Malcolm Fraser and Jimmy Carter: Trilateralism and Personal Diplomacy

This article studies Malcolm Fraser's approach towards the United States between 1977 and 1980. The paper does so by examining how Fraser's Coalition government perceived and responded to the concept of trilateralism, which Jimmy Carter embraced at the early stages of his presidency. The Australian government was concerned about Carter's ties to the Trilateral Commission, which advocated closer cooperation among North America, Western Europe and Japan to address global political, economic and strategic challenges. Trilateralism ascribed a peripheral role to Australia within the western alliance, which threatened Canberra's access to its principal Cold War ally. This article, therefore, argues that Australia, as a middle power, embraced personal diplomacy in its efforts to influence the United States' foreign policy during a period of great flux in the Cold War. Specifically, Fraser employed personal diplomacy aimed at establishing a close rapport with Carter to safeguard Australia's continuous and uninhibited input into US decision‐making on matters that directly and indirectly impacted Australia's national objectives, interests, and considerations.