Australia, during the last fifty years, has been a country unsure of its place in the world. She has been bouncing from ally to ally, begging for a place under their umbrella of protection, ignoring and denying her place in the Asian region, and struggling to find a foreign policy that is in the best interest of her welfare and security. Australia truly finds herself, pardon the pun, 'stuck on a rock in a hard place.'

The Asian region in the past half-century has been an atmosphere of turmoil and unrest. Communism threatened Australia's way of life and the fragile nation that had been preserved so carefully. These threats were very real and right at Australia's doorstep. "The Australian continent is nearly indefensible," and Australia realized this fact. Ideas such as 'yellow peril' and 'forward defense' dominated the headlines during these turbulent times. Australia's small army and enormous size made it a good target for attack. Not to mention the fact that Australia still: "...carried the burden of blame for its past and present racial policies" toward Asia. A

The time after the Vietnam War forced Australia to think once again about her place, not only in the world, but her place in the Asian region. A victorious Vietnam sent the United States out of the region leaving Australia somewhat on her own. This period of time was used to reevaluate foreign policy. The "image (of Australia) suffered, particularly in Asia, where its well-established racist reputation was reinforced by its willingness to fight for Western imperialism." Australia found herself in a position of trying to establish friendly relationships with Asian countries in light of differences in the past with these same nations. This meant significant changes in foreign policy. New Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was one of the first to realize that a change was necessary in order to establish relationships with Asia. In an address to parliament, Whitlam said the following about reevaluating foreign policy:

The decision to sent troops to Vietnam marked another turning point for Australian foreign policy. Australia's image in Asia was destroyed due to the Vietnam War because it showed to many countries in Asia that Australia was at the "beck and call" of the United States. This was an image that Australia could hardly afford. However, the Vietnam War did serve as a wake up call to Australia that it was time to begin to mend relationships with its neighbors in Asia.

These comments came a few years after Australia signed one of the most important documents in her foreign policy's history: the ANZUS treaty.

The decline of hostility between communist and capitalist countries throughout the '80s "...called for a more positive atmosphere for international relations." Australia turned to Southeast Asia to improve foreign relations knowing that the economic benefits could be immense. "Compared to circumstances even a decade ago, Southeast Asia is certainly a more stable arena." Australia must rely on this stability in order to come up with a foreign policy that can help benefit Australia through economic opportunities. To achieve success, Australia must rely on SEATO and diplomatic talks to ensure a mutually beneficial relationship with Asian community.

The ANZUS treaty signed by Australia, New Zealand, and the United States in 1951 represented the security blanket Australia had been desperate for since the end of the Second World War. The ANZUS treaty has since become the 'cornerstone' of the Australian foreign policy.15 Originally, the treaty was supposed to act as a protection from the powerful forces of Japan. But soon after ANZUS was signed the Japanese realized the strength of such an agreement and decided to sign a peace treaty with Australia as well. In 1952 Australia and Japan signed their own treaty for peace, and with this signing ended the age-old threat of Japanese invasion. This enabled Australia to work with Japan to improve trade and diplomatic affairs. Since the early 1950s Japan has been a model citizen in the region, and has proved to Australia that a little trust and communication can go a long way.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 3503
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page double spaced)