Yet we lose financially and population wise.
The China /USA “cold war” is all about technology.Israel has become the global king pin.
China ,Israel and Russia-Belt and Road.INTEL is on it’s last legs trailing AMD by a mile.
Taiwan semiconductor-TSMC is in the sights of the CCP and America can’t let that eventuate.
Brendon O’Connell recent vid #47 sets this all out.
“Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne following a visit to Washington DC by her and Australian Defence Minister Linda Reynolds”
It is embarrassing/disgusting/vomiting stupid that the ‘Ministers’ of this country have no idea about the portfolios that they allegedly command. We have air-heads with no military experience in charge of ‘defense’, Foreign Affairs by people that have never lived/experienced foreign cultures, let alone speak a foreign language. Treasury ministers that don’t have a clue about economics – if this was a comedy on broadway we would have a laugh about the absurdity of it all.
The idea that people are voted in for four years, then those who have no experience within a given portfolio get allocated to said portfolio, then are voted out…you’ll get stellar results there, I’m sure.
Yep.
Then we re-elect most of them. Mad VicDan for a simple example who has banned hydroxychloroquinne as has mad, whoever runs Qld.
I smell rats? But they are a priviliged superior breed, bred specifically for their purpose.
Yuip. Vote them out, they just have to stay in parliament for the next four years, when they will get voted in again because their replacement was worse. Great way to run things.
Great article, James. I look forward to your ideas on just how we Australian Patriots can express our rejection of the US occupation of our land. And, believe me, where I live it is an armed occupation.
Meanwhile, forgive me all, but I urgently need help…
Will the “Netgear Nighthawk M2 – Black 119846 Outright/ Locked to Telstra” (that’s how it is advertised) device enable me to access the internet with optimum receptivity, independent of the NBN fibre-optic network? I live in Nhulunbuy, NT.
Telstra technical assurances are meaningless to me and I do not want to blow $500 on the wrong device. On the other hand, I have been cut off from the real world for three weeks so this is a desperate plea for assistance.
To avoid cluttering these pages with my extraneous woes, please email me advice to tonyryan43@gmail.com
I too have a personal request. If anybody has a way of contacting Andrew Fraser of “Murder In The Outback” fame, please send information to Gumshoenews.com I am sure Dee will forward to me.
I have information that Andrew may be interested in, or at least like to discuss.
Australia has been ” the unquestioning lackey of United States foreign policy”.
That wouldn’t have been so bad if we’d been allied to a country with some modicum of morality and empathy.
Sadly, this is far from the reality.
As Harold Pinter stated during his 2005 Nobel Prize acceptance speech :
‘ The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about them.
You have to hand it to America. It has exercised a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force for universal good.
It’s a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis.’
Indeed, operation mockingbird and limited control of the msm with press and tv has hypmotised the public.
Typified by the mass hypnosis of the public with traitorous rat infested pollies and jornalists gorging from the trough and human carcasses.
Just look at the control of the 911 mass murderers to convince the gullible tin foil hat official 911 conspiracy theorists to justify murdering millions just to underwrite the bankers toilet paper petro dollar fiat iou notes.
America with Australia is just a collection of village idiots sacrificing their lives and our sovereignty to the bankers and fascist global corporates.
‘a collection of village idiots sacrificing their lives and our sovereignty’.
Ned, no one’s succinctly encapsulated where we are better than that.
That’s the depressing truth.
Australia at the crossroads not looking good.
off Topic
https://news.yahoo.com/boston-marathon-bombing-dzhokhar-tsarnaevs-203150323.html
Diane,
17 years for a crime he did not do.
Now their ‘war on terror‘ is against all humanity. We are all terrorists now.
This is the end game where pedophilia and child sacrifice is promoted.
The computer age has made this place a third world nation and worse.
At least, a subsistence farmer can grow food or catch fish. We are dependent, as a newborn to a mother’s tit, on the stacked shelves in their mega barns. A catastrophe that was always going to get worse with the artificial insanity of automation and robotics. The greed for bigger profits has sidelined all that have skills and made us a nation of useless eaters (for how long?)
With all this ease at the touch of our fingertips, when you’re out getting consumables, have a look at who’s working? Youth that have come from the poorest regions globally, at rates well below the minimum wage. The bottom line, they are working we are not. TPTB said that there was a skills shortage and that we were lazy. I say BS!
“Without belonging to the freemasonry, there is no chance of a fast career, regardless of how talented one is.” – Lina
56, are we to know who be Lina?
Mary,
She’s like you, me and everyone.
Actually, Lina wrote an article for Henry Makow – one of many good Jews.
Sorry, Juri Lina is a man.
Just want to point out the obwious:
The typical Ozzie or Yank or Christian or Muslim or Jew or …
DO NOT control the median wants of us “normal(lol)” they are controlled
by a farcical system currently called gowonment.
Thanks James, your good to read, I just can not see any period “non” subservience, a minor difference nowadays.
Tv.
Do not be depressed, it is all fun.
Just look up the lares x22 report, it is a hoot. Especially the G Maxwell old 2015 defamation evidence now ‘unsealed’! More to come. Poor Nemisis, he is going to dig further down beneath the mossad show……. probably dissapear.😈
Chin up, just join the awakening and share with the bogan villigers.
Dee mght put up the atest ‘zioDave’ in a new article to give the gullbles some reality and hope.
Enjoy, you chose to be here for the show…… so no more whinging, 😂😂😂
Ned, I so hope you are right – we all (well, with one or two exceptions) want the same outcome. Just let me know when the arrests start (and I don’t mean a handful of Russian or Chinese cyberbots or election riggers) … and when this face mask and the rest of the coronahoax tyranny is reversed and insanity is outlawed. Oh – and the prosecutions and reparations begin.
(A US constitutional perspective …)
Tv.
Sorry, did not mean that you are a whinger…….just a bit of fun. Meant; have heart, hope and enjoy the show.
All good Ned.
I didn’t take offence in the least. As for watching the latest X22 Report, I’ll have a look at it. ( I assume you mean the one titled ‘Do you see how it’s all coming together’ ?).
As for the the whinger comment, I haven’t sensed that anything you’ve said is the slightest bit derogatory.
But, let’s call a spade a spade. I do whinge from time to time so if I’m called out on occasion it’s a fair call.
https://youtu.be/SwlkumcRf6w