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Nobody is entirely sure what a Trump administration's foreign policy will look like when - and if - it coheres into something identifiable.
The notoriously blunt Admiral Harry Harris was understandably circumspect about life under his future commander-in-chief, Donald Trump, whether he was talking about Taiwan, China or Russia.
United States Pacific Command Admiral Harry Harris issues a firm warning to "an increasingly assertive China" amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Courtesy ABC News 24.
Market participants were often completely wrong when predicting political events. Even if they predicted the correct outcome, they certainly failed to call how the market would react, while others have been quite accurate. (This video was produced in commercial partnership between Fairfax Media and IG Markets)
Chile's president, Michelle Bachelete, the country's first female president has slammed the economy minister for posing with a blow-up doll with a 'stimulate the economy' sign in its mouth.
United States Pacific Command Admiral Harry Harris issues a firm warning to "an increasingly assertive China" amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Courtesy ABC News 24.
The truth is even the likes of Harris will have to wait and see like the rest of us what emerges after Trump is sworn in on January 20.
But the latest revelation that under the Force Posture Agreement for 2017, the US will bring some of its cutting-edge Raptor fighter planes - a clear signal to the region that its highest-end aircraft can be positioned right on Asia's southern end - is a useful reminder that we are vital to the US, not just the other way around.
As James Brown of the US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney said after Harris' speech to the Lowy Institute, Trump's administration will be "one of the most Australia-familiar US cabinets we've ever seen".
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Incoming defence secretary James Mattis has been a frequent visitor to Australia and has good friendships among military colleagues here. John Kelly, the designated Homeland Security Secretary, was here just last week. Ben Carson, the soon-to-be Housing Secretary, lived and worked in Perth for a year.
"Australia will have multiple points of access into the new administration. The key thing is we make sure we've got something to say and ideas and an agenda to provide," Brown said.
Admiral Harry Harris commands a huge portion of the Pacific. Photo: Brook Mitchell
Harris himself was effusive about the importance of the US-Australia alliance not just to the two countries but the region. As a forward-leaning military man who doesn't mince his words, he will likely be highly valued by Trump. Hard-headed figures like him should offset concerns that Trump will be too cosy with Russia.
As much as many Australians are still coming to terms with the prospect of a Trump presidency, the reality is there is an opportunity for us to help shape what remains an inchoate foreign policy.
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