Preemptive blunder<\/p>\n
Australian Prime Minister John Howard's remark during question
\ntime in the parliament in Canberra to the effect that his country
\nhas the right to launch a preemptive strike in a neighboring
\ncountry is indeed a startling policy statement.<\/p>\n
He defended his revolutionary position by stating that the
\ncanons of international law on the principle of national
\nsovereignty had become outdated. Needless to say, all of this has
\ncaused consternation in the capitals of Southeast Asian
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Howard further defended his position by stating
\nthat when it came to protecting Australian lives from imminent
\nacts of terrorism, the policy of preemptive strikes was bound to
\nbe followed by whoever was prime minister.<\/p>\n
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad referred to Howard's
\nstatement as a declaration of war. Jakarta's reaction was
\nsomewhat milder, although Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief Gen.
\nEndriartono Sutarto stressed that any attack on Indonesian
\nterritory would be returned.<\/p>\n
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, in an interview
\nwith CNN, tried in so many words to neutralize the intense
\nreactions by saying the critics had not studied Howard's
\nstatement carefully and had taken it out of context. In a follow-
\nup statement, however, Downer's boss, the prime minister himself,
\nunintentionally shot holes in this effort. Howard stressed that
\nhe stood by his view that it was Australia's right to launch a
\npreemptive strike against terrorists in the territories of other
\nstates when Australian lives were threatened.<\/p>\n
There are two points regarding Howard's statement that are
\nespecially disconcerting.<\/p>\n
The first is that Howard was likely fully aware his statement
\nwould cause a strong reaction in neighboring countries, but was
\nnevertheless willing to take that political risk in order to
\nachieve a bigger political end, which was to strengthen his
\npolitical hold on the majority of Australians who are living in
\nfear after Oct. 12.<\/p>\n
Second, and what really boggles the mind, was his remark that
\nhis statement in parliament would not upset Australia's good
\nrelations with the governments of neighboring countries. Is the
\nprime minister that insensitive?<\/p>\n
Viewed rationally from the outside, even if Australia's prime
\nminister, as leader of the Liberal Party, thought it necessary to
\nboost his domestic political standing, his statement could have
\nbeen formulated with greater wisdom. He could, for example, have
\nsaid that whenever Australian lives were in danger in any given
\ncountry, Australia, in cooperation with the host country's
\ngovernment and security apparatus, would jointly take the
\nnecessary measures to protect its citizens.<\/p>\n
But in his statement before the Australian parliament, Howard
\ncompletely ignored the new chemistry of empathy and close
\ncooperation that had emerged after Oct. 12, especially between
\nIndonesia and Australia. Police officials and intelligence
\nspecialists from both countries have been working together as if
\nthey have known each other for years. A reservoir of goodwill has
\ndeveloped among Indonesians for the Australian victims of the
\nOct. 12 bombing in Bali. That is why we think Howard's statement
\non the right to launch preemptive strikes in neighboring
\ncountries can be regarded as a preemptive blunder.<\/p>\n
If Prime Minister John Howard now deliberately chooses to
\nignore this valuable chemistry that has developed between
\nIndonesia and Australia in order to boost his domestic political
\nstanding, he is showing himself to be little more than a petty
\nand cynical politician with little understanding of his country's
\nlong-term geopolitical interests.<\/p>\n
Howard's latest statement cannot be regarded as a mere
\npolitical misstep that will be forgotten with the passage of
\ntime. Its impact will be profound and long-term in nature. Even
\nthose Indonesians and other Southeast Asians who still believe
\nthat cooperation with Australia, as a modern Western country that
\nhappens to be located in the Southern Hemisphere, benefits the
\nmodernization efforts of the non-Western countries of the region
\nare throwing up their arms in despair.<\/p>\n
Of course, John Howard will not forever hold the reins of
\npower in Canberra. But whoever replaces him will have the
\ndifficult task of convincing Australia's neighbors that Canberra
\nwill continue to adhere to the principles of mutual respect for
\neach other's sovereignty and cooperation in facing the dangers
\nthat threaten the world, especially the danger of terrorism.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/preemptive-blunder-1447893297",
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