'Domino Theory' and 'Strategic Dependence'
Activity: Discuss homework as class.
Read and listen the following passages on the Domino Theory and Strategic Dependance.
The Domino Theory:
Read and listen the following passages on the Domino Theory and Strategic Dependance.
The Domino Theory:
- If ... South Vietnam [were] allowed to fall under communist rule, the rest of South-East Asia could not long remain free.
- Once that door was opened the extension of the Chinese communist pressures and influence through Malaysia and Indonesia would only be a matter of time, and Australia would lie on the immediate [edge] of Chinese power.
- Australia’s stake in what started out as a Red-engineered dirty little civil war is this: if communism takes over in South Vietnam, then Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia will surely be swallowed, too, in time. We could be next
Strategic Dependance:
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Malcolm Fraser –
"Australian Policy of ‘Forward Defence was a policy designed to keep danger away from Australia. Which encouraged the US to maintain a military presence in Asia and was the cornerstone of this policy and an important part of ‘Strategic Dependence’. Australia’s commitment of a battalion was not due to a request by Vietnam but rather a ‘response to pressure from the United States seeking political support from “friends and allies”". |