The United States (US), Britain and Australia have announced a new trilateral security alliance for the Indo-Pacific region to address 21st century threats. This is called the AUKUS Alliance. AUKUS stands for Australia, United Kingdom (UK), and United States (United States). AUKUS is a defense pact that focuses on the military power of the United States, Australia, and Britain. The treaty covers elements of cyber warfare, artificial intelligence (AI), underwater functions, and nuclear technology. The alliance was originally formed to build nuclear submarines, but more than that it was also formed to cooperate in the Indo-Pacific region, where a growing China is increasing its threat, to develop a wider range of technologies. Therefore, Australia will build a nuclear submarine fleet to increase stability in the Indo-Pacific region with the support of the United States and Britain. All three claim that nuclear submarines are an attempt to ensure peace in the Indo-Pacific region.
The World’s Response to the Presence of the AUKUS Alliance
The United States, United Kingdom and Australia announced the new Indo-Pacific Defense Alliance, which elicited different reactions from countries around the world. The formation of the AUKUS alliance will allow for a greater sharing of defense capabilities, including helping Australia acquire nuclear submarines. To date, only six countries in the world operate nuclear submarines. These include the United States, United Kingdom, China, France, India, and Russia. Meanwhile, relations between Australia and China have deteriorated in recent years. Zhao Lijian, spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the three have seriously undermined peace and stability in the region, intensified the arms race and undermined international efforts on nuclear non-proliferation.
A number of countries really regret the presence of this alliance. such as France, which is currently cooperating with Australia in the transaction of diesel-powered submarines. The burning emotion from France is not about regional stability or nuclear technology, but about the submarine purchase contract that was agreed with Australia. The contract terminated unilaterally, acknowledging that France had only received information about AUKUS a few hours before the announcement. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian expressed deep disappointment at the actions of the three partner countries, saying it was a serious betrayal. He announced that France had recalled ambassadors from the United States and Australia. British ambassador to France not dismissed as Paris sees London as mere “mixer”.
The French disappointment is believed to have been due to the cancellation of a $40 billion (equivalent to 569 trillion rupees) diesel submarine deal between France and Australia following the announcement of the new alliance. As is known, the AUKUS Alliance has signed a new contract for the United States and Britain to help Australia build a nuclear submarine fleet.
In another, Singapore and Japan also spoke about this matter. Singapore acknowledged that it has longstanding relations with the three countries, and hopes that the new alliance will contribute to peace and stability. Meanwhile, Japan said strengthening security and defense cooperation from the three countries was important for peace and security.
The Formation of AUKUS Threatens ASEAN Stability
The Indo-Pacific is a strategic area that is the center of maritime geopolitical activities, security and international trade relations. The strategic value of the Indo-Pacific region can be seen in the presence of strong countries such as the United States, China, Australia, Japan and ASEAN member countries. The presence of national interests in these countries will never free the Indo-Pacific region from tensions and threats of military conflict. The sudden appearance of AUKUS has drawn various reactions from various countries, including ASEAN. Indonesia and Malaysia said the establishment of AUKUS could threaten security stability in Southeast Asia.
The ASEAN region is a strategic area, if we look closely at the history of the region in Southeast Asia, it was a very conflict-prone area during the cold war, especially where the countries of this region were even involved in war with each other. The existence of ASEAN is actually a form of collective collective effort not to make this region a place where big countries try to rely on their influence.
What happened today is similar to what happened during the Cold War. Countries build strong defenses by forming or joining security alliances and developing nuclear weapons. As a result, AUKUS has actually increased tensions rather than eased tensions in the Indo-Pacific region. If the two sides continue to face each other, the worst possible scenario is a military conflict breaking out in the Indo-Pacific region. Southeast Asia, the region geographically closest to the Indo-Pacific, would have dire consequences.
Currently, bilateral relations between Indonesia, Australia and China have been established and are said to be at their strongest level in recent years. However, it would be naive to say that bilateral relations between the two countries will last forever. One day, if Indonesia’s relations with Australia and China deteriorate, what if both countries have a fleet of nuclear-powered or armed submarines and other defense equipment? That may be the case, and AUKUS can further raise those concerns.
So, what is Indonesia’s attitude and position? Indonesia’s position is surrounded by big countries that have nuclear weapons which of course when there is a dispute between these countries, of course Indonesia will suffer a lot from the impact. The presence of the AUKUS alliance is a big threat to Indonesia. Indonesia’s foreign ministry expressed concern about the ongoing arms race and predictions of military strength in the region. Indonesia is closely monitoring the Australian Government’s decision to acquire nuclear submarines, reading the first point in the statement. Indonesia also continues to encourage Australia to fulfill its commitment to protect regional peace, stability and security under the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation.
Finally, Indonesia encourages Australia and other stakeholders to continue to promote dialogue to resolve differences peacefully and emphasizes the importance of maintaining peace and security in the region including complying with international law.
It can be concluded that any expansion of a country’s military power or the formation of a new alliance will undoubtedly cause reactions from other countries and have an impact on other countries. By reducing existing tensions to prevent conflict, let alone war. Therefore, it is necessary to take action to reduce the current tension. One thing that can be done to ensure peace is to avoid siding with one country. Although we can’t guarantee that peace will last forever, at least we can take a stand and take steps for something that happens in the future that we don’t want. Hope there will be no further war after the existence of this AUKUS alliance.
