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| Down Under |
| A continent and a friend |
| 2004-01-24 |
| In an era of anti-American and anti-Israel political correctness Australia has become the leader of a counterrevolution based on morality and common sense. Instead of double-talk and double standards from much of the self-declared "international community," Australian leaders consistently say what they mean, and mean what they say. When the head of Sydney University’s Peace Foundation emptied the concept of peace of any content by honoring Hanan Ashrawi, the PLO’s star propagandist and leader in the demonization of Israel, officials noted the absurdity of the decision and stayed far away. The policies adopted and implemented by Prime Minister John Howard and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer – who is in Israel for an official visit – are characterized by a combination of backbone, courage and principle, which have paid off well for the Australian people. Canberra is now widely recognized as a leader in the response to terrorism and the restoration of international stability. In sharp contrast to European politicians and diplomats whose policies on terrorism and the Middle East have been total failures, the Australians are increasingly welcomed as realistic and effective. Like the Bush administration and, on occasion, Tony Blair’s Britain, the Howard/Downer foreign policy recognizes the inherent immorality and transmission of weakness in evenhanded responses to terrorism and hatred. Australia has consistently avoided being caught in the demonization of Israel, joining a handful of countries in opposing the General Assembly resolution which asked the International Court of Justice to investigate Israel’s separation barriers. In contrast, Canada and most of Europe took a carefully evenhanded and entirely unprincipled position by abstaining. THESE POLICIES go beyond words and UN votes, and include a direct role in the war against terrorism. After el-Qaida’s 9/11 terror attacks, Australia was one of the few countries that recognized the essential need to respond without political hesitation or ethical equivocation. In both Afghanistan and Iraq Australian forces showed an extraordinarily high degree of professionalism and dedication. Their special forces operating in the large desert regions of Western Iraq ensured the protection of Israel by prevented the launching of Scud missiles. And before the war that ousted Saddam Hussein and his regime, the Australian navy played a leading part in the effective enforcement of the sanctions regime. Although critics have ridiculed the Australian government for acting as Washington’s "deputy sheriff," these policies have been both principled and served Australia’s national interest. Although Australia is a continent unto itself and its location in the Asia-Pacific is far from the insanity of the Middle East, there are many local sources of instability and threat. But in contrast to Europe’s hand-wringing and ineffective policies in the Balkans, Australia acted with effectiveness to end conflicts and impose order in both East Timor and the Solomon Islands. Dismissing the criticism from Indonesia and others, Canberra sent troops to East Timor to end the violence and help the creation of an independent state and a new reality for its residents. Where other countries only pay lip service to human rights, this Australian policy places the emphasis on reality, including the right to security against terror. The depth of the Australian commitment to universal human rights was clearly demonstrated in the case of the Iranian Jews arrested and tried in Iran. An Australian observer went from the embassy in Teheran to Shiraz in order to be present at the trial, letting the Iranian leadership know that its actions were being monitored and that Australia would not stay silent. Such actions may have prevented the Iranian authorities from issuing death sentences. Recognition of the achievements created by this "both feet firmly planted on the ground" approach has also earned Australia the respect of many countries around the world. The government’s critics warned that its very visible role and dispatch of troops to create stability in East Timor would lead to a crisis in relations with Indonesia and China. But instead of a crisis, China’s leaders have gone out of their way to develop good relations with Asia’s other emerging regional power, and stepped up contracts to Australian firms in energy development and other areas. Widening the focus to the global dimension, Australia has been elected unanimously to replace Libya as head of the UN Human Rights Commission, creating conditions for undoing the enormous damage caused by the politicization of this organization in the days of Mary Robinson and the infamous Durban conference on racism. This is an opportunity to reverse the abuse of this and other human rights groups as frameworks for anti-Israel and anti-American propaganda. For all these reasons, as well as steadily increasing trade with Israel and a firm rejection of anti-Semitism – old and new – Alexander Downer, Australia’s foreign minister, deserves a very warm welcome in Jerusalem. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #3 I agree with Russell, great place to live. Should keep in mind that the PM's electorate of Bennelong is bang in the middle of Sydney (includes the Opera House) and as PM he gets to live in Kirribilly House, a grand house right on the harbour. The left go on about his "refusal" to live in Canberra to create another phoney "crisis" |
| Posted by: Silly Old Buffer 2004-1-25 12:35:06 AM |
| #2 phil_b Canberra's not really that bad - I live there. There are a lot of very noisy lefties but it is a very solidly middle-class place and the great mass of the populace is apolitical. The lefties think they own the place but when push comes to shove they just get ignored. The newspaper (Canberra Times) is very solidly lefty, but it has a low circulation and no influence. If nothing else Canberria is a great place to raise kids! |
| Posted by: Russell 2004-1-24 11:10:10 PM |
| #1 Australia has a particular problem that the USA and Canada share to a lesser degree. The problem is a capital city (Canberra) which is effectively a 100% government town. Its a while since I was there but I rate it as one of the strangest places I have ever been. The whole place has this erie uniformity about it, and this is reflected in its politics which are solidly left wing and PC. This means the government apparatus is Left wing and PC, while the general population is mildly right wing and very un-PC. John Howard is the first Australian prime minister in modern times to refuse to live in Canberra and has done a lot to shift the public debate towards positions of both pragmatic self-interest and moral principle and away from the ideological posturing the Left indulges in. I am hopeful that the Howard government will be re-elected this year and that the changes brought by the Howard government will withstand a change to a Labor government (when it is eventually elected) which has been moving steadily to the right over the last few years as Howard has redefined the middle ground of Australian politics. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2004-1-24 10:01:04 PM |