Mr Fraser said the larger question before Australians right now is what the country's future will be. The former prime minister's recent book, Dangerous Allies, which won this year's John Button literary prize for political commentary, argues that Australia's close relationship with the United States could lead to conflict with China. "How many politicians talk about that in a realistic sense? There's no direct threat to Australia. We do not need to be a frightened nation," Mr Fraser told AM. "You know, if America goes to war with China because Japan does something stupid – which is the most likely scenario – Australia, at the moment, on current policy settings, does not have the capacity to say 'No'," he said. But Mr Fraser said the situation was no different under the Rudd or Gillard governments. "You can't pick much difference between the political parties," he said.

Julie Bishop said, 'We're going to stand up to China'. What are we standing up to China about? We don't have an argument with China unless they create one.

Australia needs to come clean about its role in the US’s deadly drone program in the wake of allegations that Pine Gap provides information used to locate targets of US drone strikes and the recent reports that two Australians were killed by drone strikes in Yemen. “Drone strikes are not just undermining a rules-based international order, but they are fuelling resentment of Australia and its allies. We need a debate about what exactly Australians are willing to sign up to, what exactly is legal as well as what’s actually in our interest"

A US Marine Corps general has confirmed more than 1000 troops will be based in Darwin next year but the Australian Defence Minister has said only that an announcement will be made within days.

Brigadier General Richard Simcock also said the Australian military would "look to the US for guidance" when the navy bought its first two amphibious assault ships, the Marine Corps Times reported. General Simcock, the Marine Corps Forces Pacific deputy commander, made the announcement of the 1100 marines coming to Darwin in a media event at the Pentagon this week.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith said the two countries had agreed to progress to a larger six-month rotation of about 1150 in 2014. "The details of this six-month rotation will be announced in the next few days," he said.

over three years after Obama announced an 'enduring presence' in Darwin, the numbers are over 1000 and we're still as uninformed and unprepared as when this started.

In Okinawa, frustration over U.S. military bases and renewed threats from abroad, mainly China’s growing influence in the region, can lead down a disorienting corridor of smoke and mirrors. For example, a 65-year-old driver blasting pro-China and pro-North Korea slogans is actually pro-U.S. military.

Kiyotaka Itaya, a 65-year-old retiree and member of the Council to Create a New Japan Constitution, wears the Chinese military fatigues and stands beside the car his group uses to stage fake anti-U.S. military and pro-China protests on Okinawa.

“The people who are participating [in anti-U.S. rallies] are saying, ‘Wait, are we supporting North Korea or China by being here?’” said Itaya, who wears a mask and sunglasses during the mock protests to conceal his identity.

contrived fear campaign : pathetic attempt to manipulate locals into accepting foreign military bases