By: Stephen KuperEvery nation is defined by the intent of its actions at home and abroad and Australia is no different, yet despite being over 120 years old and one of the world’s oldest liberal democracies we are yet to define our ‘strategic intent’.
Without sounding repetitive or hyperbolic, our world and indeed our region is undergoing a major reorientation in the established balance of economic, political and strategic power.
Nowhere is this clearer than in the rapidly evolving relationship between the United States and the world’s emerging superpower in the People’s Republic of China, as the two great powers tentatively circle one another, jabbing into the air like boxers in the ring.
This competition has only been further exacerbated by the extraordinary comments made by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken in Beijing overnight, where following a meeting with the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, he declared: “We do not support Taiwan independence. We remain opposed to any unilateral changes to the status quo by either side. We expect the peaceful resolution of cross strait differences,” effectively bringing an end to the era of ‘strategic ambiguity’.
The global shift toward multipolarity is only reinforced by the increasing multipolarity of the world beyond the ‘main event’ as the increasing prominence of the BRICS member states, namely Brazil, Russia (albeit somewhat limited), India, South Africa and the emerging list of BRICS ‘partners’ or ‘adjacent’ states eager to hasten the collapse of the post-Second World War order.