US/Australia Alliance

1. Who is Steven Smith and what important role does he play for the Australian Government?
   Steven Smith is the Australian Minister of Defense. He controls the Department of Defense and the Australian Defense Force.
   
2. What is the Brookings Institution where Mr. Smith delivered his speech?
   It is a non-profit public policy organization which allows speakers to talk to an audience
   
3. What role does the Australia/US Alliance play in Australia's 'strategic and security arrangements'?
   Australia/US alliance allows our safety within the Asia-Pacific region as the US has sighted their location within Asia-Pacific as priority and as a strategic location against China if they become aggressive.
   
4. What is important about Australia's global location for this alliance?
   Our location provides a easy US stronghold as Asia has obviously become a center of economic/political and military positions.
   
5. What contributions has Australia made to this alliance for the last 50 years?
   Australia has hosted or co-hosted key US national security measures throughout their sensitive/critical strategic locations. "These include systems related to intelligence collection, ballistic-missile early warning, submarine communications, and satellite-based communications."
6. What did the minister say about the Australian companies who do business with the US?
   Our companies regularly do business with the US which includes high wages and also benefits our economy. We are an indispensable ally to the US with our strong economy and strategic location.
   
7. Why does the minister point out this information about this company? What does it highlight about the relationship between Australia and the US?
   The minister said,"We are not a consumer of US security who imposes tough choices on the US military and US public policy. We value-add, and we do so from a vantage point of respect, not dependency." This implies that we are a strong ally and don't ask or take much in return for the US's help
   
8. What is the country central to Australia's relationships in the region?
   China is the central country
   
9. What is Australia trying to foster with this country?
   Australia is trying to foster a peaceful nature for China to evolve in so that it does not become excessively aggressive when it becomes a even larger superpower
   
10. Why do you think that this is important to Australia?
    It maintains our safety in the region as we are close to China and can be attacked at any time without warning. It also keeps us aware of possible attacks or threats in the region.
    

1. What is the US planning on locating in Australia? Where? Why?
   US is planning to put their military hardware and personnel within Australia, especially in Woomera. This is to place troops and allow them to train in Australian training camps such as Shoalwater Bay.
   
2. What implications does this have on the coordination between Australian and American forces?
   It can allow the coordination of US/Australian forces within the Asia-Pacific region aswell as the possibility of further Aid to countries affected by natural disasters. It also allows for the technological advancements in our sometimes troubled navy, especially underwater.
   

Australian Immigration

1) Define Asylum Seeker - An asylum seeker is a person who has fled their own country and applies to the government of another country for protection as a refugee.
2) An asylum seeker would leave their country because of circumstances such as war, political opinion, social group, religion, nationality or other factors that could seriously affect their lives as they would be persecuted
3) Asylum Seekers will be accepted when it is understood that they do need a Visa and need resettlement because they can't return to their country for a valid reason. Or a Human Rights Program Visa is given because of the amount of discrimination in a country
4) Most Asylum Seekers are coming from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iran and poorer countries such as Rwanda (Africa).

Video Questions:
1) The deal between Australia and Malaysia are that Australia will send 800 Asylum Seekers in return for a legitimate 4000 refugees whose cases have all been checked for approval into Australia
2) The Asylum Seekers will be treated dignity and respect and have their rights protected, Australia will cover the cost of health expenses and education. This means they can't use public hospitals and schools but have their needs covered. They will have the right to be employed and have a job and earn a living.
3) Malaysia usually punishes Asylum Seekers quite harshly (e.g. caning) sometimes even without the government knowing and then either lock them up and used as forced labor, or send them back to their home country.
4) Children will be sent to Malaysia with special privileges such as extra food and health coverage with the consideration of special cases
5) The 500 people will have their claims processed in Australia before either being sent back to their home country, locked up at a detention center or sent to Malaysia.
6) Australia cannot ensure the rights and protection of those Asylum Seekers being sent to Malaysia and the rumor's of the court challenging the rights and the morals of this swap as it is dangerous in regards to the Asylum Seekers not being treated well enough.
7) The goal of this swap program is to improve the relations between Australia and the UN (indirectly) and also to try and deter Asylum Seekers from trying to coming to Australia so often (boat people) since they may not have the special requirements for them to be accepted as refugees
8) I think it will work because it has a pronoun effect on the world and it will tell other future Asylum Seekers that Australia is cracking down on the amount of people accepted because of the high standards. It depends on how well the first deportation works and that we have a PM that doesn't like Boat People at all

