Search

One may well ask whether the author of "The Three Kingdoms" on looking into the fortunes of Five Power defence relations would have been tempted to ruminate that alliances like empires, wax and wane; partners cleave, break asunder and recoalesce. There is perhaps an under standable inclination to understate the dramatic overtone of the parallelism. Yet the implication is quite apparent defence alliances freely entered into, often reflect an area of overlapping interests of their respective partners and hence are particularly susceptible to shifting national perceptions and the consequent redefinition of security interests. The fate of defence relations involving Malaysia, Singapore, Britain, Australia and New Zealand (commonly referred to collectively as "The Five Powers") bear out this general observation; indeed is reminiscent of an exposed pool in which periods of strategic placidity are stirred by the winds of political change.