Antinuclear

Still no China invasion despite ‘red alert’ predictions

7 March 2026 AIMN Editorial, War Powers Reform https://theaimn.net/still-no-china-invasion-despite-red-alert-predictions/

Today marks three years since a widely criticised media series predicted Australia would be at war with China within three years.

The Red Alert series was published by the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age, and featured a panel of national security experts who claimed war was just around the corner and Australia was woefully unprepared.

“As it turns out all five “experts” were wrong and the authors of the series, Peter Hartcher and Matthew Knott, were also wrong,” said AWPR President and former Senator Andrew Bartlett.

No doubt all of Australia is breathing a sigh of relief today as the threat of annihilation recedes.

While it is easy to make fun of this laughable series of reports, it is depressing to think that the views expressed in the articles are common among establishment defence commentators.

We have had years of fearmongering about imminent threats to Australia, all of which have been shown to lack any credibility. Yet this is what currently passes for mainstream defence expertise.

Rarely does a day go by without a news article featuring a so called expert, demonising our largest trading partner and demanding that Australia spends billions more on the military.

This is despite the fact that the government’s own Defence Strategic Review in 2023 found that there is very little risk of an invasion.

Many commentators regularly suggest that if a war over Taiwan erupted, Australia would be compelled to get involved.

This is a dangerous suggestion and should be rejected outright. The Australian government has the right to decline any US request to join foreign wars.

This is why Australia should urgently re-visit War Powers Reform, which would ensure the whole parliament gets a say on overseas wars.

The John Howard-style ‘captain’s call’ decision-making, which we saw over the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is no longer acceptable in modern Australia” Mr Bartlett concluded.

March 11, 2026 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international