Editorial comment

Everyone should be as mad as hell. At a time of crisis, when Australia needs to pull together, change direction and steer towards a better future, Scott Morrison and his gang want to march us off to war.

At a time when resources are needed to help Australians in difficult times and build the economy on secure foundations, $270 billion is to be diverted into military spending, which the prime minister has the gall to call the prevention of war.

Why in the hell then, is the centrepiece long range missiles (AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile – LRASM), drones and fighter planes launched from aircraft carriers, and anti-submarine and under water weaponry?

This is not defence. It is preparation for deployment overseas.

A portion of the allocated money is to be spent on upgrading the network of United States controlled military telecommunications facilities dotted around Australia, and for improving ports for military access by United States fleets.

Why? Because Uncle Sam says so. Donald Trump needs a good distraction from his failing bid to stay on a President after 6 November, and Scott Morrison is on call to help out his mate. Playing the blame game, fanning the race card, and talking up war are superb distractions.

But even if the Donald Trump factor was not there, The United States, although still powerful, is a declining power suffering serious internal economic and social problems, a string of losses in battlefields abroad, and diminishing global political clout.

Australia, however, is one place where United States economic power and politics dominates.

Wall Street investors own the biggest part of the Australian economy. Take the examples of the banks, mining and energy industries, services, and retail. Wall Street owns the controlling shares in the dominant corporations.

Politically, Australia has been firmly locked into an alliance with the superpower. Sure. There was the cooperation during World War Two. After this, the alliance took a different shape. The Curtin government came into office with a popular plan to create a new and independent industrial economy. This was known as the Curtin plan.

Washington was not amused. There was even talk of blocking credit for Australia’s post-war reconstruction. Washington had an alternative plan for Australia. Industrialisation via Wall Street and permanent dependency on foreign investment. Curtin died in office, and successor Ben Chifley got the message. He did what he was told.  

Australia was locked in as a sphere of influence in the southern hemisphere, serving as a jumping off point for economic, political, and military penetration through the region. The Australian military apparatus effectively became unit of the American military machine.  

Today, a major factor in the effort to impose United States global supremacy, is the manufacturing of the China threat. Whatever one may think of the Chinese political system, honesty demands the acceptance of two basic facts. Chinese interests don’t own other economies the way U.S. interests own the Australian economy, and the Chinese military is not stationed in other countries.

China on the other hand, has grounds for complaint. Anyone would, if faced by a wall of hostile military bases.

Given this, it is not so strange that China would want to bolster protection of its borders. Encirclement like this is a form of military aggression, and geared to interfere in the nation’s internal politics. It is also a clear military threat.

Australia takes part in this and is involved almost everywhere the United States flexes its military muscle, and this has earned the unflattering tag of deputy sheriff.

Australia has joined in the use of trade sanctions, military exercises and war around the world’s flash points, taken part in applying the first two on China, and now, moving towards applying the third.

This is what best explains the sudden escalation of military spending.

Scott Morrison is right when he says that the world is now a more dangerous place. He says China is the reason. But which is the power that is using gunboat diplomacy? Which is power applying the practice of ‘regime change’ around the world to enforce its political will? Which is the power militarily occupying Australian soil and commanding the Australian Defence Force?

The Washington doctrine turns reality upside down. The United States has an unequaled track record of aggression against others. It’s internal problems and loss of diplomatic clout is driving an increasing reliance on military means to impose its political will. This is what is making the world a more dangerous place.

If the military build up was for the defence of Australia, then surely the emphasis would be on strengthening border security. Instead of this, we’ve got spending for overseas military action.

Washington has already designated Australia for deployment to pressure nations within the Asian region to submit to the Washington line and become part of an anti-China block.

Australia has also been designated a role to play a big brother role with the small South Pacific nations, striving to pull themselves out of the legacy of western colonialism and take control over their own destiny. The purpose is to secure the region as a United States sphere of influence and making it a no-go zone for China.

Rather than defending, this puts Australia in a more dangerous position. Instead of winning friends, it is far more likely to lead to Australia’s global isolation. From the standpoint of Washington, if it were to come to the worst, Australia is completely expendable, compared to more critical spheres of influence, and especially its home turf.

If the anti-China crusade succeeds in seriously damaging the China’s economy, it would mean damage to the primary engine of the global economy, and this would bring severe consequences for all. More for Australia than most other nations.

It is trade with China that has stopped the Australian economy from free fall. Joining the anti-China crusade threatens to put this to an end. For its part, China is not dependent on trade with Australia. There are plenty of easy alternatives.

China is even moving off dependency on coal as an energy source, as Australia increases its dependency on exporting it. Threatening trade in other commodities is an irresponsible betrayal.

By engaging in tin soldier politics and dependency on the United States, Scott Morrison is playing Russian Roulette with Australia.

It’s high time for Australia to act as independent nation. To do this Australia must pull out of the US-Australia alliance, in order to build constructive relationships with all nations, on the foundation of mutual respect and mutual benefit; for Australia to become a promoter of peace between nations and champion of an equal voice for all.

Along the way, breaking the dependency on Wall Street will be a necessity.