Without an iota of consideration for America's staunchest of allies, President Donald Trump has reminded us that, friend or foe, he will dump on anyone he likes to please his Twitter audience and bolster his domestic appeal.
That is the reality we are now dealing with and however galling his disgraceful treatment of the Australian government might be, our foreign policy and defence officials will continue the day-to-day work that maintains the relationship. There is a large iceberg beneath the surface that will remain steady despite the mad gale at the surface.
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But here's some reality for Trump: the US needs Australia, not just the other way around. He needs the network of alliances the US has carefully crafted in the post-1945 period because his country's power stems not just from its military might but its friendships.
Australia is not a freeloader. Our defence spending is now close to 2 per cent of GDP. We have famously fought alongside the Americans in every major conflict of the past 100 years. The US has marines stationed in Darwin and will this year fly F-22 Raptors out of Tindall base. Long range bombers are also likely to rotate through the Northern Territory.
![Thousands of US marines are based in Darwin as part of Australia's generous contribution to America's interests in the ...](/web/20170203073047im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/4/b/u/y/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gu4ay7.png/1486094792436.jpg)
As China and other countries develop their long-range ballistic missile capabilities - one of the most important military advances it has made - Australia's medium distance from the flashpoints of Asia will grow in importance.
"They've got up to 2500 marines in Darwin but it's more about what they could have in the future. I'm sure the Americans are going to come to us and say we need you to do more so that means having greater access to Australia," said Malcolm Davis, a senior defence analyst and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
"If we say no to that, it severely weakens the US's ability to respond to a rising China."
Crucially, that is not in Australia's interests either. If we were to "go down the New Zealand path" of pulling away from close co-operation with the US, Dr Davis said, "the real winner is not us but China".
In fact it is very likely that China's soft power machine - growing rapidly in sophistication - will be looking to widen the fissures as Australians look across the Pacific and wonder why we should do business with someone like Trump.
That Trump understands or much cares about any of this is questionable. But here's a second reality check for him: if he begins to treat his alliances as purely transactional, especially with a country like Australia that is deeply valued by the US foreign policy and military establishment - not least his Defence Secretary James Mattis and his point man in the Pacific, Admiral Harry Harris - as well as congressional Republicans, he will run seriously afoul of his own administration and party.
He might have shown he doesn't care about that. But if his shabby treatment of Australia goes beyond the purely rhetorical via social media, he will face significant resistance. Sensible heads in Washington like and admire Australia. Kim Beazley, it is well known, was sought out for his views not just on his own country but on the region and the world.
The many smart people who have helped keep the Asia-Pacific stable and prosperous for decades will not allow one man and his close gang of ideologues to shred the shared values and shared interests that form the backbone of this vital alliance.
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