Former Labor foreign affairs minister says belief US would defend Australia in event of an existential attack is a ‘ludicrous delusion’

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Aukus will prove to be one of the worst defence and foreign policy decisions ever made by an Australian government and is only being permitted by Donald Trump in order to destroy Chinese nuclear threats to the US mainland, former foreign affairs minister Gareth Evans has said.

In evidence to an independent public inquiry into the $368bn nuclear agreement with the US and UK on Thursday, Evans, a cabinet minister in the Hawke and Keating governments, warned the transfer and construction of submarines to Australia from the early 2030s was effectively only an extension of the American military fleet.

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© Photograph: Australian Defence Force/Getty Images

© Photograph: Australian Defence Force/Getty Images

© Photograph: Australian Defence Force/Getty Images

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) and AUKUS have yet again unveiled a flawed strategy for influence in the Pacific. Both security alliances are ambitious and are planning to invest more in aggressive capabilities. These days, the West is meticulously taking calculated strategic initiatives, especially in the Asia Pacific region, to build alliances, groups, and security […]

In late April to early May, Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong, went on a tour of East Asian countries, having visited Japan, China and South Korea. The aim of this trip was Canberra’s desire to maintain a foreign policy balance among the region’s key players. However, achieving this goal is becoming increasingly difficult. […]