| Summary/Abstract |
After the Philippines gained independence in 1946, Canberra and Manila have maintained a close political and security relationship except for a period from the early-1970s to the mid-1990s. Despite this robust history of cooperation, the Australia-Philippines relationship is often overlooked in the study of Australia’s engagement with Asia. This article analyses the Australia-Philippines relationship from 1946 to the present. It argues that the trajectory of the relationship is shaped by strategic trends at the global level that impinge on the Asia-Pacific regional environment and engage the shared security interests of the two. Conversely, the relationship stagnates without this dynamic, as with the easing of Cold War pressures in Asia from the early-1970s. The article demonstrates that while Manila has consistently maintained a positive disposition toward Australia since its independence, Canberra has reciprocated only on its own terms—when Australia’s political and security interests have been sufficiently engaged.
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