'We are more than just a flag'? L’alleanza tra gli Stati Uniti e l’Australia e le relazioni bilaterali durante il mandato presidenziale di Donald J. Trump

Since the Cold War, alliance between United States and Australia has been relied on the long-standing assumption that Washington is the only driver to attain Australian security from any external threat. The ANZUS, the most important pillar of the Australia’s foreign and security policy, maintained Australia’s position as the militarily most capable country of the Southern Hemisphere to counter both Japan and Communist China. But, in certain circumstances occurred both the Cold War period and afterwards, alliance has seemed to be far from steadfast. During the Trump administration, Canberra has admittedly shown no intention to be caught in the middle of a risky competition between U.S. and China that might backfire. While bilateral relations are built on shared values and entrenched dialogue, Australia’s strategic assessment is to offset, as never before, political commitments with the major guarantor of its own defence and economic interest with China, its main trading partner. This «binary choice» has contributed to heighten the feeling of insecurity in Australia, amid other significant challenges affecting the Indo-Pacific. This paper examines the importance of the military alliance for Australia in an historical perspective, provides a preliminary appraisal of the U.S.-Australia relationship between 2017 and 2020, and eventually explains to what extent Australia does not bother to choose a side within the current Sino-American rivalry.