It’s hard to know where to start when it comes to global politics right now and America’s hand in so much that’s at stake.
In just the last week, we’ve seen Donald Trump nonchalantly claim that the US was fully aware of Israel’s missile strikes on Iran — an attack reportedly intended to halt Iran’s nuclear program. The assault killed 224 people and hospitalised another 1,288. Around 90 per cent of the casualties are thought to be civilians.
Trump then folded Russian President Vladimir Putin into the conversation, telling ABC America it was “possible” the US could become militarily involved in the Israel-Iran conflict, with Putin stepping in as a mediator between the two sides.
He even claimed he had a phone call with Putin on Sunday: “He called me about it. We had a long talk,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, mass “No Kings” protests swept through American cities over the weekend, with tens of thousands turning out for mostly peaceful demonstrations against Trump’s escalating authoritarianism.
Americans, like much of the world, appear exhausted by the chaos. Tired of his disregard for fact. Tired of the carnage in his wake. His administration is blowing up before it even officially begins again, with rogue declarations and inflammatory rhetoric dropped not just daily, but hourly.
And yet, still, the Australian government clings to the US alliance with sweaty determination.
This morning, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was asked about his upcoming meeting with Trump and the conversations he hopes to have. The list of issues is long: AUKUS, steel tariffs, Gaza aid, China, climate cooperation. Any one of these would warrant serious preparation.
Instead, the Prime Minister offered nothing but vague lines about not wanting to “pre-empt” the discussion. He declined to say whether he’d push for an exemption on tariffs. He wouldn’t commit to advocating for humanitarian access to Gaza. On Taiwan and China, he batted away the topic entirely, despite comments from US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth claiming that conflict is imminent.
And look, I get that no one walks into a meeting with Trump and emerges unscathed — the man lives in LaLa Land. But surely as Australia’s leader, you’d want some kind of plan. An agenda. A backbone?
These non-committal words from Albanese seem almost meek given what the world is currently facing. Treating Trump with kid gloves is no longer a viable strategy.
As former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull recently warned, Australia needs to be very wary of negotiating with Trump at the upcoming G7 meeting. As we’ve seen, global leaders tend to be treated like misbehaving children by the current US President.
“One of the problems with Trump… is you go along and seek to strike a deal with him — how do you know he will abide by it? He does not regard his word as his bond,” Turnbull said.
Turnbull’s warning shouldn’t be brushed aside. It’s a reminder that, in the shifting sands of global power, Australia can no longer afford to behave like America’s subservient minion.
The stakes have never been higher. We are navigating a world in deep crisis, with democratic norms under attack, mass civilian casualties unfolding in the Middle East, an increasingly fragile geopolitical balance in the Asia-Pacific, and a climate emergency that continues to be sidelined in favour of defence deals.
At a time when Australia should be asserting its values, we are instead watching our leaders hedge, squirm, and “not pre-empt” themselves into irrelevance.
If Albanese truly wants to represent the interests of Australians on the global stage, he needs to stop pretending that the Trump of 2025 is a reliable statesman. He’s not. He’s volatile, vengeful, and has repeatedly demonstrated a contempt for democratic institutions, diplomacy, and basic decency.
There is no “reset” button coming. There is no perfect diplomatic sidestep.
We either speak up, clearly and consistently, or we risk being complicit in the chaos.