Track II Diplomacy

“It is in Australia’s interests to be proactive about shaping the strategic environment in the Asia-Pacific, and our own future, through regional engagement. Our diplomacy needs to be pervasive, formative and influential and it needs to be resourced for the challenges that Australia faces now and into the future”.

First National Security Statement to the Australian Parliament, Address by the Prime Minister of Australia, The Hon Kevin Rudd MP, 4 December 2008.

What is Track II Diplomacy?

Track II diplomacy refers to dialogues that promote a cooperative and regional approach to security.

This dialogue tends to occur in meetings that engage people from various states to discuss security issues of mutual concern. The emphasis of the dialogue is to identify new perspectives, develop innovative solutions and achieve mutual understanding.

Who is involved?

Track II diplomacy engages leaders from universities, business, civil society and governments. A key element of Track II diplomacy is the involvement of government representatives, although they attend Track II initiatives in a private capacity.

Some governments, such as the Australian Government, view Track II diplomacy as an important strategic tool for their own regional security interests and as a complement to Track I (official state) diplomacy.

Asialink’s Track II Diplomacy

Asialink's Track II specialist is Professor Anthony Milner, whose principal role with Asialink and the University of Melbourne is the continued development of Asialink’s Track II diplomacy initiatives to strengthen ASEAN-Australia relations and define a core organisational mission to strengthen Australia-Asia engagement.

Asialink’s most notable Track II initiative is the Asialink Conversations.

Essays on Track II

		Australia retreats from Asia, Alexander Downer. Vol. 3, No. 4, April 2011, [pdf, 209kb, 4 pages] Former Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, reflects on the strength of Australia's current policies in the Asian region. He says "Australia has been vocal and busy talking about the need for a no fly zone in Libya... [But] to have an impact on the international stage, Australia has to play to its strength..." Media Coverage: An extract of this essay appeared in The Australian newspaper on 12 April, 2011.

		WikiLeaks [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED], John McCarthy AO. Vol. 3, No. 1, January 2011, [pdf, 434kb, 7 pages] John McCarthy AO, who served as Australia’s Ambassador to the United States, Mexico, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, and as High Commissioner to India, says WikiLeaks has underlined a widening gulf between official and community attitudes towards information flow. Media Coverage: "WikiLeaks should propel less secrecy at the top", John McCarthy,  The Australian (online), 13 January, 2011.

		Strategic choices - Australia, China and the US in Asia, Geoffrey Garrett. Vol. 2, No. 5, 2010, [pdf, 277kb, 6 pages] Foreign policy has played virtually no role in Australia’s race to the polls on 21 August, beyond the domestic hot button issues of asylum seekers and immigration, writes Geoffrey Garrett, CEO of the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. But whoever wins government this month will face important strategic choices in positioning Australia for the Asia-Pacific Century, beginning with our key relationships with China and the US. He says China's insatiable appetite for raw materials offers the prospect of a decades-long mineral boom for Australia, but economic engagement must be coupled with political and security wariness - and a strengthening of the Australia-US alliance.