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| Tony Abbott (Wiki Info) |
The United States expects smooth relations with Australia's Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott, but it remains to be seen if he can match his predecessor's pally rapport with President Barack Obama.
Abbott, a conservative who was born London and has spoken of the importance of the "Anglosphere," led his coalition to victory over the Labor Party of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, a Mandarin-speaking former diplomat and China expert.
Rudd, who faced criticism at home over his style and his party's internecine fighting, was arguably one of the foreign leaders closest to the usually reserved Obama.
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| Kevin Rudd (Wiki Info) & Barack Obama (Image: Wiki) |
Kurt Campbell, who was the State Department's top official on East Asia during Obama's first term, said that Rudd left "almost ocean-vessel-size shoes to be filled" in helping the United States think strategically.
"Despite personal foibles and a complex relationship in Australia, I think in many respects Kevin Rudd has been the most important strategic thinker in Asia in the last generation," said Campbell, a key force in Obama's "pivot" of putting a greater US focus on Asia.
Read the full story at SpaceDaily