R.G. Casey and Australian International Thought: Empire, Nation, Community

Abstract

The published works of Australian External Affairs Minister R. G. Casey are analysed to illustrate his position in Australian international thought. While intimately associated with various empire causes, he is also shown to have been an advocate of distinct Australian national interests as well as a firm but not uncritical supporter of closer Anglo-American co-operation. He also affirmed realist sentiments, but found some positive value in international institutions. These positions can be reconciled if Casey is interpreted as neither an imperialist nor a nationalist but rather a strong believer in the existence of a transnational British community, a belief characteristic of much conservative Australian international thought in the period between the wars.