Opinion Editorials, October 2003, www.aljazeerah.info
Human Price of the Israeli Occupation of Palestine
Israeli daily aggression on the Palestinian people
Mission and meaning of Al-Jazeerah
Cities, localities, and tourist attractions
Australia: Down under has downright policy
Gulf News
27-10-2003
There's a mighty popular "sheriff" in town these days. Australian Prime Minister John Howard may not cut a dashing figure brandishing a sixgun as he swaggers down the High Street but there is no denying Canberra's growing political clout on the international stage.
Australia has sent troops to Iraq and more are set to follow, and last week the leader of the world's strongest nation and the leader of the world's most populous nation addressed the Canberra parliament. To be courted by these leaders is no mean feat for a country of nearly 20 million people.
While Australia's foreign policy since the days of the Vietnam War, has always been closer to Washington's than London's its strategic location, just off Asia, has taken on more meaning for the US in its war against terror.
While many Australians were aghast (and many Asian nations deeply offended) at George W. Bush's description of Howard as a regional sheriff, it nonetheless signified that America is looking more and more to Australia both politically and militarily.
Rarely has a country founds its political role so at odds with its location, of the West but lying off Asia. The challenge for Australia will be to reconcile these apparent contradictions.
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| Earth, a planet hungry for peace |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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