Australians: or, the last gasp in the divorce proceedings

[rc-am]

i think some people might have missed the particular sense of deputised
here.  first, it's delivered as a code for 'if you mess with us, we have
powerful friends'.  second, it's an empty threat since everyone knows by
now if they didn't already that the US does what the US wants, and no
friendship exists (WW1, WW2, re indonesia now).  third, it was a play to
the conservative readership of the Bulletin which for years had as its
banner "Australia for the white man" -- ie., it is a comment made as i said
before so as not to frighten the chooks into thinking "we are all alone in
a sea of darkies".  but everyone, including the military establishment,
have denounced Howard's comments as racist and foolish, becuase what it
does more than anything else at the end of the day is focus attention more
strongly on the fact that australia's military and poltical alliances
within the region are of more significance than those with the US are.
and the military establishment (has and) will prioritise relations with the
indonesian army over that of the US.  nothing that has happened here
(leaving aside the rhetorics for a home audience) entails otherwise.  the
US has an interest in stable trade routes and a compliant indonesian labour
force.  if that is obtained by backing a reformist government, the US (has
and) will go down that route.

not so with the australian govt.  moreover, the fiscal militarisation we
are now seeing in australia is not a function of US presence, but of US
absence (as well as some internal politics).

lastly, all the rubbish about conscription is just that, rubbish.  it's a
well-known tactic of govts, especially this one, to flag the most extreme
possible scenario so that what it eventually delivers looks reasonable by
comparison.  those arguing most forcefully against conscription have been
the military, for obvious reasons.  but they will get a massive boost in
funding, and not least because it will justify a further round of austerity
for a govt running a huge surplus.

in any event, nothing interesting tends to be said about this stuff gets
said when its filtered through the lens of US narcissism.  both the
australian and indonesian militaries have their eyes on what is happening
in indonesia now with things like the security bill and the level of
popular acceptance of wiranto/continued military presence in politics.  a
delicate balancing act, and the only card the indonesian military can play
to reassert control is 'anti-western' sentiment.   howard did them a favour
is all, and nothing he said should be disconnected from that context.

Angela
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