Two former Australian foreign ministers have publicly urged the Albanese government to reassess Australia’s long-standing alliance with the United States, describing Washington as increasingly “fiercely unpredictable” and calling into question core assumptions underpinning the bilateral security relationship.

Their intervention comes in the wake of recent actions by the United States that have shaken confidence in allied cohesion and raised questions about Canberra’s strategic direction.

Bob Carr and Gareth Evans, both senior figures in Australia’s foreign policy establishment, criticised the conduct of the United States under President Donald Trump, particularly in relation to a recent military intervention in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

Carr characterised the United States as prioritising its own national interests with little regard for a shared rules-based international order, warning that this marked a departure from the values that once anchored the alliance.

Evans echoed this concern, arguing that the United States’ approach exhibited “zero respect” for international law or the interests of its allies and partners.

Their remarks reflect wider unease among some strategic commentators about the extent to which the United States can be relied upon in future crises.

Both former ministers also questioned Australia’s continued participation in the AUKUS security pact with the United States and the United Kingdom, suggesting it could entangle Canberra in conflicts not aligned with its national interests.

Evans argued that the scale and focus of Australia’s defence investments under AUKUS risked drawing the country into strategic commitments without clear guarantees of reciprocal support.

Carr went further, suggesting that the alliance itself may have “run its course,” a sentiment that underscores deepening debate about Australia’s strategic autonomy and defence priorities.

The Albanese government has so far responded cautiously to calls for a broader reassessment of ties with the United States, maintaining public support for alliance cooperation while emphasising adherence to international law and peaceful outcomes in global disputes.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his ministers have stressed the importance of managing strategic relationships pragmatically, even as geopolitical uncertainty grows in the Indo-Pacific region.

The intervention by Carr and Evans highlights emerging fault lines within Australia’s strategic discourse, with policy makers and analysts debating how best to balance alliance commitments with national interests in a rapidly changing international environment.