Agricultural aid and the bomb : an assessment of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) efforts in diffusing India's nuclear growth

Abstract

This thesis adds to Australia's diplomatic history by exploring how agricultural aid provided by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) enhanced Australia's engagement with Asia during the 1980's. I present this thesis as a historical narrative to outline the limitations of ACIAR under the Hawke Government. Primary sources that support the argument of this thesis come from Archival Sources from the National Archives of Australia and Official Government Hansard documents. Both documents revealed the reaction given by opposition parties and external bodies when funding got stripped in this scheme and the government look towards alternative diplomatic measures. Being within an unstable region, this work advances and looks at strategies Australia used to gain influence within the region. India is the prime focus of this dissertation; however one can explore the Asian and other regions as a whole. Whilst ACIAR as a single arm could not achieve the goal of allowing Australia to influence Indian foreign policy, it is important to show what constituted ACIAR's shortcomings for a better understanding on how to tie aid programs with national interests. This dissertation adds itself to the existing scholarship which promoted the point that Australia moved from complete dependence on great powers to more independent foreign policies to achieve their national goals. The work presented here goes against claims made by various scholars that Australian foreign policy revolved primarily around the constant dependence on great powers like Britain and later the United States. These scholars downplayed the potential of Australia's own foreign policy in influencing nations within the region. Australia's lack of access to a diverse range of military arms prevented them from being a great military threat. They therefore relied on soft power strategies to express their influence. Agricultural aid was one of a series of schemes that Australia hoped successfully influenced India's shift away from nuclear weapons. However, as this thesis shows this specific scheme could not achieve the success that programs like the Colombo Plan ultimately did.

Date of Award	2021
Original language	English