Australian Foreign and Defence Policy - Speech or Presentation Example

We are going to explicate the Australian strategic discussion’s intellectual development on matters of regional security, based on the historical and cultural influences of the nation. The country must prepare well, by taking seriously the issue of the possibility of an extensive and major international war as a major disturbance in our lifetimes; that is not because it is not avoidable, nor should its possibility be made greater via self-fulfilling alarmism (Anthony,2008, p.46).

Consequences

The possibility of a Third World war might not be apparent, but this does not rule out completely the possibility of a battle between America and its allies, and China. That is why all measures possible must be taken to ensure that the situation is contained by taming China. China’s emergence, as has been argued by popular strategic thinkers of Australia, does not reach comfortably into the deepest precincts of the joint Australian intuitive or subconscious like no other historical occurrence since the year 1942 has (Emerson, 2001, p.87). It is therefore in this sense that the rise of China if it is not dealt with in good time and becomes a big issue to an extent of successfully degrading the influence of the United States in the East Asia region, poses a pose a serious and direct challenge to the identity of Australia.  

Considerations

The concern for Australians is to examine the different options for containment of the increasing influence of China in the area. One of the options is pursuing accommodation with the nation, while also dipping the stress on the alliance with America, on the presumption that it would be in a position of protecting its interests adequately within this framework (Zhiqun, 2006, p.35). Another strategy is soft balancing which includes a focus on the associations not only with the dominant or major powers like the United States, India, and Japa but also with the regional powers like Indonesia and South Korea. However, it should be taken into consideration that this kind of strategy can be somehow delicate with a view of minimizing any clash with China. This approach also has a scope of becoming more aggressive in case China pursues policies that are not embraced by most of the regional nations. 

Recommendations

From the discussions above, we can see that the policy of accommodation is good for Australia as it would help her in the development of its fundamental economic relation with China, while also establishing a better comprehension of the security perspectives of China. The approach of soft balancing can also be adopted in quite a subtle manner by encouraging and promoting links with the different nations in the region of Asia-pacific.