I found Richard Maude’s excellent analysis of the post-Trumpian order in the Indo-Pacific alarming and frightening (“Australia’s Indo-Pacific destiny up for grabs in a new world order”), in view of the lack of debate about this issue in Australia. Our politicians have to date had their heads in the sand.

But Maude’s article is a bit wanting when he compares Trump’s policy towards NATO and Ukraine vis-a-vis the new world order in the Indo-Pacific. There is a fundamental difference. China is a hegemonic power in the Indo-Pacific with little or no opposition, and Australia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan the only powers to contain this hegemony. In Europe, the Russians face 40-odd developed countries with the wherewithal to arm themselves for any Russian threat if Trump walks away from NATO.