Screenshot of journal article. Title: Imperial Nostalgia in Australian Defence Policy in the 21st Century. Author: Mia Martin Hobbs, Deakin University. Abstract: This article explores the recent history of the United Kingdom—Australia defence relationship in context of the Australia—United Kingdom—United States (AUKUS) submarine agreement. Drawing on defence and foreign-policy white papers as well as public polling, it analyses the framing and significance of the UK as a defence partner in the early 21st century, tracing changes against the unfolding War on Terror, the rise of China as a major power, the election of Donald Trump and the Brexit referendum. The article shows that insecurities about the US alliance and the perceived threat from China corresponded with a turning back towards the UK as a source of safety, drawing on the imperial nostalgia evident in Brexiteers’ “Global Britain” campaign to normalise the dynamic. The article argues that imperial nostalgia works to neutralise Australian anxieties about overdependence on the US by conceptualising the former colonial parent as an equal ally within the AUKUS triad.
Some 49.1 weekend reading: Martin Hobbs examines Australia's #AUKUS relationship through the lens of imperial nostalgia, arguing that in a time of insecurity around the US, it returns to the UK.
#DefenceStudies #OzStudies #InternationalRelations
tinyurl.com/mpbm3h7t
