51st State?

Description

Australian prime ministers since Harold Holt have all fostered close relationships with the United States, but John Howard has initiated economic and military policies that have bound the two countries even tighter. As a result, many Australians now believe that not only our sovereignty but also our very identity as a nation is under threat, and that we are fast becoming America's 51st state. If this view is correct, it should be reflected not only in our foreign policy but also in our domestic policies. Indeed, the weakening of social safety nets, the privatisation of areas long seen as government responsibilities, and the signing of the Free Trade Agreement all point to the triumph of US-style neo-liberalism. Yet, as Dennis Altman shows, the story is not so simple. Even as official rhetoric immerses us ever deeper into the US worldview, the resilience of the Australian social contract is imposing real limits on the application of neo-liberal principles. And, despite his enthusiastic membership of the coalition of the willing, Howard has assiduously cultivated economic and political ties within our region which, as the global balance of power shifts, will become increasingly relevant. In this elegant and sophisticated meditation on Australian identity, Altman suggests that the tendency to attribute malign American influence to everything we dislike about the contemporary world is the flipside of seeing the US as the only model worthy of emulation, and serves to conceal the deeper questions we face namely, how does Australia imagine its future?

Authors Bio, not available

"Altman tackles a number of contemporary issues in order to examine the impact of Americanisation on Australia: "the rise of unfettered capitalism"; the cultural wars; religion, morality and politics; ethnic policies; as well as the present condition of their contrasting political systems." --Neal Blewett, Australian Book Review "If you want to understand where Australia stands at the beginning of the twenty-first century and where it is heading, then 51st State? is a must read. Four stars." --Bookseller & Publisher "[A] remarkable little book." --Bulletin "This is a readily digestible primer for those who have just assumed we must be following obsequiously in Uncle Sam's steps." --Daily Telegraph "This is a thoughtful essay by Dennis Altman which poses many questions, provides some answers, and gives food for thought to the reader, as any good essayist should." --Eureka Street "[A] provocative new book". --Antony Loewenstein, Sun-Herald "Altman's book, as one might suspect, is a thoughtful and informed guide to our own successes and shortcomings and necessary reading for those trying to sort out a positive future relationship with America." --The Age "Read this book. It will encourage real thought about our relations with the US rather than juvenile exchanges of insults. And maybe it will encourage us to accept responsibility to find out own way, rather than moan about the influence of the Americans." --The Australian "[51st State? is a] thoughtful extended essay on Australian identity if a US-dominated world...The book is refreshing because it is logical and moderate in tone--a break from the often over-heated commentary which marks the battleground between Australian conservative commentators and leftish intellectuals." --The Courier Mail