US,UK and Australia forge military alliance to counter China

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You are an Australian?
How did I miss that all these years?
Maybe I forgot.

New Zealand hides behind Australia's military skirts and doesn't pull its weight.
There is no NZ in ANZUS, any longer.

I hope they realise that if China takes over Australia, NZ won't last 2 seconds after that.

No. Im an American.

But I am a lifelong geography geek. And was in junior high geography classes during the Cold war and Vietnam war eras in circa 1970. Leaned all of those acronyms for our alliances against the old Soviet Union around the World. NATO is still extant and important. I also grew up in the suburbs of DC where my parents had State Dept. Neighbors.

When I was in eighth grade I knew populations of countries in my head. Back then Canada had almost exactly only ten percent of the US population size. And Australia had only half of Canada's population size (one 20th of ours). Yet all three countries are roughly the same size. Even in eighth grade I used to think about how (a) it must be cool living in a country like Australia that is essentially one big enormous national park the size of the contiguous US , but (b) its gonna be hard to DEFEND the place in the future when Australia's crowded neighbors to the north (like India, and China) start to flex their muscles.

Ditto, though Pepe shall live on forever!

Hasn’t this war of words escalated quickly with France and China threatening this and that!

Naturalplastic - I share your longtime interest in Geography. Those alliance terms were mostly talked about in Modern History in Aus Secondary School classes. Interesting times you were growing up in! Did you also have Mapping as part of your education?

I'd bet on 10-20 years.

Not sure what you mean by "mapping". I considered majoring in map making in college, but didnt. But in middle school you did have to id countries on maps. But that was easy for me.

I'm not sure about that.
The cancel culture has seriously ripped into Pepe le Pew already.



I agree with the assessment that the French reaction, by pulling out its ambassadors, is more for domestic consumption.

I am confident that things will settle down sooner rather than later.

Oddly enough the French are at least as upset about this as are the Chinese. If not more so. Because the new alliance caused Australia to drop its deal to buy subs from France.

One thing I had wondered was, if Australia wanted nuclear submarines, why not just buy a French design? The original subs Australia were going to purchase were themselves based on a French nuclear sub design (the Barracuda-class submarine). Couldn't the original order simply have been upgraded?

Pure and simple, and in one word: The Labour Party and The Greens.
Well, maybe more than one.

The French sub's reactor needs maintenance every 10 years.
Apparently, this meant a nuclear industry in Australia (I'm not convinced of this, btw).

The Labor Party and the Greens have this childish objection to anything nuclear, despite an overwhelmingly safe history.
And Australia is probably the safest, most stable continent on earth.
Also, modular nuclear reactors have nothing in common with U.S.S.R.'s questionable technology.
The left is living in the past, man.

These new subs have a reactor that will last the life of das boot.
30 years, I have heard.

The French submarines were the result of a political stuff up.
I.E. the usual when politicians get involved.

The French didn't honour the original deal in terms of the number of *Australian* workers involved, and the cost of the whole program blew up by over 40 b,b,b,billiion.
I.E. The usual.

I believe Australian material content was also reneged on, but don't quote me of this.

And on top of this, there were exit clauses in the contract, which everyone was aware of.
It will cost up to 500 million to get out, after Australia has already paid about 2.5 b,b,b,billion so far.

And the hilarious complaint that the French weren't involved before the AUKUS deal was made, is self-explanatorily stupid.
I can explain it to you if you wish.

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-ne ... rallPos=13

And suffering from full blown dementia.

Not when it comes to selling nuclear submarines to Australia.

Why is anybody starting alliances with us? We have proven we will abandon you when the going gets tough.

We are getting technology involving nuclear subs, anti-cyber warfare, and other AI.
I will be happy with that, as a start.

There is also a plan to lease nuclear subs from America and/or the UK.
Sounds like a plan.
I am getting a little wet in my panties, over this.

https://www.skynews.com.au/opinion/jaci ... c5aac309f3