Indeed. It's an endless cycle of quick bucks then hysterical overreaction, because it's all too hard to work on serious relationships abroad, and serious industrial policy at home.Tannin wrote:Meanwhile, we have just bought into a modern, medium-range stealthy anti-ship missile system. This is exactly the type of leading-edge hardware capability we can and must maintain to avoid being relentlessly bullied.
We also need, of course, to avoid over-dependence on a single trading partner, we need to establish and maintain honest, open relationships with other countries focused on long-term benefit to both (not short-term quick bucks), and we need to be well-led by people looking at the future and not stuck in the past.
Oh well, one out of four isn't bad.
I don't have a view of this particular defence spending due to a lack of knowledge in that area, but in principle I support strong defensive capabilities under something like a 'trust no state because any one of them can go rogue, but build positive relationships with all peoples' approach. Australia has ample allies and positive relationships to keep things in balance for everyone's good - if it puts the work in.
The three things that worry me most are (1) the two decades of kowtowing to mining companies rather than building relationships and developing industry, (2) the void of serious leadership, and (3) the populist preference for hysteria and reaction over hard work and disciplined strategy.