Fault Lines – Taiwan’s arms hopes, Indonesia’s carrier, Fiji’s chiefs

US hesitation to deliver promised Taiwan defences undermines the credibility of Washington's security umbrella in the Indo-Pacific and signals to Australia that US alliance commitments—including AUKUS—may be subject to political negotiation rather than institutional continuity. A Taiwan left without modern air-defence systems raises the kinetic-conflict threshold and narrows Australia's strategic buffer, forcing Canberra to assume greater independent deterrence responsibility at a time when Australian defence modernisation is still ramping up.