None of the 9 points in the 'Australia should' list mention the Australian economy at all.<p>Australia is in a 'lose-lose' situation. If it goes wholeheartedly with the US, it loses the 30% of its economy that makes China its greatest trade partner. If it goes wholeheartedly with China, it loses out financially and security-wise (and very likely, plus sanctions) without the US's backing.<p>At some point or other, and very soon, Australia will have to choose whether it is on America's side or on China's side.<p>In the long run, Australia would be much better off to choose the ascendant China. But racially and ideologically, it will choose the US and join the general collapse of the West.<p>It's all arithmetic. Figures don't lie the way you want them to. Two plus two always equals four. China <i>alone</i> has a greater manufacturing capacity and a greater number of men of military age than the <i>whole</i> of the West ('Five Eyes' plus Europe).
From the start,it's crazy to work under the assumption that we should have total control over the Indo-Pacific, but this just gets ridiculous.<p>After bemoaning how they only had two super huge budget increases since 2012, they move on to how the pesky democracy gets in the way of US strategic influence. How dare the Republicans not have complete unity over Trump's recommended plan, and the Democrats can't do anything when half their party wants lower military spending.<p>How do you write such an analysis without once mentioning our ongoing military operation in Yemen's Indian Ocean?<p>It's surprising the recommendations don't appear to include a coup.
Tried to access <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/us-would-lose-any-war-fought-in-the-pacific-with-china-7j90bjs5b" rel="nofollow">https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/us-would-lose-any-war-fou...</a> but it’s paywalled. Then stumbled onto this edu.au report based on googling around a couple of key terms.