Imperialism has long been the subject of sharp debates. Now Tom O'Lincoln offers an original study of Australia's ruthless participation in the imperialist system. Left analysts have often accused Australia's rulers of being "lapdogs" for the great powers, notably the USA and Britian. O'Lincoln's analysis of Australia's "boutique imperialism" gives us a very different portrayl: of a ruling class out to extract maximum benefits for itself from calculated interventions into the conflicts wracking global capitalism.