Australia–United States relations

United States-Australia relations refers to international relations between Australia and the United States of America. While Australia has traditionally been aligned with the Commonwealth of Nations, it has strengthened its relationship with the United States since 1942, as Britain's influence in Asia declined. At the governmental level, United-States-Australia relations are formalised by the ANZUS treaty and the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement. Moreover, the United States has had a considerable impact on Australian culture.Fact|date=April 2008

Both the United States and Australia share some common ancestry and history (see British Empire), having both been British colonies. Both countries had native peoples who were dispossessed of their land. Both have been part of the "Western alliance" of nations in various wars. There are numerous other similarities.

Military

In 1908, Prime Minister Alfred Deakin invited the Great White Fleet to visit Australia during its circumnavigation of the world. The fleet stopped in Sydney, Melbourne and Albany. Deakin, a strong advocate for an independent Australian Navy, used the visit to raise the public's enthusiasm about a new navy. The visit marked the first occasion that a non-Royal Navy fleet had visited Australian waters. Many saw the visit of the Great White Fleet as a major turning point in the creation of the Royal Australian Navy. Shortly after the visit, Australia ordered its first modern warships, a purchase that angered the British Admiralty. [cite book
last=Macdougall
first=A
title=Australians at War A Pictorial History
publisher=The Five Mile Press
date=1991
location=Noble Park, Victoria
pages=360
id=ISBN 1-86503-865-2 ]

In 1942, Australian Prime Minister John Curtin put U.S. General Douglas MacArthur in direct command of the Australian military, which comprised the majority of MacArthur's forces at the time.Fact|date=April 2008 MacArthur's headquarters were located in Brisbane until 1944 and Australian forces remained under MacArthur's overall command until the end of World War II. The U.S. Embassy opened in 1943.

After the war, the American presence in the southeast Pacific increased immensely, most notably in Japan and the Philippines. In view of the cooperation between the Allies during the war, the decreasing reliance of Australia and New Zealand on the United Kingdom, and America's desire to cement this post-war order in the Pacific, the ANZUS Treaty was signed by Australia, New Zealand and the United States in 1951. [ [http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/new_zealand/anzus.pdf Full text of the ANZUS Treaty] ] This full three-way military alliance replaced the ANZAC Pact that had been in place between Australia and New Zealand since 1944.

Australia has been involved in most major American military endeavours since World War II including the Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War and both Iraq Wars—all without invocation of ANZUS. The alliance has only been invoked once, for the invasion of Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C..

War on Terror

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, in which a number of Australian citizens were also killed, there was an enormous outpouring of sympathy from Australia for the United States. Prime Minister John Howard became one of President George W. Bush's strongest international supporters, and supported the United States in the invasion of Afghanistan.

However, current Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has indicated that the 550 Australian combat troops in Iraq would be removed by mid-2008. Despite this, there have been suggestions from the Australian government that might lead to an increase in numbers of Australian troops in Afghanistan to roughly 1,000.cite news

last=Reynolds

first=Paul

title=Australia shifts course, away from US

publisher=BBC News

date=2007-11-26

url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7112774.stm

accessdate=2008-04-03 ]

Political

Since 1985, there have been annual ministerial consultations between the two countries, known as AUSMIN. The venue of the meeting alternates between the two countries. It is attended by senior government ministers such as the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Minister for Defence, US Secretary of Defense and US Secretary of State. [cite web |url=http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/us/ausmin/ausmin05_joint_communique.html |title=2005 Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations Joint Communique |publisher=Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |accessdate=2006-12-10 ]

Australian tours by U.S. Presidents

The first Australian visit by a President [cite web|url=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/trvl/pres/dest/ac/12443.htm|title=Australia|work=US Department of State|accessdate=2006-11-12] was that of Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966 to seek support for Australia's ongoing involvement in the Vietnam war. Australia had previously sent advisers and combat troops to Vietnam. More recently, George W. Bush visited in 2003 and addressed a joint sitting of the Australian Parliament, again to acknowledge Australia's involvement in the US-led war on terror.

United States tours by Australian Prime Ministers

Kyoto Protocol

Australia's current Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, signed the Kyoto Protocol on December 3, 2007, leaving the United States as the last major industrial nation not to ratify the agreement. Australia's previous government, led by Liberal John Howard, refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol citing, along with the United States, that it would "damage their economies". [cite news
last=Black
first=Richard
title=New climate plan 'to rival Kyoto'
publisher=BBC
date=2005-07-27
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4721449.stm
accessdate=2008-04-04 ]

Trade

Trade between the United States and Australia is strong, as evidenced by the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement. The United States is Australia’s fourth largest export market and its second largest source of imports. [http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/fs/aust.pdf] The United States is also the largest investor in Australia.

Australia and the United States also provide significant competition for each other in several third-party exports such as wheat, uranium and wool and, more recently, in the information technology sector.

See also

* Dennis Richardson (diplomat), the current Australian ambassador to the United States
* Robert McCallum, Jr., the current United States ambassador to Australia

References

Inline

General

* [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2698.htm "Background Note: Australia"] U.S. Department of State. Aug. 2006. 11 Oct. 2006
* [http://www.dfat.gov.au/aib/history.html "Ancient Heritage, Modern Society"] Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. May 2005. 11 Oct. 2006
* Dalton, John. Lecture. Bond University. Australian Culture From an International Perspective. Bond University, Gold Coast, Queensland. Fall 2005.
* [http://www.fta.gov.au/default.aspx?FolderID=246&ArticleID=193 "Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement"] Australian Government. 2005. 28 Oct. 2006
* [http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia-1continent "The Australian Continent"] Australian Government. 2005. 28 Oct. 2006.
* [http://0-www.countrywatch.com.library.edu/cw_topic.aspx?type=text&country=9&topic=POFOR. Australia Foreign Relations] Country Watch. 2006. 29 Oct. 2006.

External links

* [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/as.html CIA World Factbook]
* [http://www.austemb.org/ Embassy of Australia in Washington D.C.]
* [http://canberra.usembassy.gov/ Embassy of the United States in Canberra]
* [http://www.dfat.gov.au/trade/negotiations/us.html Free Trade Agreement]