"Australia's blank cheque owed to USA for WWII has not expired."?

Question

HELP! For debating, I'm negative for "Australia's blank cheque owed to USA for WWII has not expired." For Modern History. Any points?

HELP! For debating, I'm NEGATIVE for "Australia's blank cheque owed to USA for WWII has expired." For Modern History. Any points?

p.s. I'm arguing that it has not expired in other words, the above question is wrong. thanx

Answer 1

In 1941, with the attack on Pearl Harbour, Australian Prime Minister John Curtain made his famous speech which recognised the close proximity of the United Stats to Australia, and the inability of the British Empire to adequately provide any kind of defence for Australia.

The American decision to send troops and supplies to Australia in 1942 had nothing to do with any genuine concern for Australia's fears of a Japanese Invasion. The Americans had just lost the Philippines - at that time an American colony.

It was General Douglas Macarthurs (at that time the American governor of the Phillipines) promise 'I will return' to reclaim the Philippines that led the Americans to move their bases and troops to Australia to reclaim their colony.

A very grateful Australia (anxious to have some kind of protection) put Australian troops and resources under the command of General Macarthur. But of course the relationship between Australia and the U.S was never an equal partnership - evidenced at the resentment that Australia was not consulted in primary wartime planning.

Even when Australia tried to push for a military alliance with the United States - the Americans were not willing to commit to any agreement. This changed with the rise of communism. But Australia had to get involved in Korea for the United States to agree to any long term military alliance.

Australia not only got involved in Korea, but we followed the Americans blindly into disastrous Vietnam, and Australia continued to allow the Americans to use military facilities and intelligence installations during the 1980's.

At the end of the day, The U.S has had little concern about the welfare of Australia. U.S involvement in Australia has had more to do with the U.S wanting to ensure that its position as global hegemon has remained intact. And to that end alone that the U.S has constructed its relationships with the world.

Answer 2

Yeas it has expired.
1 we helped in the Vietnam.
2 we are the Navy ports, include nuclear warships.
3 USA helped Australia for their own strategic reason, ie securing South Asia
4 the world is a different place now, be ally with US we will alienate us from the region as well as some of our biggest export partners China, South Korean, many middle east countries.

Answer 3

In the UK we have only just repaid the debt. However, ours was slightly different. Our war, when it started, was not the Americans. However, US and Australia were allies against an enamy who was primarily American. Helping fight a common enamy should not be billed.

That said, we only recently scrapped the ferry charge that was levied to compensate the French for the bombing damage that we inflicted on their ports in order to liberate their country.

Go figure. At the end of the day, the bad guys lost and all of this penny pinching should be consined to its rightful place, history.

Luck

Answer 4

Australias blank cheque expired at the end of that battle. for it to be valid, it would have needed to be renewed in every incident following WW2. As that has not happened, it has become null and void. We have been involved in most, but definitely not ALL of the post ww2 international incidents the us has been involved in. Since that has not happened, we have been released from the constraints of that.

Answer 5

Are we talking cash here?