Nuclear weapons are once more a serious political issue. They seem likely to be a topic of close discussion at next week’s AUSMIN talks, especially after Washington’s recent concerns that the Albanese government might seriously be considering signing and ratifying the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). That’s an area where Australian ministers will be treading carefully. What’s the basis for the US concerns, and how can Australia best address them?
Unbeknownst to most Australians, there’s a silent battle being waged at the heart of Australian strategic policy. It’s a battle over nuclear deterrence. Traditionally, Australian governments have offered bipartisan support to the doctrine. Coalition governments may have done so a little more enthusiastically than their Labor counterparts, but Labor leaders have put their shoulders to the wheel when required. Gloomy security environments have been a spur to hard choices. Parliamentary debates from the latter half of the 1980s, for instance, are riddled with proclamations of support for nuclear deterrence, in the wake of New Zealand’s anti-nuclear defection from ANZUS.
Negotiating the nuclear minefield at AUSMIN | The Strategist (aspistrategist.org.au)
