The US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has declared “you can sell your soul for a pile of soy beans, or you can protect your people”, dismissing a warning from prominent Australian security analyst Hugh White that Australia should avoid following Donald Trump into a confrontation with Beijing that America probably can’t win. Pompeo issued the provocative declaration during a question-and-answer session at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney on Sunday.
The public event hosted by the thinktank followed security talks where Australia’s defence minister Linda Reynolds confirmed the Morrison government is seriously considering a request to join a US-led coalition to protect shipping in the Gulf from Iranian military forces.
The public event hosted by the thinktank followed security talks where Australia’s defence minister Linda Reynolds confirmed the Morrison government is seriously considering a request to join a US-led coalition to protect shipping in the Gulf from Iranian military forces.
