AUKUS: A pretext to catch prey

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In this image provided by the Australian Defense Force, the Royal Australian Navy submarine HMAS Rankin is seen during AUSINDEX 21, a biennial maritime exercise between the Royal Australian Navy and the Indian Navy in Darwin, Australia on September 5, 2021 . / Getty

In this image provided by the Australian Defense Force, the Royal Australian Navy submarine HMAS Rankin is seen during AUSINDEX 21, a biennial maritime exercise between the Royal Australian Navy and the Indian Navy in Darwin, Australia on September 5, 2021 . / Getty

Editor’s Note: John Gong is a professor at the University of International Affairs and Economics and a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Open Economy Studies at UIBE. The article reflects the views of the author and not necessarily those of CGTN.

The formation of AUKUS, which is touted as a new geopolitical and security partnership between the US, UK and Australia to coordinate on cyber issues, advanced technologies and defense to address challenges Indo-Pacific security policy, seen by many as a metaphor for China, on the surface appears to be a major strategic shift in Chinese policy based on Washington’s alliance.

But by digging deeper, there are indications to show that it is mostly money – a naked pretext to grab prey from a weaker predator, and therefore it cannot be interpreted too much out of its way. context from a geopolitical point of view, although its wickedness and its wickedness from the point of view of the ethics of business transactions should be widely condemned by the international community.

The heart of the AUKUS pack is the submarine business. The US and UK will help Australia build and maintain nuclear-powered submarines, potentially making it the seventh country in the world to acquire such a powerful submarine capability. But it also destroyed an existing deal worth $ 66 billion under which Australia is supposed to buy 12 conventional Attack-class submarines from the French naval group.

Paris went mad on hearing the news; its Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian described the AUKUS agreement as “a stab in the back”, “a brutal, one-sided and unpredictable decision which reminded him of former President Donald Trump”. Paris then recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia in retaliation.

But interestingly, the French ambassador to Britain saved the return trip. Le Monde called the decision not to recall him as a “strange exception”. According to a September 18 Washington Post article quoting a French diplomatic official, “the UK followed this whole operation opportunistically” and was seen by Paris as a junior partner in the tri-nation defense pact.

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on a national security initiative to announce that the United States will share nuclear submarine technology with Australia from the East Room of the White House complex as he is virtually joined by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of United Kingdom, September 15, 2021. / Getty

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on a national security initiative to announce that the United States will share nuclear submarine technology with Australia from the East Room of the White House complex as he is virtually joined by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of United Kingdom, September 15, 2021. / Getty

Canada, another Anglosphere hobbyhorse that should have behaved with a more sour sentiment as it is left out of the purebred Anglo-Saxon clique this time around, is more blunt in emphasizing the essence of the deal. AUKUS.

“This is an agreement for nuclear submarines, for which Canada is not currently or in the near future on the market; Australia is,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau . “We continue to be strong members of the Five Eyes and continue to share information and security approaches with our partners,†he continued. Apparently, Canada does not view this new development as a major strategic shift in the Biden administration’s alliance-based security framework.

When announcing the deal, US President Joe Biden himself sought to appease the fury in Paris by stressing the importance of transatlantic relations. But the damage is already done. Admittedly, this is a very big deal, worth probably $ 100 billion, with the replacement of diesel engines by nuclear reactors in the original French agreement. This would bring thousands of jobs in the presence of the US defense industry in Connecticut and other parts of the country.

And for that, Washington’s willingness to continue even at the cost of committing shameful treachery to a longtime ally is testament to the value of the much-lauded transatlantic relationship – it is probably only worth $ 100 billion.

On top of that, AUKUS is also sabotaging the regional balance of power by stimulating the ambition of other countries to acquire their own nuclear-powered submarines, potentially sparking a regional arms race. South Korea openly expressed interest in acquiring one during ex-President Donald Trump’s visit to Seoul in November 2017. Canada openly explored purchasing nuclear attack submarines with France and the UK as early as 1987, which were subsequently sabotaged by Washington. And then there is Indonesia or even Japan which might be interested in nuclear powered submarines.

Sadly, these arms race concerns have all been sidelined for $ 100 billion in jobs and economic activity, running squarely against Washington’s rhetoric about regional peace and stability.

(If you would like to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at [email protected].)

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