If the US refugee resettlement deal goes ahead, Australia is likely to owe Donald Trump a favour or two.
The new "America First" US president is all about deal making and winning and right now he's not happy the Obama administration left him with a "dumb deal" to resettle refugees Australia offloaded to Nauru and Manus Island in Papua New Guinea.
The deal is at odds with his executive order temporarily banning refugees and immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries.
So upset is he about it, the president told Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in a weekend phone hook-up Australia was seeking to export the "next Boston bombers".
Mr Trump didn't mention Australia had agreed to resettle refugees from Central America as part of the deal with Washington.
Mr Turnbull, another businessman-turned political leader, will soon find out what the new president wants as quid pro quo.
"It may take the form of a battalion in Iraq or freedom-of-navigation patrols in the South China Sea," James Curran from the US Studies Centre told AAP.
It would be extremely dangerous for Australia to be trading away key national security interests to shore up what in reality is a minor refugee deal, he said.
Apart from the security implications of taking part in a US-led exercise in the South China Sea, there's the question of economics. China is Australia's largest trading partner.
Sending a batallion to Middle East for the fight against Islamic State extremists would effectively double our commitment of 780 personnel who are carrying out air strikes, special operations and training Iraqi soldiers.
Professor Curran warns if the Australian government is "prepared to kowtow to Trump's petulance and impulsiveness," it doesn't augur well for the ANZUS alliance.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute director Peter Jennings echoes that sentiment.
"I think it's sensible for us to be working through all manner of contingencies, which includes a temporary freezing of the alliance, a sort of lull in alliance cooperation," he told the ABC.
Former foreign minister Bob Carr said President Trump's attitude towards Mr Turnbull during their phone hook-up should prompt Australia to be practical about the alliance.
The president reportedly labelled it his worst call with a world leader so far and hung up 25 minutes in to a scheduled hour long chat, a claim that Mr Turnbull denied.
"You don't treat a loyal treaty partner like this," Mr Carr said
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