Australia fights against terror in her neighborhood

Originally Posted at Right Truth

Australia is fighting terrorism and global threats in their region of the world. Some are claiming Australian Prime Minister John Howard and his government plan 'to politically and economically restructure the South Pacific'. Those folks sound like the lefties here in the United States, referring to the neo-cons, but in this case it is the 'Australian neo-colonialism'.

Howard’s comments are intended to signal that his government will not back down in the face of mounting hostility to its activities in the region, and will be prepared to utilise military force to suppress opposition. ... The Telegraph interview confirms that Australia’s recent interventions in East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Tonga, and Fiji are only the beginning of its long-term plans.

Howard understands this war on terror. He has no plans to 'take over' his neighbors any more than the United States wants to 'take over' the Middle East. He understands that this war will not be over in a few weeks or months:

Howard pointedly warned the Australian people to get used to permanent military deployment throughout the region. “This is a long, hard road, and it will need great patience and understanding by the Australian public to live with, probably for a period of 10 to 20 years, with a two-steps-forward, one-step-backward situation,” he told the Telegraph.

Terrorism and copyright piracy were among top security challenges that confronted American businesses in Asia in 2006, the State Department said Wednesday in a year-end security analysis.

U.S. businesses had to step up spending to protect facilities and staff in the region due to the terrorism threat, said the review by the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), a joint government-private agency promoting security cooperation. (source)

Fiji's interim prime minister and military coup leader Voreqe Bainimarama has threatened to retaliate against Australia and New Zealand for imposing sanctions against his regime. ... Australia and New Zealand imposed military and limited civilian sanctions against Fiji in the wake of the December 5 coup. ... Bainimarama promised his government would respect human rights following allegations that coup opponents had been beaten and humiliated. (source)

It appears America is not the only country labeled 'bully nation' in this world, Australia is getting blamed too. We're in good company. Australia understands the enemy.