Dimensions
155 x 234 x 30mm
The Journey To Identify With Asia
Australia has, in many ways, gone from one extreme to the other in its dealings with Asia - from its Prime Ministers always flying over Asia on the way to London and Washington, to signing the secret Agreement on Maintaining Security with President Suharto.
This book is about Australia's quest for an identity and role in Asia. Its optimistic message is that Australia does have the capacity to deal with the multiple problems of its unique geography, and the political realities of its neighbours. On the one hand there is the vigour of South East Asia, and on the other the backwash of waves created by the super powers - the United States, Japan and China, and our different relationships with each of them.
We are the major resident power in the South Pacific - and we will be judged on how we perform that role. We have had to make choices between our history and our geography, and experience shows that we are capable of adjusting to the change.
We are now a multicultural society; and our unique geography means that we can have separate, and different, relationships with all our Asian neighbours.