More than an ally?

"With the ascendancy of the Coalition government in 1996 there was a marked shift of emphasis directed to deepening Australia's relations with America. Kelton argues that the Coalition government strategically linked security and economic well-being and that this linking was contextualized by threats both internal and external. It is argued that the government skilfully mediated between international and domestic threats in order to sustain electoral dominance. By deepening the relationship of the US alliance in foreign, trade and defence policies, the Australian government sought to resonate on inherited and conservative perceptions of threat in the domestic environment." "This book adds to the current debate as it provides an explanatory framework for understanding the Australian government's choices in its relations with the US across the broader spectrum of security issues."--BOOK JACKET.