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Turnbull: AUKUS Subs Deal Is an ‘Own Goal’

“If you double-cross people, there is a price to pay,” said former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull about the controversial deal that jilted France.

By , a Pentagon and national security reporter at Foreign Policy.
Australia's then-outgoing Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks at a press conference in Canberra on August 24, 2018.
Australia's then-outgoing Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks at a press conference in Canberra on August 24, 2018.
Malcolm Turnbull, Australia's then-outgoing prime minister, speaks at a press conference in Canberra on Aug. 24, 2018. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

It only took hours for the Biden administration’s deal to build nuclear-powered submarines with Britain and Australia to create a diplomatic firestorm. France, whose contract to build diesel-electric submarines for Canberra was subsequently canceled, recalled its ambassadors from both Washington and Canberra. And now, the controversy is kicking up back in Australia.

Jack Detsch is a Pentagon and national security reporter at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @JackDetsch

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