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The Odd Couple: Re-configuring the America-Australia relationship
A set of provocative ideas about recalibrating the relationship between Australia and the USA to deliver peace and prosperity rather than conflict and disharmony
America matters. Australia matters. They matter to each other. They matter to the world. Their institutional and structural alignments are deep and powerful. Americans believe in themselves. Australians believe in each other. They are mates. They are gregarious. Americans are single-minded and ambitious. Success is the reward for effort. Australians are happy-go-lucky. They do not push themselves too hard. Americans honour success. Australians cut down tall poppies. Both are brash.
There are also many contrasts. America is religious. Australia is secular. Curiously, their differences help to explain why they are so close – and why their relationship is so superficial.
They share they like winning and being in charge; they like wealth, and they like being liked. They like condescension, and excluding people they do not like. 'National security' is a major shared interest. So is racism. America's (and Australia's) recent wars have all been against non-whites. Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan are worse off for the wars we fought. So are we.
Despite the political rhetoric, America and Australians do not share values. They do not share the values of equality, inclusion, respect, tolerance and trust. They do share a pervasive sense of insecurity. America supports a gun and war culture regardless of the costs, and Australia supports American adventurism unconditionally. Their focus on security emphasises war, not peace.
America is floundering and appears to have lost its way. It needs friends that advise and encourage. As rich and powerful first-world nations, America and Australia share a how to recalibrate their relationship to deliver peace and prosperity rather than conflict and disharmony. In The Odd Couple, Allan Behm suggests ways that America and Australia can transcend military glitz to strengthen well-being and human security worldwide. America needs a friend, not a flunkey, and Australia may become its best ally.
America matters. Australia matters. They matter to each other. They matter to the world. Their institutional and structural alignments are deep and powerful. Americans believe in themselves. Australians believe in each other. They are mates. They are gregarious. Americans are single-minded and ambitious. Success is the reward for effort. Australians are happy-go-lucky. They do not push themselves too hard. Americans honour success. Australians cut down tall poppies. Both are brash.
There are also many contrasts. America is religious. Australia is secular. Curiously, their differences help to explain why they are so close – and why their relationship is so superficial.
They share they like winning and being in charge; they like wealth, and they like being liked. They like condescension, and excluding people they do not like. 'National security' is a major shared interest. So is racism. America's (and Australia's) recent wars have all been against non-whites. Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan are worse off for the wars we fought. So are we.
Despite the political rhetoric, America and Australians do not share values. They do not share the values of equality, inclusion, respect, tolerance and trust. They do share a pervasive sense of insecurity. America supports a gun and war culture regardless of the costs, and Australia supports American adventurism unconditionally. Their focus on security emphasises war, not peace.
America is floundering and appears to have lost its way. It needs friends that advise and encourage. As rich and powerful first-world nations, America and Australia share a how to recalibrate their relationship to deliver peace and prosperity rather than conflict and disharmony. In The Odd Couple, Allan Behm suggests ways that America and Australia can transcend military glitz to strengthen well-being and human security worldwide. America needs a friend, not a flunkey, and Australia may become its best ally.
268 pages, Paperback
Published July 2, 2024
6 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Allan Behm
5 books3 followersAllan Behm is Director, International & Security Affairs Program at the Australia Institute in Canberra.
He apecialises in international and security policy development, political and security risk evaluation, policy analysis and development, and negotiating the policy/politics interface.
Following a career spanning nearly thirty years in the Australian Public Service, he was Chief of Staff to Minister for Climate Change and Industry Greg Combet (2009 to 2013) and senior advisor to the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Penny Wong (2017-19).
He has a significant publishing record and is a respected commentator in both the electronic and print media. His book 'No, Minister – an insider’s account of what happens behind the scenes in Parliament House' – was published by Melbourne University Publishing in 2015. It remains a “go to” text for those who are interested in leadership, political management, policy development and reform.
