Author Description

America is deeply implicated in Australia's economic, political and cultural history. Although it has not simply imposed on Australia a version of itself nor made Australia a dependent "Americanized" satellite, the U.S. has remained an ambiguous model, a promise as well as a threat, to the smaller Pacific nation since well before its Federation. Despite the decline of American power and the end of the Cold War, the implications of American power and example continue to color Australia's political and social identity. This book examines the various ways by which Australia negotiated military alliances, economic accommodations and cultural meanings with the U.S. as both societies traveled the path of modernization.