Publication

With a particular focus on the period between 1950 and 1975, this paper discusses the history of strategic policy in Australia since the creation of the federal system in 1901 and how the country today fits into this history. More specifically, the author examines 1) the strategic concept that guided Australian defense and foreign policy between 1950 and 1975; 2) Australian policymaking during the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960) and the Indonesian Confrontation (1963-1966); 3) Australia's commitment to the Vietnam War between 1962 and 1972; and 4) what Australia can learn from its policy in these periods for its strategic policy today.