The American alliance is an article of faith in Australia because it is said to underpin our security. There have been many reviews and White Papers but perhaps it is time for a hard-headed cost/benefit analysis. Here I consider some of the questions that must be asked.

New questions this year cover attitudes towards the US alliance and the war in Afghanistan, opinions on basing US forces in Australia, WikiLeaks, foreign aid and the intervention in Libya. The Poll also repeated questions asked in previous years, revealing trends in public opinion on topics such as climate change, asylum seekers, and attitudes towards...

Would abandoning the treaty substantially affect Australia’s strategic circumstances, asks Geoffrey Barker.

The Defence Update 2003 commented that Australia’s alliance with the US ‘remains a national asset’ and the ‘United States’ current political, economic, and military dominance adds further weight to the alliance relationship.’ This report looks at how the Australian–US alliance should be developed to best meet each nation’s security needs both in the Asia Pacific...

In this paper, Professor Paul Dibb of Australian National University (ANU) examines the pros and cons of Australia's close alliance with the United States and its impact on our Asian relations.