Traditionally, Australia had relied on Britain to make its decisions and to protect it. We possessed no embassies, meaning our interests were not truly reflected abroad, and Britain even held the power to declare war for us. In WWII, the Japanese overwhelmed the British in our region. Though we traditionally viewed them as our protectors, the British were unable to meet this commitment, and we were only saved by the intervention of the US forces. The shift between protectors was clearly shown when on the 27th of December; John Curtin said ‘I

Foreign military involvement in Vietnam began in 1965, following the killing of the South Vietnamese President Diem in a coup. The ensuing confusion presented the communists in the north with an ideal opportunity to seize control of the south. Despite the popular view that Australia followed America blindly to war, we became involved in the conflict for a multitude of reasons. The government of the time was placing a great emphasis on regional security, trusting in their policy of 'forward defence' (Cowie, page 246). It was reasoned that if we could maintain security in the broader region, than the ‘orange lava’ of communism would never reach Australia’s shore, and therefore keep the spread of China’s communism under wraps. It is partly true that Australia followed America to war in order to win favour with them, committing troops as "a continuing requirement for cold war" (Evans, page 218). The reasoning was that if ever we came under threat they would be indebted to assist us. It was also our way of ensuring their presence in the region by supporting them so they would not lose interest or fervor concerning the security of the region.

Vietnam had been a French colony since 1858, but when they were driven out during World War II, Ho Chi Minh's Vietminh, a nationalist group with communist ideals formed a government in Hanoi, situated in the northern region of Vietnam. The French were unwilling to relinquish their colony, and so they went to war with the Vietminh forces that were supported by communist China. When the French were crushed at the battle of Dien Bien Phu, they were forced into peace negotiations. At a conference held in Geneva, it was decided that the country be split

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