Tuesday Period 4 Questions - North Korea

1) Kevin Rudd, former Australian prime minister now has the title of foreign minister
2) Kevin Rudd's concern is the Taepodong-2 Long Range missile being built in North Korea which presents a great threat to the nearby global community. His other concerns are that North Korea is deluding itself into thinking that other countries have been trying successfully to destabilize the country.
3) Kevin Rudd as Australia's representative was present at the ASEAN forum
4) Recently, North Korea has shelled South Korean homes over the border, torpedoed a South Korean frigate and defied two United Nations security council resolutions by continuing their enriched uranium program which is the creation of the Taepodong - 2 Long Range nuclear missile. They also believe that other countries have been sabotaging the stability of the country.
5) The direct threat, being the Taepodong - 2 Missile, is a problem for Australia as it presents a security issue as a missile that could easily level an entire city, with such large amounts of funds and technology being put into the building of the missile, which has taken over a decade, and still is not complete.
6) By calling out the North Korean counterpart, Mr Pak, in public, he aims to stabilize diplomatic relations between other ASEAN countries to warn them of the obvious North Korean aggression and its threat towards other countries. It affects Australia's relationship with North Korea in a negative way but improves the relationship with other countries as it represents Australia being a security force and trying to maintain peace. Australia's role is to maintain the peace and try to ensure no war breaks out.
7) Australia plays a big role in international relations especially with the ASEAN members and the United States as it has a good enough army to be able to maintain some peace around the world. I also think that Australia is trying to impress the USA for diplomatic reasons to ensure our safety.

Foreign Aid Review

• By 2015 Australia will be spending 8 billion dollars on foreign aid
  
• Rich countries around the world are leaning towards the trend of spending money on helping poorer or third world countries
• The amount of money spent on foreign aid is being doubled roughly every 5 years
• Nobody knows why countries are spending so much on foreign aid whether its a cause of good morals or if the money is actually being wasted as it isn't allocated correctly
• A billion people around the world are living on $1.25 US or less
• Only 7% of Australian foreign aid goes to correct allocation (natural disasters etc)
  
• Poverty is being overcome, from 54% of the world in 1981 to 25% in 2005. This will be furthered cut down in 2015 to only 15% of the world living in poverty
• Since 1990, China has stopped half a billion people from living in poverty
• Australia spends the most amount of its foreign aid money on Papua New Guinea
• If poverty is being overcome so quickly, why are countries like Australia spending more and more on foreign aid
• Poverty is being overcome by economic growth, not foreign aid
• Many Australians and Americans are attached to the idea that poorer countries like Indonesia are to poor to sustain themselves
  
• A vast majority of the Western world are in deep denial about third world or poor countries becoming economically stronger
  
• Charity is an assertion of power
• Indonesia's GDP is now significantly higher than Australia's
• Many current or former powerful countries are now becoming more even with rapidly developing countries
• Poor countries development depend on social and political circumstances to grow so as they become better, their economy becomes stronger
• Many acts of charity are actually racist, e.g. Howard's plan to develop non-Islamic schools in Indonesia to combat the fear of terrorism

Personally, I think Australia is giving more foreign aid as an act of good intention not to assert their power. For example Australia was extremely quick to lend aid to Indonesia after the tsunami that occurred in 2004 to try and help the lives of many people. On the other hand, acts of power such as John Howard's plan to build non-Islamic schools in Indonesia to prevent terrorism as it is an obvious act of asserting Australia's power to try and protect 'ourselves'. Australia needs to spend more money on its own infrastructure rather than giving handouts on other countries as our government tries to improve relations between us and other countries aswell as trying to impress the U.S.A. The benefits of increasing poverty are only improving relations between us and other countries