The United States will not “have enough skin in the game” to send troops to defend Australia in the event of an attack from China, a leading international security expert has warned. Sam Roggeveen, director of the Lowy Institute’s International Security Program, also said the anti-immigration policies being touted by major parties, as well as One Nation, would weaken Australia’s position on the global stage. We should recommit to multicultural immigration, not because diversity is strength ... but because scale is strength.
He said the rise of China had made the US’s position in Asia “unsustainably weak,” meaning Australia could no longer rely on the United States to defend it in the region. America won’t risk its own troops in a fight against a nuclear-armed opponent because its vital interests won’t be at stake. To put it bluntly, America won’t have enough skin in the game.
He recommended Australia strengthen ties with Indonesia, warning that the dangers of getting the relationship wrong were immense. Indonesia is Southeast Asia’s leader, and soon its economy will surpass ours. If we get this relationship right, Indonesia offers a natural barrier against threats from third countries.
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