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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
John Blaxland

Middle powers such as Australia relied on the rules-based order, but that’s in doubt. Here’s what we must do

United States Australia Donald Trump PIF ASEAN AUKUS Five Eyes Quad
The Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Arunta, lower left, sailing near the People's Liberation Army-Navy Fuchi-class replenishment vessel and Weishanhu Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang in the Tasman Sea
The Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Arunta, lower left, sailing near the People's Liberation Army-Navy Fuchi-class replenishment vessel and Weishanhu Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang in the Tasman Sea. Photograph: Australian Defence Force/AFP/Getty Images

The iconoclastic news whirlwind around Donald Trump points to a new US approach on the international stage: globalism and free trade are out. Spheres of influence are back in vogue. It’s not isolationism, it’s transactional mercantilism. But with Australia heavily invested in its US relationship we need to calmly undertake a net assessment: to weigh up what’s at stake while looking to engage with our region more fully.

We should have seen this coming

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