How Did The Vietnam War Influence Australian Foreign Policy

Foreign policy – like all policy making- is about pointing out and prioritising what a government can pay attention to. It is ongoing and changeable. There has been debate for some time among academics and politicians as to what Australia’s position should be in the world. Countries including the UK and USA are known as traditional superpowers and have never had that title challenged. Despite the label ‘middle power’ being a contested title in regards to Australian policy when approach from a regional or global perspective, the foundation that has shaped Australian foreign policy has not, and doesn’t look like to ever, change. By assessing Australian foreign policy since Federation from a regional and global approach it is clear that the label …show more content…
The ANZUS Treaty was signed in 1951 between Australia, New Zealand and the United States as a way to maintain order and peace within the pacific region. While the ANZUS Treaty has only been invoked once, Australian Foreign Policy from 1950s, and to extent foreign policy in general, has been tied to the needs of the United States. The Vietnam War was the first war without Britain as an ally and had a significant impact towards how the results of war related to nationalism and Australian Foreign Policy. (Reference). This war was the first to be televised and was the first time that the public became disconnected from its government’s views. Despite Harold Holt declaring in 1966 that Australia would go “all the way with LBJ (defence), support for the Vietnam War disappeared by 1968 with the majority of the public wanting full withdrawal by late 1969. In regards to Foreign Policy, the Vietnam War represents a significant time as the 1960s was all about changing the world from a previous hard line “die to protect your country concept” to a “free love no violence” concept. The disconnection and hostility between people and government put pressure on how the government should conduct their