AUKUS: Australia’s ‘French Cut’ Moment? Nicolas Carjuzaa September 21, 2023

on

 

On September 15, 2021, Australia announced that it would be terminating its $90 billion contract with France to build twelve conventional submarines in favor of acquiring eight nuclear-powered submarines from the United States and the United Kingdom under the AUKUS security pact. The move shocked France and led to a significant deterioration in relations between the two countries.

The author of this article, Nicolas Carjuzaa, argues that the AUKUS deal has fundamentally changed Australia's strategic position in the Indo-Pacific region and has made it clear that Australia is now firmly aligned with the United States against China.

Carjuzaa argues that the AUKUS deal has a number of implications for Australia, including:

  • It has made Australia a more direct target of Chinese military aggression.
  • It has increased tensions between Australia and China and could lead to a conflict in the South China Sea.
  • It has made Australia more dependent on the United States for its security.
  • It has damaged Australia's relationship with France and other European countries.

Carjuzaa concludes by stating that a far more perfect arrangement for the region and Australia’s interests would have continued the French-Australian “deal of the century” that brought sustainable jobs, industry, and a capable fleet to Australia, deepened integration with a powerful European ally already established in the region, allowed the US to reinvest in and rebuild its own aging nuclear fleet, and established an accord between Australia, US, and UK for all those other categories of cooperation that are so important to them. Such an arrangement would have been more affordable, less provoking of China, and more capable of meeting the challenges of the Indo-Pacific, all in a more favorable timeline. 

[Nicolas Carjuzaa is a foreign affairs professional with years of experience researching the geopolitical strategies of the United States, France, and the EU. He earned an MSc in international relations from the University of Bristol, UK, and an M1 from Université Paris-Nanterre, France, focusing on international business and finance.]

Comments

Post a Comment