A nthony Albanese is scheduled to go to Washington DC next week for his first one-on-one meeting with the US president, Donald Trump. He is seeking to bolster US support for Aukus and ensure the US continues to provide military protection for Australia in the Asia-Pacific region. Of course, there will be talk of tariffs, too.

It’s traditional diplomacy – with a catch. Albanese needs support from the very superpower that is undermining the global principles and institutions Australia has long held dear, notably human rights, democracy and the international rule of law. These are principles and institutions that previous US administrations claimed to care about too.

What makes the meeting even more complex is that, during his second term, Trump has made it difficult for countries – even l

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