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'On the edge of Asia': Australian Grand Strategy and the English-Speaking Alliance, 1967-1980

Seddelmeyer, Laura M.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1399422337

Abstract Details

2014, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, History (Arts and Sciences).
This dissertation examines the importance of geopolitics in developing an Australian strategy during a transitional, but critical, period in Australian history, and it questions what effect the changing global environment had on the informal English-speaking alliance during the late Cold War. During the late 1960s, the effects of British decolonization, Southeast Asian nationalism, and American foreign policy changes created a situation on Australia's doorstep, which the government in Canberra could not ignore. After World War II, strategic planning in Canberra emphasized the importance of British and American presence in the Asia-Pacific region to ensure Australian security. The postwar economic challenges facing Great Britain contributed to the decision in July 1967 to withdraw forces from 'east of Suez' by the mid-1970s. This decision had far-reaching implications for British allies in the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia. Britain's decision, along with President Nixon's 1969 announcement of plans to withdraw forces from Asia after Vietnam, created a power vacuum in Southeast Asia and eliminated the basis of Australia's long-standing strategy of forward defense. As the 1970s began, officials in Canberra took a more proactive approach in determining Australian strategy for the decade ahead. Australia's isolation from centers of global conflict reduced the number of threats to national security, and the relative stability established through detente allowed officials in Canberra to develop gradually a strategy for the defense of Australia in the absence of its traditional allies. Officials in Canberra recognized that Australia did not have to choose between its traditional allies and its Asian neighbors in order to fulfill long-term objectives. Instead, Australia adopted an approach to foreign policy in the 1970s that emphasized independence and self-reliance, ultimately expressed through a nascent grand strategy, while incorporating traditional Western alliances and existing relationships in Asia. This approach not only allowed Australia to strengthen its position as a neighborhood power, but also provided an opportunity to develop into a strong Asia-Pacific ally within a changing English-speaking alliance.
Peter John Brobst, PhD (Advisor)
William H. Frederick, PhD (Committee Member)
Robert G. Ingram, PhD (Committee Member)
Timothy G. Anderson, PhD (Committee Member)
353 p.
European History; History; History of Oceania; Modern History
Australian strategy; Australian foreign policy; geopolitics; east of Suez; grand strategy; Guam Doctrine

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Seddelmeyer, L. M. (2014). 'On the edge of Asia': Australian Grand Strategy and the English-Speaking Alliance, 1967-1980 [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1399422337

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Seddelmeyer, Laura. 'On the edge of Asia': Australian Grand Strategy and the English-Speaking Alliance, 1967-1980. 2014. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1399422337.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Seddelmeyer, Laura. "'On the edge of Asia': Australian Grand Strategy and the English-Speaking Alliance, 1967-1980." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1399422337

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou1399422337
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This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.