In March 2022, Upswell published 'No Enemies No Friends', a critical examination of what limits Australia as an actor on the international stage.
Allan has tertiary qualifications in classics, philosophy and Asian studies.
He apecialises in international and security policy development, political and security risk evaluation, policy analysis and development, and negotiating the policy/politics interface.
Following a career spanning nearly thirty years in the Australian Public Service, he was Chief of Staff to Minister for Climate Change and Industry Greg Combet (2009 to 2013) and senior advisor to the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Penny Wong (2017-19).
He has a significant publishing record and is a respected commentator in both the electronic and print media. His book 'No, Minister – an insider’s account of what happens behind the scenes in Parliament House' – was published by Melbourne University Publishing in 2015. It remains a “go to” text for those who are interested in leadership, political management, policy development and reform.
In March 2022, Upswell published 'No Enemies No Friends', a critical examination of what limits Australia as an actor on the international stage.
Allan has tertiary qualifications in classics, philosophy and Asian studies.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 14, 2024
In this book, Behm argues that Australia is so emotionally glued to the US as a protector (a la 'fear of abandonment') that Australia's defence and security interests have been subsumed by America's. The result is the end of any pretence that Australia's strategic agency might include a measure of self-reliance. Australia's autonomy has been traded in for the ability to 'operate seamlessly' with the US defence force. In effect, while 'all the way with the USA' may give some Australians a warm feeling of relevance and security, it is an abnegation of responsibility for the future and a denial of agency.
Australian politicians love to say that Australia 'punches above our weight', but the author points out that Australia lacks the agency to do much punching at all. Australia refrains from making waves. Australia gravitates towards playing it safe, neither leading the pack nor following. Australia is neither motivated nor ambitious (e.g. talking big but walking small when deploying forces in support of the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan). This is despite the fact that by any measure of power, except in population size and the quality of its diplomacy, Australia has considerable power, including boasting the 12th largest economy, an entire continent to call home, and a wealthy and highly educated population.
Instead, rather than actively engaging and shaping the region, Australia chooses to further embed its national security and diplomacy within that of the US. Australia has effectively become an outpost of the US Pacific fleet. An acolyte rather than an ally. Behm argues the loss of agency to the US is the greatest threat to Australia's national security, not the ill-defined nebulous threat of China (which is directed at Taiwan, not Australia). Given the absolute dependency of Australia's military on the US, there is little scope for Australia to escape being drawn into a major conflict in support of the US, even when contradictory to Australian interests. Behm sites the AUKUS deal as the most recent example of the ceding of Australian agency, at great cost to Australia.
While I enjoyed this book, I gave it three stars because its incredibly broad scope results in strawman arguments and unfounded generalisations ('boomer culture'?). Much of the analysis described above was made in the first and last chapters of the book. The middle chapters were just recounted broad sweeps of Australian and American history at the expense of proper analysis to back the book's central argument.
Australian politicians love to say that Australia 'punches above our weight', but the author points out that Australia lacks the agency to do much punching at all. Australia refrains from making waves. Australia gravitates towards playing it safe, neither leading the pack nor following. Australia is neither motivated nor ambitious (e.g. talking big but walking small when deploying forces in support of the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan). This is despite the fact that by any measure of power, except in population size and the quality of its diplomacy, Australia has considerable power, including boasting the 12th largest economy, an entire continent to call home, and a wealthy and highly educated population.
Instead, rather than actively engaging and shaping the region, Australia chooses to further embed its national security and diplomacy within that of the US. Australia has effectively become an outpost of the US Pacific fleet. An acolyte rather than an ally. Behm argues the loss of agency to the US is the greatest threat to Australia's national security, not the ill-defined nebulous threat of China (which is directed at Taiwan, not Australia). Given the absolute dependency of Australia's military on the US, there is little scope for Australia to escape being drawn into a major conflict in support of the US, even when contradictory to Australian interests. Behm sites the AUKUS deal as the most recent example of the ceding of Australian agency, at great cost to Australia.
