A doe-eyed prime minister Julia Gillard of Australia this week hosted Barack Obama in the most consequential presidential visit in decades. The two beleaguered liberal leaders staged a 26-hour love-in, the highlight being an agreement to station 2,500 US marines within five years in the Northern Territory, along with increased use of air and naval bases, army training areas and bombing ranges.
The deal marks the first long-term expansion of America’s military presence in the Pacific since the Vietnam war, and a significant deepening of bilateral ties between the US and Australia, two long-time allies. Local commentators spoke proudly of Australia’s new-found importance in the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region. Cooler heads will wonder what comes next.
However the new tripwire defence in Australia is dressed up, it is aimed squarely at China. Mr Obama made that clear during a speech to the parliament in Canberra. With the “tide of war” in the Middle East now receding, America’s focus would shift firmly to the Asia Pacific, he said: “Let there be no doubt. In the Asia-Pacific in the 21st century, the United States of America is all-in.”