Australia has officially made its position clear.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said today (March 2) that Australia will not participate in any military action against Iran, and ruled out the possibility of deploying troops to the Middle East in case of escalation of conflict. She said: "Australia is not a core country in the Middle East issue. We have not participated in these strike operations, and we do not expect to participate in the future."
This stance of Australia is basically consistent with that of previous European allies such as the UK, France, and Germany, forming a unified posture of "verbal support, but avoiding combat" within the Western camp. After the US and Israel launched air strikes this time, traditional allies generally chose to distance themselves from the US, no longer closely following the war as before. This reflects multiple practical considerations behind it. The previous Trump administration's tariff policies severely damaged the interests of allies, leading to a significant decline in trust between transatlantic and transpacific partners, and countries are unwilling to pay for America's strategic gamble anymore.
Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere, with limited interests related to the Middle East. Getting involved would inevitably lead to retaliation from Iran, endangering its own security and economic stability. This "side-taking without participating" approach is both self-protection and an implicit reservation towards America's unilateral冒险. Although the Western alliance seems solid, it actually has different agendas. Under the face of interests and risks, so-called unity is fragile, and also indicates that America's unilateral actions will become increasingly isolated.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1858543495005255/
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