U.S. Alliance With Australia on Shaky Terms

Friendly relations between the United States and Australia were threatened after a phone call between President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Turnbull last Saturday. The phone call was in regards to an agreement between the U.S. and Australia to accept 1,250 refugees from an Australian detention center. The agreement was made under the Obama Administration but Mr. Turnbull expects President Trump to follow it through. Although, the executive order that Trump signed the day before this phone call – banning entrance to people from 7 specific Muslim countries into the US for at least 90 days – lowers the likelihood of Trump upholding America’s word.

The refugees being held on the Pacific Islands of Nauru and Manu are from Iran and Iraq, 2 of the 7 majority Muslim nations – along with Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen – that Trump has targeted in his executive order. In their phone conversation, Trump told Turnbull that he would get “killed” politically if he went through with the deal because of the order he signed the day before. Trump went even further to say that the “next Boston bombers” could be among those 1,250 refugees. It is important to note that the original 2011 Boston bombers were from Chechnya, none of the countries within his ban. Furthermore, the 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E, Lebanon and Egypt – all countries also not within Trump’s ban.

Prime Minister Turnbull did not give much information about the call during a press conference in Victoria. When asked about Trump’s tone during the call, Turnbull responded by saying that it is “better that these things, these conversations are conducted candidly, frankly, privately.” He assured the Australian people that Trump would “honor the agreement we entered into with the Obama administration with respect to the refugee settlement.” The Prime Minister assured the press that Australia’s relationship with the US remained strong but if the refugee deal were to fall through, there would be some issues left at Canberra. He continued to say that “the very extensive engagement we have with the new administration underlines the closeness of the alliance,” and he will stand up for Australia in every forum – public or private.

Despite the Australian Prime Minister’s assurance about America’s cooperation on the deal, Trump tweeted, on Wednesday, “Do you believe it? The Obama administration agreed to take thousands of illegal immigrants from Australia. Why? I will study this dumb deal!” In response to Trump’s public reaction towards the phone call, Bill Shorten, the leader of Australia’s opposition Labor Party said that there are two versions of the conversation and Mr. Turnbull should be honest with the Australian people. He criticized Turnbull for the emergence of a different version of the story after he made it clear that the phone call was a constructive discussion.

Trump’s decision on whether or not to accept the refugees will be the deciding factor on the stability of the American-Australian alliance. China has been competing with Washington to become to leading force in the Asia-Pacific region, and the fate of this agreement may just give China what they have been hoping for.

Featured Image via Flickr/Quinn Norton