Political Futures: Doing Things Our Way

By Denis Bright

Having captured the imagination of Australians, the more larrikin political style of Anthony Albanese is available for application on the world scene.

According to ABC News (16 June 2025), the AUKUS Review has immense possibility for the evolution of a renewed commitment to national sovereignty. Commitment to AUKUS in its old format is now being scrutinized as Australia will not have the right of veto over the actions of foreign vessels from Britain and the US making use of our shore facilities with supporting communication networks like Pine Gap:

The Trump administration said its review of AUKUS included ensuring it was “aligned with the president’s ‘America first’ agenda” and that “the defence industrial base is meeting our needs.”

AUKUS critics, such as the former commander of the Royal Australian Navy’s submarine squadron Peter Briggs, warn Australia could lose everything it has bet on the nuclear subs.

“This is a good deal for the Americans,” Mr Briggs said. “If they see that the AUKUS program is impacting on their capabilities, they can walk away from it.”

Adjunct Professor Albert Palazzo of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at UNSW goes a step further:

The AUKUS review should be welcomed by all Australians as an opportunity for the Albanese government to scrap the agreement and wean itself off US dependency.

The review is a chance for our political leaders to exercise their most important responsibility: asserting the nation’s sovereignty and equipping Australia to provide for its national security on its own.

Since AUKUS already contains clauses the US could use to cancel the pact, a termination now would benefit Australia. It would save the nation huge sums of money, and force the government to formulate a more useful and appropriate security policy.

The critical silence of Anthony Albanese in relation to the B-2 Bomber attacks on Iran could make it easier to President Trump to tinker with the old AUKUS agenda stitched up by Joe Biden and Boris Johnson in 2021 with the support of a cabal of four ministers in the Morrison Government ( Director-General of National Security 24 February 2025:Senate Estimates – February 2025 | Office of National Intelligence).

In Australian backyards, there is no interest in Australian military involvement in new strategic street fights for superiority in far off locations across the Middle East. B-2 Bombers have been mobilized to defy the UN Charter to support the export of MAGA values to troubled regions.

The Who’s Who of the US Military Industrial Complex were all involved in preparing for the military debut of the B-2 bomber fleet. The fleet was primarily designed by Northrop Grumman with a big corporate support team (Gemini Google Bard Estimates):

A modified AUKUS agreement which gives this weaponry quite open Australian access is a possible recommendation of President Trump’s AUKUS review.

AUKUS: Not in Our Backyard

Australia can also foster regional commercial ties with China and adjacent Asian and Pacific countries to steer the Trump administration out of its problems associated with the factitious regional tariff issues. Having the AUKUS submarine deal cancelled will create cheers amongst insiders in Treasury and DFAT in Canberra with a saving of billions in defence commitments.

Have those B-2 Bombers also attacked the need for AUKUS in its 2021 format?

B-2 Bombers: Is the Old AUKUS in the New B-2 Bomber Firing Line?

With his own dog (Toto) as a friendly ally, Anthony Albanese has no need to follow the conventional Yellow Brick Road, to seek advice from the new Wizard of the Western World in the spirit of the Wizard of Oz. L. Frank Baume’s book was published during President William McKinley (1897-1901) era. High tariffs and US Imperialism were novel MAGA agendas but reenforced international rivalries.

Prime Minister Albanese is exporting an alternative agenda based on doing things our way. MAGA values are not for our time when applied in strategic policies that affect our national security.

Albo and Toto Might Keep Their Distance from MAGA Solutions on the Conventional Yellow Brick Road of Global Diplomacy

 

 

Denis Bright (pictured) is a financial member of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA). Denis is committed to consensus-building in these difficult times. Your feedback from readers advances the cause of citizens’ journalism. Full names are not required when making comments. However, a valid email must be submitted if you decide to hit the Replies Button.

 

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