Australian Foreign Policy

Dr Michael O’Keefe is Senior Lecturer in Politics and Director of the Master of International Relations at La Trobe University, Australia.

• Introduction1. How Do We Explain Australian Foreign Policy?2. Australian Strategic Culture as Theory3. The Making of the Unbreakable Alliance with the United States4. Alignment with the US in the 21st Century5. Background to China as a Threat and Trading Partner6. China as a Strategic Competitor in the 21st Century7. The Evolution of Japan from Threat to Trading Partner8. Japan as a ‘Special’ Strategic Partner in the 21st Century9. The Fractured History of Diplomacy with Indonesia10. Indonesia's Proximity and the Unrealisable Potential of Dissimilar Neighbours11. The Legacy of Colonialism in Australia's Relations with the Diverse South Pacific Region12. Australia’s ‘Hegemonic’ Credentials in the South Pacific Under Challenge in the 21st Century13. The Politicisation of Official Development Assistance (ODA) as a Foreign Policy Tool14. Realism and the Limits of Climate Securitisation in Australian Foreign Policy15. Asylum Seekers as a Threat to Australian Sovereignty: Buttressing Realism and the Intergenerational Appeal of Strategic Culture16. Overview and Conclusion

Australian Foreign Policy provides an accessible and essential primer for students of Australia's foreign relations, challenging us to think more critically about the significant events, relationships and ideas that shape Australia's future.