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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Comment
John Blaxland

These are the 10 points of tension Australia wants to reconcile with its defence strategic review

Australia United States United Nations Asia AUKUS Richard Marles
Australian Defence Force personnel run out of the back of a RAAF C-130J Hercules on to tarmac
Australian defence force personnel perform tactical exercises during a showcase. ‘Australia seeks a qualitative military advantage to compensate for the lack of quantity.’ Photograph: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

The defence minister Richard Marles’ comments on Insiders last month about the outcomes of the defence strategic review was reminiscent of the scene from the Utopia parody on China, mocking those seeking to bolster defence. After all, why would you want to challenge your largest trading partner? Yet the jocularity belies a more complex challenge for a nation struggling to reconcile 10 points of tension, or dialectics. These help explain why this review was written.

1. History v geography

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