{"id":10096,"date":"2013-10-16T13:00:21","date_gmt":"2013-10-16T02:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=10096"},"modified":"2013-10-18T10:16:40","modified_gmt":"2013-10-17T23:16:40","slug":"reader-response-is-australia-a-pivotal-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/reader-response-is-australia-a-pivotal-power\/","title":{"rendered":"Reader response: is Australia a pivotal power?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Judging by his output, ASPI\u2019s Anthony Bergin likes nothing more than to test ideas in relation to Australia\u2019s strategic positioning. His recent proposition<\/a> that Australia is not so much a \u2018middle power\u2019 but a \u2018pivotal power\u2019 is a case in point.<\/p>\n

Bergin\u2019s argument is that the common strategic descriptor for Australia as a \u2018middle power\u2019 doesn\u2019t accurately reflect its military size or capability, the size of its economy or its strategic reach. In each of these he is correct.<\/p>\n

However, the term \u2018pivotal power\u2019 is complex and has some existing meaning. One understanding has it meaning more than just being relatively strategically strong. One such approach defines it not as a quantitative assessment of strategic power but as being a geographic arbiter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s relativity to Turkey, as Bergin notes, classifies them both as middle powers. But Turkey\u2019s role with its neighbours, particularly Syria, Iraq and Israel, also mark it as a key regional actor and so it\u2019s also considered to be a pivotal power. Closer to home, Indonesia occupies an arbitrating role in the ASEAN regions as well as in relations with Timor-Leste and Australia.<\/p>\n

By comparison, Australia is a regional strategic power in the Southwest Pacific, but perhaps less so than it has been. In part this is due to the increasing sense of independence of some of the Pacific island states. In part it\u2019s also due to the more active soft power role being played by China in the region, which in turn buttresses this sense of independence\u2014at least from Australia.<\/p>\n

Timor-Leste, though geographically close to Australia and a major recipient of Australian aid and, at times, military assistance, has carved an increasingly independent path. Timor-Leste\u2019s foreign policy, is one of having a number of strong friends, so that it remains cosseted by some should relations with one turn sour.<\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s status in Timor-Leste has diminished, while that of Indonesia has increased. Timor-Leste\u2019s police now train with Indonesian police, and there\u2019s an agreement that their armed forces also train together. Australia provides training to<\/i>, but it does not train with<\/i>, Timor-Leste\u2019s defence force.<\/p>\n

Given Australia\u2019s active participation in recent multilateral conflicts and being a preferred site for training by regional military officers, Australia\u2019s strategic status is, on balance, perhaps slightly stronger\u2014or perceived as such\u2014than it has been. It\u2019s not surprising that the perceptions of Australia\u2019s status have shifted; in a strategic environment always in a state of flux, the precise status of any state will remain variable and, more to the point, interpretable.<\/p>\n

But if Australia was to suddenly disappear from the strategic stage, the question is the extent to which it might matter. If the imagined effect is profound, then Bergin would be correct and Australia is indeed a pivotal state, if in its own peculiar way.<\/p>\n

But perhaps, too, sitting on the edge of a region rapidly growing in importance, Australia\u2019s task might be less to assert its significance and, one might suggest, more to work at ensuring what significance it has is more fully appreciated. In this, Bergin gives us much to ponder.<\/p>\n

Damien Kingsbury is a\u00a0Professor \u00a0at Deakin Unviersity, and\u00a0Director, Centre for Citizenship, Development and Human Rights.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Judging by his output, ASPI\u2019s Anthony Bergin likes nothing more than to test ideas in relation to Australia\u2019s strategic positioning. His recent proposition that Australia is not so much a \u2018middle power\u2019 but a \u2018pivotal …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":170,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[118,1],"tags":[603],"class_list":["post-10096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-australia-and-its-region","category-general","tag-middle-power"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nReader response: is Australia a pivotal power? | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/reader-response-is-australia-a-pivotal-power\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reader response: is Australia a pivotal power? | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Judging by his output, ASPI\u2019s Anthony Bergin likes nothing more than to test ideas in relation to Australia\u2019s strategic positioning. His recent proposition that Australia is not so much a \u2018middle power\u2019 but a \u2018pivotal ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/reader-response-is-australia-a-pivotal-power\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-10-16T02:00:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-10-17T23:16:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Damien Kingsbury\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Damien Kingsbury\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\",\"name\":\"The Strategist\",\"description\":\"ASPI's analysis and commentary site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/reader-response-is-australia-a-pivotal-power\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/reader-response-is-australia-a-pivotal-power\/\",\"name\":\"Reader response: is Australia a pivotal power? | The Strategist\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-10-16T02:00:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-10-17T23:16:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/5af951dc32bef50613a4b67c1e949f8a\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/reader-response-is-australia-a-pivotal-power\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/reader-response-is-australia-a-pivotal-power\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/reader-response-is-australia-a-pivotal-power\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Reader response: is Australia a pivotal power?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/5af951dc32bef50613a4b67c1e949f8a\",\"name\":\"Damien Kingsbury\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1021591427a318188c7fc82ca3337b94?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1021591427a318188c7fc82ca3337b94?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Damien Kingsbury\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/author\/damien-kingsbury\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Reader response: is Australia a pivotal power? | The Strategist","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/reader-response-is-australia-a-pivotal-power\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Reader response: is Australia a pivotal power? | The Strategist","og_description":"Judging by his output, ASPI\u2019s Anthony Bergin likes nothing more than to test ideas in relation to Australia\u2019s strategic positioning. His recent proposition that Australia is not so much a \u2018middle power\u2019 but a \u2018pivotal ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/reader-response-is-australia-a-pivotal-power\/","og_site_name":"The Strategist","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org","article_published_time":"2013-10-16T02:00:21+00:00","article_modified_time":"2013-10-17T23:16:40+00:00","author":"Damien Kingsbury","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ASPI_org","twitter_site":"@ASPI_org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Damien Kingsbury","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/","name":"The Strategist","description":"ASPI's analysis and commentary site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/reader-response-is-australia-a-pivotal-power\/","url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/reader-response-is-australia-a-pivotal-power\/","name":"Reader response: is Australia a pivotal power? | The Strategist","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website"},"datePublished":"2013-10-16T02:00:21+00:00","dateModified":"2013-10-17T23:16:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/5af951dc32bef50613a4b67c1e949f8a"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/reader-response-is-australia-a-pivotal-power\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/reader-response-is-australia-a-pivotal-power\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/reader-response-is-australia-a-pivotal-power\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Reader response: is Australia a pivotal power?"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/5af951dc32bef50613a4b67c1e949f8a","name":"Damien Kingsbury","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1021591427a318188c7fc82ca3337b94?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1021591427a318188c7fc82ca3337b94?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Damien Kingsbury"},"url":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/author\/damien-kingsbury\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10096"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/170"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10096"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10096\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10170,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10096\/revisions\/10170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}