Politics Now Should Aus join Canada's middle power fightback? | Insiders On Background
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Mar 6, 2026 Sam Roggeveen, director of the Lowy Institute’s International Security Program, offers sharp analysis on middle‑power strategy and Indo‑Pacific security. He discusses Mark Carney’s warning about the rules‑based order. He questions Australia’s dependence on the US, the limits AUKUS places on sovereignty, and the need to diversify partnerships beyond great powers.
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Middle Powers Must Spread Risk
- Mark Carney argues the post-rupture world requires middle powers to spread risk instead of overinvesting in great powers.
- Carney specifically names Australia, Japan and South Korea as peers Canada should cultivate to avoid coercion from dominant states.
Diplomacy Expanded But Military Ties Tighten
- Australia has actively deepened ties with neighbours like Indonesia and Pacific Island states to diversify influence away from great powers.
- Sam Roggeveen highlights those efforts as important but counterbalanced by deep military integration via AUKUS.
Clarify AUKUS Obligations To Protect Sovereignty
- Reassess AUKUS commitments and clarify operational obligations to preserve decision-making sovereignty.
- Roggeveen warns decades-long intimate defence integration will make it politically hard for Australia to refuse allied requests in future campaigns.