book reviews

of terrorism, but he sees America with the United States. It pays that is now drilled in to Australian doing itself even more damage by special attention to the Australian school students, but Grey adds a closing itself off and missing the military contribution in Iraq and great deal of value by going into the opportunities of a fast-developing Afghanistan. politics behind the War, focusing world. He sees great scope for alliance Grey’s History begins with the in particular on the shenanigans of between the United States and India, settlement of Australia by the Billy Hughes and the conscription and sees China as pragmatic in its convicts and the military men who debate. The end of the war and rise to power. When he calls for escorted them, and takes us through the subsequent years leading up to America to ‘stop cowering in fear,’ to to the dying days of the Howard World War II would lead to what recover its confidence, and to restore government, with the purchase of a Grey calls a ‘depressing period,’ a its globalism and openness, Zakaria pair of pseudo-aircraft carriers, the period he also likens to the 1990s. is sending a timely message. Canberra-class amphibious ships, the Demobilisation led to the wasting air warfare destroyers, and the F-35 away of the Australian war machine, Reviewed by Richard Joint Strike Fighters. although this was not a uniquely Salmons Although Australia is famous for its Australian experience: many believed convict past, the First Fleet comprised that World War I was the war to end of essentially two groups: the convicts all wars. A Military History of and the 212 British marines and Grey defends Menzies’ sending Australia, 3rd ed. officers who maintained order in Australian troops ‘half a world away’ the early days. It was these men who to Europe and the Middle East, by Jeffrey Grey helped found and eventually build saying that threat of Hitler towards Cambridge University Press the colony. Throughout Australia’s Australia’s British allies was a real one, Cambridge, 2008 pre-Federation years, military and that the decision was not made $39.95, 348pp men would often hold senior without serious considerations of the ISBN 9780521697910 civil and administrative positions, Japanese threats to Australia’s ‘near building the British outpost’s early north.’ On the other hand, Grey ith the election of the Rudd military capabilities and civilian criticises the Menzies government government, the history infrastructure. for a lack of urgency or purpose wars that beset the Howard years Grey proceeds through the throughout 1939. may just be over, but given the particular eras of military significance However, Menzies seems to fare continuing conflicts in Iraq and at a good clip, although the reader is well here, at least compared to Afghanistan, a resurgent Russia, and occasionally weighed down by an Curtin. Grey writes that General the ever-growing Chinese and Indian overabundance of facts and figures MacArthur ‘later expressed surprise navies, the history of war and the about such things as numbers of at the celerity with which Curtin military appears to have a men at arms, how many had ceded authority over the military bright future. horses they had, and their effort to him. [B]ut by 1944–45 the This excellent survey respective budgets. benefits in the relationship flowed of Australia’s military For the most part, Grey’s one way and there is some evidence history by Jeffrey Grey, book is an entertaining that towards the end of his life a professor of history at read, and by no means an Curtin regretted the degree of control the Australian Defence exercise in hagiography which he had given MacArthur.’ Force Academy, provides or polemics. It calls a Alternatively, Menzies ‘stood up to an excellent insight into spade a spade—the story Churchill in the British Cabinet the minds of the men and of Australia’s military more robustly than Curtin ever women (mostly men) who is not without large tackled MacArthur later.’ made the decisions, both doses of politicking and Ironically, given the impact of the good and bad, and skewers a few incompetence, and for every General Japanese threat on the Australian shibboleths along the way. The Sir John Monash there is a Lieutenant psyche, the threat of invasion and purpose of this revised edition is General Gordon Bennett (who the bombing of Darwin by the to incorporate September 11 and abandoned his troops in Singapore Japanese, Grey concludes that other elements of recent history and fled back to Australia). Australia only played a decisive role along with it, in particular the The chapter dedicated to World in one theatre during World War evolution of Australia’s relationship War I goes over the same territory II: the Middle East. Similarly, the

Policy • Vol. 24 No. 4 • Summer 2008–09 63 book reviews

infamous ‘Brisbane Line’ strategy Grey argues that despite the new Defence White Paper due in late is again put to rest: there was no ALP under Whitlam paying little 2008, it seems that a fourth edition suggestion whatsoever of abandoning attention to defence during its of Professor Grey’s worthy tome Australia north of Brisbane. tenure, ‘the period of ALP rule in should be on the way soon enough. World War II would lead straight 1972–75 should refute the popular What direction Rudd will into the Cold War, the Korean War, notion that Labor governments are eventually take remains to be seen and the formation of ANZUS. This somehow ‘soft’ on defence issues. but as Grey says, ‘History does not last, says Grey, was ‘compensation’ He argues that Whitlam was the repeat itself (though historians may, for Australian and New Zealand beginning of a bipartisan transition to indeed, repeat each other) but as acquiescence for a ‘soft’ peace what we now know as the ‘Australian the American poet Walt Whitman, treaty with the Japanese in 1952. Defence Force.’ a veteran of the American Civil The chapter that Grey calls ‘The At no fault of the author, Grey’s A War, once observed, “sometimes it Wars of Diplomacy, 1955–1972’ Military History of Australia has been rhymes”.’ Whether Prime Minister effectively describes seventeen inconvenienced by the defeat of the Kevin Rudd decides to rhyme with years of Australian participation in Howard government in November Howard’s ‘deputy sheriff’ or Kim low-intensity warfare throughout 2007. While there have been no Beazley’s ‘Defence of Australia’ Southeast Asia, beginning with the great upheavals in military strategy doctrine, only time will tell. Malayan insurgency and ending with to date, Rudd’s greater emphasis on the withdrawal from Vietnam. Asia (in particular China), and the Reviewed by Andrew Baker

New Publications from The Centre for Independent Studies AVAILABLE NOW

Adam Smith – A Primer Despite his fame, there is still widespread ignorance about the breadth of Adam Smith’s contributions to economics, politics, and philosophy. In Adam Smith – A Primer, Eamonn Butler provides an authoritative introduction to the life and work of this ‘founder of economics’. The author examines not only The Wealth of Nations, with its insights on trade and the division of labour, but also less well known works, such as The Theory of Moral Sentiments, the lectures, and the writings on the history of science. Butler therefore provides a comprehensive but concise overview of Adam Smith’s intellectual achievements.

Where To for Australian Federalism? Reform of Australia’s federal system was one of the key parts of the Australian Labor Party’s 2007 election platform. The Rudd government has since begun implementing its vision of reform through the Council of Australian Governments and other fora. In May 2008, the Centre for Independent Studies convened a round-table discussion of experts on federalism from academic, government, and business backgrounds. This CIS Policy Forum publication collects the six presentations made by the round-table’s discussion leaders, edited with a preface and overview by Robert Carling.

The Role of Government in a Liberal Society Modern government has grown out of all proportion, becoming a serious threat to life, liberty, property, and the public interest. Establishing a basis for this claim in an intellectual climate that sees the state as a benign force tasked with intervening in every manner of personal, social, and economic crisis, Professor Suri Ratnapala goes back to basics. Drawing on political thinkers including Madison, Locke, Hume, Rothbard, Nozick, and von Mises, he expounds a vision of the ideal liberal state.

For further information go to www.cis.org.au or call us on (02) 9438 4377

64 Policy • Vol. 24 No. 4 • Summer 2008–09