Why Australia's Socialist Prime Minister Now Loves America

In the past, Australia’s security guarantor was also its most important trading partner. Back then, strategy was simple: Attach Australia to the most formidable naval power in the region which happened to be the United Kingdom (prior to World War II) and America (after World War II). For the first time in the country’s history, its largest trading partner is now also a potential strategic threat. It is no wonder that Prime Minister Gillard’s comments to Congress about American exceptionalism, its powers of renewal, and the famous "can-do" attitude are both a statement of committed belief and ardent hope.

John Lee is a foreign policy research fellow at The Centre for Independent Studies and a Visiting Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. He is the author of Will China Fail?