Go figure.....

IT IS time for Australia to end its strategic dependence on the United States. The relationship with America, which has long been regarded as beneficial, has now become dangerous to Australia’s future. We have effectively ceded to America the ability to decide when Australia goes to war. Even if America were the most perfect and benign power, this posture would still be incompatible with the integrity of Australia as a sovereign nation. It entails not simply deference but submission to Washington, an intolerable state of affairs for a country whose power and prosperity are increasing and whose national interests dictate that it enjoy amicable, not hostile, relations with its neighbors, including China.

There are several steps that Australia should take to rectify its previous shortcomings. For a start, the US task force in Darwin would need to be moved to some other location outside Australia. This should be possible to accomplish in a relatively short time frame. The facility at Pine Gap would need to be closed, as we cannot control how America uses the intelligence it gathers from that site. Because it is a complex facility, we should give America time to do this—perhaps four or five years. However, Australians working at the base should be withdrawn at the end of six months.

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/america-australias-dangerous-ally-11858

Sadly, this was by a former Prime Minister. Will something actually happen, probably not.

That is too bad as what he has written is so true. This government is not only a danger to Australia, but to this country as well.

Wow, John Kerry was just on the news and stated he was going to help our "ally" Australia on this Muslim problem with that shooter that caused the police to shoot him and a couple of other people.

My question, who is going to help Kerry? Hey would this be like going to hell down under?

Frankenkerry is an idiot which fits nicely in the current administration.
I don't blame the Aussies. They have been a loyal ally for many years but they have to take care of them selves first.

I don't think this is the case here.....and hearing nothing on this in the local media.....from what I understand we like to spread our friendships widely....even to China one our major trading partners.....
our biggest danger is just to to the north.....Indonesia.....the average Aussie has known for many years that Indos don't like us...( sorry to any indos here)this stretches back to the 70s when a bunch of journalists were murdered there.....and yet our young continue to treat places like Bali as their drunken playground....
150 million people vs 26 million.....we need all the western world allies we can get....

Where was Kerry when that stand off happened? We have specialists better trained then Australia to handle a situation like this. We have the best special operations units in the entire WORLD, SEALS, DELTA's and Force Recon. They are ALL well capable of handling a situation like this and have a track record of doing so without loss of life.

Our agreements with Australia and the fact that the hostage taker help up an Al Qaeda war flag gave us the legal basis to help out.

This isn't your average criminal, police departments don't have the experience of dealing with these guys. It was reported that on multiple occasions he was singled out away from the hostages, why didn't they take the shot? Because they thought they could negotiate with him, you cant negotiate with a terrorist. His end game was everyone there was going to die.

If our seals could take out three pirates in a tiny lifeboat with the lifeboat unstable because of the water, they could have gotten all of the hostages out alive.

The thread title is just the usual hyperbole, and it is merely another opinion piece from old Malcolm who seems to be quite the leftist in his dotage considering his tenure as PM heading the conservatives. We will not annul the relationship between us and the US.

Hahaha why did I delve into the political threads.....damn I broke my own rule.....thanks mate....I can stop prepping now...

Australia’s defense minister David Johnston and U.S. officials will also sign a 25-year agreement, which will create a larger ballistic missile defense shield for U.S. allies in Asia-Pacific and boost U.S. troops in Australia from 1,500 to 2,500 by 2017. The additional forces will respond to humanitarian disasters and conflicts in the region.


http://time.com/3102616/us-military-presence-australia/

I don't come much either. Too many old men bitchin' 'bout da' gubmint.

Hahahaha...I just wanna ***** about the heat and the cricket...

I don't blame the Aussies! The way the current US government are going, they'll end up with NO allies!

Too bad. "Old Malcolm", as you call him, seems to be the first intelligence coming out of a "government" figure, especially Australian, in many a year.

I wonder just what is going to happen when it is discovered "Old Malcolm" had truth in those words?

Why not, they have already disarmed their good little "government" citizens?

But hey, where did this terrorist get the gun?

These United States will always have allies even if we have to bomb it out of them.

Wow, there are some positives here after all!!! Don't let the door smack you on the behind on the way out.

no worries,Owawa found a better Ally much closer,namely Old "Fallin' Man" Fidel!
Might get stabbed in the Back,but What The Heck!
Ayers and the Pope's Advice can't be wrong!

And just what does playing footsies with Uncle Fidel have to do with the South Pacific, you get lost?

Playin' with Uncle Fidel is to screw Venezuela, Nicaragua and the rest of Central/South America.

LOL, I have no doubt you actually believe that.



LOL, that won't happen.

Bombing countries into submission, doesn't make you friends, only enemies! I don't see China, doing that, eh? That's why they're rated and the States are hated by people around the globe. That gung-ho attitude will be your downfall in the end.