While I enjoyed this book, I gave it three stars because its incredibly broad scope results in strawman arguments and unfounded generalisations ('boomer culture'?). Much of the analysis described above was made in the first and last chapters of the book. The middle chapters were just recounted broad sweeps of Australian and American history at the expense of proper analysis to back the book's central argument.
October 6, 2024
Probably closer to a 3.5 but worth a read. This book took me a while to start, and even longer to get through.
A topical follow-up to the author's 2022 book "No enemies no friends", the book's scope is wildly ambitious: summarise 150 years of history of two countries, and across five different sectors, and draw lessons on how those countries interact.
Where it succeeds, the result is fascinating. The chapters on law, money and peace were eye-opening, with plenty of novel insight and an interesting argument. The focus on liberal internationalism and Australia's departure from it by emphasizing bilateralism is provoking. And the critical examination whether and by how much Australia benefits from American foreign investment and bilaterial treaties is compelling, answering this intriguing question with good argument.
But. Not all chapters are the same quality. The chapter on culture feels rushed and cursory, choosing to focus on "boomer culture"(?) as a comparator. Similarly, the chapter on war feels untroubled by detail, with breezy assertion of America's "culture of war", with little critical examination or comparison to Australia. At some points, it seems to descend into platitude, which becomes uninteresting quite quickly.
That said, the book has given me plenty to examine further, which is always nice. And the lumpiness of the chapters doesn't detract from what is a worthwhile book.
A topical follow-up to the author's 2022 book "No enemies no friends", the book's scope is wildly ambitious: summarise 150 years of history of two countries, and across five different sectors, and draw lessons on how those countries interact.
Where it succeeds, the result is fascinating. The chapters on law, money and peace were eye-opening, with plenty of novel insight and an interesting argument. The focus on liberal internationalism and Australia's departure from it by emphasizing bilateralism is provoking. And the critical examination whether and by how much Australia benefits from American foreign investment and bilaterial treaties is compelling, answering this intriguing question with good argument.
But. Not all chapters are the same quality. The chapter on culture feels rushed and cursory, choosing to focus on "boomer culture"(?) as a comparator. Similarly, the chapter on war feels untroubled by detail, with breezy assertion of America's "culture of war", with little critical examination or comparison to Australia. At some points, it seems to descend into platitude, which becomes uninteresting quite quickly.
That said, the book has given me plenty to examine further, which is always nice. And the lumpiness of the chapters doesn't detract from what is a worthwhile book.
September 1, 2024
I expected more from Allan Behm. His last book was fantastic but this one was thinly spread and lacked the insight of his previous work. Jumping around such complex issues and only dedicating a short paragraph to issues like the Vietnam war just did not work. It left it all feeling very surface level. I agreed with what he was arguing but I did beforehand, I doubt this would persuade anyone. He also showed (more so then No Friends No Enemies) a unexplained deference to the ALP. There was a particularly strange passage where he talked about no politician being able to clear state what Australias interests are only to quote positively the substantiveless speeches from Wong. Not great but not awful book, but made worse but the increasing number of very good books in the same area.
January 22, 2026
An interesting analysis at odds with its own conclusions
A searing analysis of the similarities and differences of American and Australian culture and their meaning as the so called “world order” is disintegrating, led by the impending failure of the US empire. Yet, while recognising that, he seems to think Australia’s only chance is to reassert ourselves and reinvent our relationship with that failed empire.
A searing analysis of the similarities and differences of American and Australian culture and their meaning as the so called “world order” is disintegrating, led by the impending failure of the US empire. Yet, while recognising that, he seems to think Australia’s only chance is to reassert ourselves and reinvent our relationship with that failed empire.
July 22, 2024
Excellent analysis of Australia's relationship with America. Covers the history of the relationship as well as many other different aspects such as law, money, culture, war and peace.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews