UNIT 3 AOS 2 - Australia

Question 1

Define sovereignty.

Answer 1

Legitimate or widely recognised ability of states to exercise effective control of a territory within recognised borders. It is the primary organising principle in global politics which provides states with the authority to represent their territorial entities within the international community. State sovereignty can be challenged internally (secessionist groups) or externally (when one state invades another).

Question 2

Define national interest.

Answer 2

Used as an all-embracing concept to justify policy preferences and actions, and includes the goals or objectives of foreign policy.

Question 3

Define power.

Answer 3

The ability of one global actor to influence the actions of another global actor. Power can be exercised in a range of types and forms.

Question 4

Define nation.

Answer 4

Groups of people who claim common bonds through culture, language and history. Some nations have their own state, such as the Japanese, whilst other nations want their own state, such as the Tibetans and Kurds.

Question 5

Define nation-state.

Answer 5

Political social grouping in which people within territorial boundaries, with recognised sovereignty, have common bonds based on culture, language and history.

Question 6

Define security.

Answer 6

Traditionally refers to protection of a state’s borders from intruders and the maintenance of sovereignty, most commonly achieved through the use of military power.

Question 7

Define idealism.

Answer 7

School of thought in which foreign policy is influenced above all else by moral principle, as opposed to practical and pragmatic considerations.

Question 8

Define pragmatism.

Answer 8

School of thought in which foreign policy is influenced above all else by practical and pragmatic considerations, as opposed to moral principles.

Question 9

Define hard power.

Answer 9

Power exercised through coercion, or threatened acts of coercion, to influence the actions of another global actor. Most commonly applied through military terms.

Question 10

Define soft power.

Answer 10

The ability to shape the actions of another global actor, most commonly exercised through diplomacy, culture, politics and history.

Question 11

Define middle power.

Answer 11

States that typically have moderate global political influence but that are unable to set the political agenda. Middle power states work multilaterally and cooperatively to achieve their interests.

Question 12

State what Australia’s national interests are.

Answer 12

Relationship with regional powers, environmental security, relationship with the US, development, regional stability (which links back to security), immigration and refugee policies, ‘trade not aid’ debate, security, being comfortable and feeling good about ourselves

Question 13

What is a successful example of military power in pursue of the national interest of immigration and refugee policy?

Answer 13

Operation Sovereign Borders

• Introduced September 2013, involved using Navy to turn back refugee boat arrivals
• $262 million per year cost estimate
• Up to 800 defence personnel deployed on land, air and sea; 7 patrol boats, 2 major fleet units deployed on Operation Resolute (the name given to the ADF’s contribution to border protection)
• February 2014 Scott Morrison stated that the number of asylum seekers arriving in Australia has fallen 80%

Question 14

What is an unsuccessful example of military power in pursue of the national interest of immigration and refugee policy?

Answer 14

Operation Sovereign Borders setbacks

• February 2014 Indonesia foreign minister Marty Natalegawa said turning back boats is “unhelpful” to bilateral relations
• Scott Morrison apologised in February 2014 for Australian border protection vessels breaching Indonesian territorial integrity
• Indonesian lack of co-operation threatens long-term viability of this refugee policy

Question 15

What are four successful examples of military power in pursue of relationship with the US?

Answer 15

US troops and bases in Australia

• 250 U.S. marines added to Marine Air Ground Task Force in 2012, stationed in Darwin and Northern Australia, 2500 marines by 2016-17
• August 2013 US Air Force announced it would increase the number of personnel and bomber aircraft rotating through Australia

Commitment in Afghanistan

• First troops committed November 2001
• Mid-2009 highest number of troops, 1,550
• 29 April 2009 Kevin Rudd announced that Australia would increase its troop commitment in Afghanistan to 1,550 personnel

Commitment in Iraq

• 2000 personnel, supported from the start
• June 2008 Rudd announced withdrawal of 500 troops; all withdrawn by 2009

Intelligence sharing
- Australia is part of the ‘Five eyes’ network of intelligence sharing (US, Canada, NZ, UK + Aus), which is currently the most powerful espionage alliance in the world

Question 16

What is an unsuccessful example of military power in the pursue of relationship with the US?

Answer 16

Threatens relationship with China
- November 2011 Chinese govt. newspaper denounced Australia’s military ties with the US “Australia surely cannot play China for a fool. It is impossible for China to remain detached, no matter what Australia does to undermine its security,” it said. “If Australia uses its military bases to help the US harm Chinese interests, then Australia itself will be caught in the crossfire”

Question 17

What is a successful example of military power in pursue of trade not aid?

Answer 17

2010 | Assistance to Pakistan in response to widespread flooding
•180 civilian and military medical response team
The Australian Defence Force directly delivers Australian aid to recipient states
• Half of Australia’s aid delivered to Afghanistan
AusAID has a strategic partnership agreement with Defence that states the two bodies are “natural partners” that work to “promote Australia’s strategic interests”

Question 18

What is an unsuccessful example of military power in pursue of relationships with regional powers?

Answer 18

Indonesia spying scandal

• Australia monitored the calls of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono – revealed by Snowden
• The allegations prompted Indonesia to immediately recall its ambassador to Australia, Nadjib Riphat Kesoema.
• Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott initially declined to apologise or comment on the matter, prompting accusations from President Yudhoyono that he had “belittled” Indonesia’s response to the issue
• Demonstrations were also held outside Australia’s embassy in Jakarta

Question 19

What is an unsuccessful example of military power in pursue of economic development?

Answer 19

East Timor spying scandal

• 2013 it was revealed that Australia had been spying on East Timor since 2004
• In 2013, East Timor launched a case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague to pull out of a gas treaty that it had signed with Australia
• On 3 March 2014, in response to an East Timorese request for the indication of provisional measures, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Australia not to interfere with communications between East Timor and its legal advisors in the arbitral proceedings and related matters

Question 20

What is a successful example of economic power in pursue of environmental security, using the foreign policy instrument of trade?

Answer 20

Free trade in environmental goods agreement
- 25 January 2014 began negotiations on the elimination of tariffs on environmental goods
- Initiative brings together WTO members which account for 86% of global trade in environmental goods
- Includes China, the European Union, Japan, Korea and the United States
Negotiations will build on the 2012 APEC commitment to reduce tariffs on 54 environmental goods
- September 2012
- Cut tariffs to under 5% by 2015
- Australia exports $1.2 billion in these goods in the region
- “This is big bickies - this matters a lot for Australia [and] it matters a lot for the region.” Craig Emerson, Trade Minister for the Labor Government

Question 21

What is an unsuccessful example of economic power in pursue of environmental security, using the foreign policy instrument of trade?

Answer 21

Free trade agreement with South Korea

• 8 April 2014 signed FTA
• 15-500% of tariffs on primary products removed
• E.g. Australia export 1 million tonnes of sugar to SK and tariffs of 35% on this product will be phased out
• However, agreement included an Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) clause that allows Korean mining companies to sue the Australian government if it tries to enforce environmental protections
• In NSW, there are 3 Korean-owned mines that plan to extract over 1000 tonnes of coal from various areas
• “The inclusion of ISDS in any trade agreement, even with “safeguards” exposes Australia to being sued for hundreds of millions of dollars over health and environment legislation,” Dr Patricia Ranald, Convenor of the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network

Question 22

What is an unsuccessful example of economic power in pursue of environmental security, using the foreign policy instrument of aid?

Answer 22

• The World Bank estimates that at least US $70 billion is needed annually to help developing countries adapt to the effects of climate change. Australia’s current contribution of $160 million is 0.002% of the amount World Bank says is needed.
• Not only is climate aid inadequate and in breach of UN commitments, but a large proportion is being misspent.
• $200 million of Australia’s climate aid is funding a government campaign for the recognition of forest carbon credits at the UN, as a way of offsetting Australian emissions. The money is being spent on ‘Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation’ (REDD) in Indonesia and PNG, to demonstrate the offsets are viable. Many NGOs and indigenous people’s organisations argue REDD offset schemes are ineffective in reducing overall emissions, undermine the livelihood of subsistence farmers and displace forest-dwelling indigenous peoples

Question 23

What is a successful example of economic power in pursue of immigration and refugee policy?

Answer 23

Diversion of aid to asylum seeker costs
- December 2012 Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr announced that Australia would be diverting $375 million from its aid program to its asylum seeker costs

Question 24

What is an unsuccessful example of economic power in pursue of immigration and refugee policy?

Answer 24

PNG solution (aid)

• Introduced by Kevin Rudd in July 2013
• Australia gave PNG $420 million extra in aid to persuade it to take in refugees who arrive in Australia by boat
• Continued by Tony Abbott
• However, PNG PM Peter O’Neil has said that PNG will only take “some”, not all refugees, putting this policy in jeopardy

Question 25

What is a successful example of economic power in pursue of relationship with the US?

Answer 25

$60 billion in two-way trade in 2013

• On 16 May 2013 the Australia-US Treaty on Defence Trade co-operation came into force
• The Treaty is intended to improve the efficiency of eligible two-way transfers between Australia and the US by facilitating the export of controlled goods within an Approved Community, without the need for an export licence.

Question 26

What is an unsuccessful example of economic power in pursue of relationship with the US?

Answer 26

Free Trade Agreement

• Came into effect January 2005
• Two thirds of all agricultural tariffs — including in important commodities such as lamb, sheep meat and horticultural products — were eliminated immediately, with a further 9 per cent of tariffs cut to zero in 2008, and almost all agricultural tariffs removed on full implementation in 2022
• Australia’s exports to the US in the five years to last year grew by only 2.5 per cent, compared with double-digit growth for exports to all the major Asian trading partners. Since the signing, America has slipped from third to fifth among Australian export destinations, overtaken by Korea and most recently India.
• Moreover, between 2004 and 2009, the bilateral trade gap in America’s favour grew even larger. Australia’s imports from America have grown much more quickly than its exports to America. According to US data, the gap in America’s favour grew from $US6.4 billion ($A7.1 billion) to $US11.6 billion.