Through both the Vietnam war and the Gulf war. The Australian government supported U.S. backed UN actions strengthening support for the argument that Australia was supporting it's main military ally. Both Labor and Liberal governments support the U.S. with economic sanctions and military numbers however it must be seen that the two situations were vastly different. Therefore a comparison of the two government's reactions to the wars can not be accurately given without some analysis of the economic and political dimensions involved in a war with the middle east and one with Vietnam.
Australia's trading relationship with the Middle East is not overly significant with only approximately 3% of exports being bought by the region. However despite a lack of an overly important percentage of the export market, the Middle East does contribute significantly to particular areas such as the agriculture area. …
