ABSTRACT
The Bush Doctrine has caused alarm among many of America's traditional allies, from its continental European NATO allies to its ANZUS partner New Zealand. One obvious exception, however, has been the Australian government, which has offered almost unreserved support for the US in recent years and seems remarkably comfortable with Bush's National Security Strategy and its much talked of notion of pre-emption. This chapter compares Australia's embracing of the Bush Doctrine with New Zealand's more ambivalent position and discusses how Australia's position has been received in the region. It argues that Australia's reasons for closer alignment with the US in recent years are twofold: to meet a broader goal of alliance fortification; and to meet the individual objectives of an extremely pro-US and pro-Bush Australian prime minister.
