Could Trump can AUKUS?
Australia is waiting nervously for the president’s decision

Could Donald Trump soon upend America’s alliance with Australia? Allies in the Pacific have mostly avoided the pressure directed by Mr Trump at America’s friends across the Atlantic. That now seems set to change. Mr Trump’s administration is demanding sharp increases in annual defence spending from Australia, from nearly 2% to 3.5% of GDP, and could soon insist on new commitments to fight alongside America.
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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Under review ”

From the June 21st 2025 edition
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