My Take | Forget Canada, the real 51st American state appears to be gullible Australia
Aside from the first island chain of encirclement against China, much of the other island ‘defence’ chains look more like vassalising the not so ‘lucky country’ among others in the South Pacific
Even the ever compliant Europeans are starting to openly articulate a more independent defence posture and to fortify their economies in the face of Donald Trump’s universal tariff war and financial threats.
And yet, Australia, which has been as much affected by Washington’s aggression as Canada or any European state, has been conspicuously silent. It is even doubling down on the highly controversial Aukus military pact with the US and the UK, along with the pact’s prohibitively expensive nuclear-powered submarine programme.
The state-of the-art subs cost so much – at an estimated price of US$235 billion – Canberra has to redefine its own defence doctrine to match Washington’s agenda. Does Australia seriously think Beijing would ever want to attack it unless it joins the US in a shooting war against China? It’s all about conjuring a phantom enemy to suit the needs of its lord and master on the other side of the globe.
As Carney openly calls on middle powers to stand up to the superpowers while the old global order is crumbling, he is backing up words with actions and policies, thereby setting an example for others. Canadians are rallying and have never been more defiant in the face of Washington’s outright imperialism.