Australian society and its leaders generally take forgranted the importance and value of this nation's relationship with the UnitedStates. The US is commonly thought of as the world's great purveyor of liberalvalues and the rule of law, and as a powerful friend indispensable toAustralian security. In The US Lobby and Australian Defence Policy VinceScappatura demonstrates how these conceptions are underpinned by the work ofthe Australian American Leadership Dialogue, Australia's most important,private, pro-US lobby group.

As the inner workings of this lobby are unveiledfor the first time, Scappatura also discusses the considerable costs toAustralia of its strong military ties to the US, draws into question notions of 'benign' US power, and demonstrates that suggestions of the US keepingAustralia safe from invasion are flatly wrong. For Australia's nationalsecurity elite, other considerations, to do with power and wealth and spreadingpolitical influence, are to the fore.