Australia Sub Deal Should Upset China, Not France
Aukus attempts to fulfill two important goals: multilateral partnerships to counter Beijing, and making Britain relevant after Brexit.
Australia’s navy is getting an upgrade.
Photographer: Yuri Ramsey/Australian Defence Force via Getty Images
Arms deals between longtime allies don’t typically make global news, let alone lead the headlines on multiple continents. But the new Aukus (Australia-U.K.-U.S.) pact isn’t a garden-variety arms deal. It weaves together several compelling global story lines, from the shifting alignments in maritime Asia to Britain’s search for a new grand strategy after Brexit.
Most important, Aukus showcases the new model of multilateralism the U.S. will need to win its competition with China — one that relies on a variety of overlapping coalitions to make Beijing’s aggression self-defeating.