Nigeria, June 25 -- It was a blast to a past wiped out by amnesia, social media and mental decrepitude. Andrew Hastie, Australia's opposition minister for home affairs, had been moved by an idea: greater transparency was needed regarding the US military buildup in Australia. It was an inspiration overdue by some decades, but it was worthwhile in its unaccustomed sensibility.

In an interview with the Insiders program on the ABC, Hastie proved startling in proposing that Australia needed "to have a much more mature discussion about our relationship with the United States. I think we need greater transparency." He proceeded to recall the frankness of US Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth's testimony before the US Senate Armed Services Commi...