President Joe Biden has been in the news for some embarrassing stumbles on his way up the stairs of Air Force One, but he has been much more surefooted in reasserting US supremacy on the global stage.
And it’s not just China he’s calling out. Russia is firmly back at the top of the enemies list — and allies in the UK and Australia have joined the chorus.
The new occupant of the White House is showing a stark contrast with his Manchurian candidate predecessor. Biden reacted strongly to reports that Russia had tried to interfere in the 2020 election and went so far as to call President Vladimir Putin “a killer”.
Not surprisingly, the Kremlin reacted with outrage and veiled threats claiming relations between the two superpowers were now “very bad”.
Today, the UK government will publish a major shakeup of defence priorities and Russia is very much in its sights. The big story leaked over the weekend was that SAS soldiers and other special forces units will join MI6 to start disrupting Russian meddling around the world.
And, in classic Cold War rhetoric, ASIO last week revealed it had uncovered a “nest of spies” from Russia. Even though the Russians appeared to have been kicked out of the country late last year, it was a reminder that Russian spies are “still the best equipped and experienced in the world” and Australia is being targeted more.
It was also a clear message that Australia is joining its allies in the US and UK in fighting back against the Russian threat in what some see as a new Cold War. Others point out the old one never really went away.
This rebalancing of superpowers comes at a delicate time for the European Union which is in its most precarious position since the global financial crisis. The absolute botching of the COVID vaccine rollout has not only earned new enemies from Britain to Australia, but has also fractured the fragile European alliance from within.
But Washington is certainly still concerned about China too. This was made clear at the extraordinarily frosty US-China summit in Alaska on Friday. US officials made good on their promise earlier in the week to have Australia’s back, angering Chinese officials by warning against continued economic coercion of American allies.
Back in Canberra, Australian businesses were once again being warned that they were vulnerable to Chinese infiltration. There are reports China is targeting commercial data, particularly to discover how local businesses are getting around the current trade bans.
In the past Australian businesses have tended to ignore such warnings, preferring profit over the national interest, but with a new sheriff in the White House it’s clear the times are changing. Or at least going back to where they were before.
Overnight, we also had a reminder that another foe is still high on the threat list. Iran reportedly threatened the US army post of Fort McNair in the nation’s capital, in what could have been a suicide bombing.
The new president will have to stay on his toes and — in the case of the stairs — hopefully on his feet as well.
Oh for heavens sake! The Yanks have our back! They have our back selling barley to China we used to sell them, they have our back selling crayfish to China we used to sell them, they have our back selling wine to China we used to sell them.
Come. In. Sucker.
The aspirational Australian body bags are probably even made in China..
Not to mention they have our fuel supply somewhere too, if only Angus would tell us where…..
Of course it will. We are already in the U.S. saddle bag even though we are not at all clear where the horse is going, how or to what particular end. Probably revisting Custer’s last stand, Vietnam, the Afghanistan debacle, the Iraq make-over on the US model, the Lybia catastrophe – so nothing to worry about, then.
What a strange article. No mention of the fact that the Russian or Chinese threats are real or just Propaganda friom USA .There is NO journalism involved in any of these allegations – the Australian MSM just repeat whatever they get from USA or UK as facts. WE are a minor cog of the 5 Eyes -which will be our undoing!
A handful of Australian hard line war mongering politicians have us slavishly following the USA into whatever Invasion the US decides on. We will be a target — and we shouldn’t be. EVERY Invasion in the past 70 years was unnecessary for us to be in. BUT we needed to blood out Airforce & our SAS against people who were not our Enemy. Our servicement were sent because it was LOW risk -but morally indefensible. Now the USA wants Australia to send Warships to stir up China in the South China Sea.Our idiot leader will no doubt comply !
The Director General went to some pains to not identify the source of the so-called “nest of spies.” Where did you get the information it was Russia?
“Overnight, we also had a reminder that another foe is still high on the threat list. Iran reportedly threatened the US army post of Fort McNair in the nation’s capital, in what could have been a suicide bombing.”
I just love this quote. Big bully Iran up to no good again. Better smack some sanctions on them.