The Australian PM Scott Morrison was caught in a rock and a hard place after canceling a diesel submarine deal with France. This situation made it difficult for him to deal with French President Emmanuel Macron and other EU leaders, also the US bid to pacify Paris.
Placed in a tenuous position by the admission of Joe Biden, the submarine pact was very wrong, and not covering for Canberra, led Macron to call Morrison a liar.
It was not a good day for Australia due to the sequence of events that included leaked texts. One impression from the whole affair is that Canberra is left to fend for itself in EU anger.
US apologizes for not telling France about submarine deal
Speaking to the French leader, Joe Biden endorsed the defense pact between the two participants and admitted that was the deal came about was clumsy, and done awkwardly, reported the Express UK.
According to Dr. Romain Fathi, a historian at Flinders University and Paris' Sciences Po university, remarked to News AU; it was hell week for the Aussie PM.
Morrison made many missteps in the G20 Rome summit and the COP 26 climate meets in Glasgow. Whatever the AUKUS fallout sidelined gains that could have been gained. In seven days, the PM has led Canberra to become alone in a community of nations that gave it a poor reputation.
The reaction of the French leader was called a massive fit by many, and an overreaction to getting shafted allegedly, the US and the Australian PM canceled the diesel submarine deal in favor of the AUKUS deal.
Aukus: French president says Australian PM lied over submarine deal https://t.co/D5ckkIkomR
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) October 31, 2021
Dr. Fathi said two things were cardinal errors, like putting his hand on Macron and leaking texts would not solve the fallout. Someone will lose in the end on the world stage. He did not accept any implication that Paris was overplaying its hand.
Fathi justified the outrage of Paris as the automatic reaction after getting blindside, that would be the same kneejerk reaction of Canberra.
One statement from an international relations consultant, Dr. Erin Watson-Lynn, she attended six G20s before this. She added the world will be agnostic or even benign to PM Morrison's showing abroad, cites Hot World report.
Furthermore, explaining that a middle power does not get much attention in developments like Australia, compared to more prominent nations.
US sponsored sub deal had Paris was raging over the broken deal with Canberra
Dr. Fathi made it clear that the harm was not in the COP 26 or the G20 during the week concerned. It all began in September when the AUKUS deal was proclaimed, and the fallout fell so fast.
Things could not have changed either way as Paris was raging over the broken deal. Nothing could have changed the outcome or stopped the event that followed.
In a media interview of NSW's Liberal Treasurer Matt Kean, he told the outlet that the US-brokered Submarine deal besmirches Australia's international reputation.
Overall, the Australian PM Morrison dropping the French deal and choosing the AUKUS deal is not what allies note France. But Joe Biden let Australia suffer the consequences on their own.
