Did colonialism ever die? Distant major powers are making life-and-death decisions that will impact Indonesia, ironically on the eve of the Republics 17 August national day celebrating Soekarnos 1945 proclamation of independence from three centuries of Dutch rule.

The pith helmets have gone, but the baseball caps are ever-present along with a few slouch hats.

At the hoopla commissioning in Sydney of the American warship USS Canberra in Julya funnel emblem of a stars and stripes kangaroo was displayed. There was no image of the American Eagle draped in the Australian flag. Presumably, that would be considered offensive.

The ship was built in Alabama two years ago. Its homeport is San Diego, 12,000 km from the NSW capital, but it will saunter around Southeast Asia. The splash with the coat hanger backdrop was all cheers and waves, but the superstitious will have qualms.

The first carrier of the name was the Australian heavy cruiser_HMAS Canberra,_lost at the Battle of Savo Island in the Solomon Islands in August 1942.

Some reports claim the Japanese missed the Australian ship which was then mistakenly hit by torpedoes fired by its ally, the_USS Bagley._ Almost 100 Aussies were killed and an equal number wounded.

The past few weeks have been good for soft walks with big sticks.US handouts reported that the_Canberra_ show also launched_Talisman Sabre_the biennial US-Australia military exercise promoting cooperation and interoperability.

Involving 30,000 uniforms and claiming to be one of the world’s largest joint military drills, it was supposed to deter potential aggressors, and foster military diplomacy. This is not to be confused with civil diplomacy where negotiators dont come armed.

Another razzle-dazzle was AUSMIN, the 33rd_Australia-US Ministerial Consultations,_billed as a dynamic alliance relationship which reflects fundamental shared interests and objectives.

The duopolyadvertisedthis hit as based on a bond of shared values, a partnership of strategic interest premised on a common determination to preserve stability, prosperity, and peace.

Theparade of these ideals was in Brisbane where the talk was not about the Atlantic which washes the US East Coast, but the Indo-Pacific.

This term was also concocted far away, by the 19th Century German general and academic Karl Haushofer as an organic and integral space primed for political consciousness.

For those who prefer the visual to the verbal, heres an illustration:

The sharp-eyed will note that the zone doesnt include Europe or North America and only Capricornia in Australia. The centre is the Indonesian archipelago; the worlds third-largest democracy wasnt at the top table talking about its plans for peace in the region, just as it wasnt consulted about theAUKUS nuclear-powered subs in 2021.

TheAFR reported that AUSMIN decided that American intelligence analysts will be embedded within Defences spy agency in Canberra, and northern bases expanded to accommodate US aircraft in response to Chinas growing threat to regional stability.

No qualification, like alleged in the report. Former World Bank aid engineer Barry Trembath whod worked in China, dared to ask on thiswebsite: Is China really a threat to us, or the US economy?

The ABCadded that the analysts (aka spies) will scrutinise the moves of states like China, Russia and North Korea in the region.

No mention of Indonesia but its bound to be included as we have a record in this zone of distrust. In 2015 the then president was former general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a staunch Australophile until he learned Canberras clumsy spooks were tapping his phone and that of his wife Kristiani Herawati.

More chocolate sprinkles; Were also going to be allowed to make missiles with design help from US manufacturers Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

TheSMH reportsthis ambitious plan will let us export to the US and maybe other countries. Weve already agreed to place launchers in Northern Australia so we should soon be putting Aussie / US weapons in the tubes.

Whether theyll be painted with roos draped in Old Glory is yet to be revealed.

Does all this mutual back-slapping guarantee that the US will rush to help should we get involved in a conflict that doesnt worry Washington? Here we have experience:

In 1999 after the East Timorese had overwhelmingly voted for independence from Indonesia, Jakarta-backed militias started killing and plundering as Australia set up a peacekeeping force.

John Howard appealed for US troops but was rejected by Bill Clinton. The PM continued to badger and eventually the President relented.

In anABC programme,Hugh White, a former deputy Secretary of Defence recalled:

We wanted airlift, we wanted logistics, we wanted some very specialised kinds of intelligence support, and we wanted a kind of an over-the-horizon deterrent presence from the US. They gave us all of those.

That was last century when the US had a Democrat in the White House.

Next year Indonesians will elect a new president. Often leading the polls is disgraced former general Prabowo Subianto who struts atop the pro-Army right-wing_Gerindra_(Great Indonesia) party and is ever-sensitive to snubs.

Like the current leader Joko Jokowi Widodo hes been close to Beijing which last year invested more than $5 billion compared to around $2 billion from the US.

Since first elected in 2014 Jokowi has met Chinese President Xi Jinping eight times face-to-face, but Donald Trump and Joe Biden only four times.

The_New York Times_reported Tom Lembong, a former Trade and Investment Minister under Jokowi saying China was by far the number one trading partner, foreign investor and source of international tourists before Covid, adding:

Many Indonesian business and political elites believe that China is the relevant superpower and the US is in relative decline and, geographically, far away.

The issue of Taiwan is a minor concern for Indonesia which since 1948 has maintained a free and active foreign policy and does not side with world powers.

Thats not Australias position. Its clear were outsourcing our defence to a foreign power that could next year elect a raving loony as its leader, brilliantly described inThe Atlanticas an existence unmolested by the rumblings of a soul.

In his term, Trump rubbished foreign alliances and sought to bring US troops home. Its always worth remembering the narcissist can access the nuclear codes to launch Armageddon, and doesnt have to ask us for permission.

Would we back the US in any war over Taiwan, fire missiles across Indonesian airspace, sail our warships through their archipelago and infuriate our neighbours 275 million citizens?

And if they retaliated, would Washington rush to aid Canberra?

As anothercommentator cleverly wrote- Australia is not a real country its a US military base with marsupials.

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