We can do better than AUKUS!
The QAUKUS (Quaker AUKUS) Briefing Paper — September 2024 was collaboratively produced by Paul Ingham (a British Quaker working for a European nuclear disarmament NGO), Dale Hess (an Australian Quaker), Austin Headrick (American Friends Service Committee), and Adrian Glamorgan (Australian Quaker from FWCC Asia West Pacific Section.)
Their aim is to address a gap in the discussion around AUKUS. AUKUS refers to an arms deal and military strategy agreement in which the governments of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the USA will collaborate in the Indo-Pacific region.
Its basic principles are outlined below:
- We refuse to be enemies.
- There is a peaceful alternative.
- We can do better than AUKUS.
- Friends can be part of ways that are better than AUKUS.
The paper provides a background on AUKUS and its key components. It also provides an overview of the dangers of AUKUS for Australia and Australians. Importantly it provides a Quaker perspective on this issue along with AUKUS alternatives and actions that Quakers can take.