PELTING THE PELTED:

Australia's new 'hairy-chested' attitude riles its east Asian neighbours: Malaysia warns that a pre-emptive strike would be an act of war (David Fickling, December 4, 2002, The Guardian)

This week's public row between Australia and south-east Asia has thrown into sharp focus a truth that many in the region have realised for some time: after years of living as a peaceable power a new, more aggressive Australia is emerging.

The dispute was prompted by a television interview given by the Australian prime minister, John Howard, on Sunday in which he said he would be prepared to carry out a first strike in neighbouring countries were a terrorist group found to be planning an attack on Australia.

"It stands to reason that if you believe that somebody was going to launch an attack on your country, either of a conventional kind or a terrorist kind, and you had a capacity to stop it and there was no alternative other than to use that capacity, then of course you would have to use it," he told Channel Nine.

The comment resulted in rebukes from Australia's traditional allies the Philippines and Thailand, as well as its more spiky neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia. Malaysia's prime minister, Mahathir Mohammad, yesterday said: "If they used rockets or pilotless aircraft to carry out assassination, then we will consider this as an act of war and we will take action according to our laws to protect the sovereignty and independence of our country."

First of all, if we're choosing up sides for the big one, we'll take Australia. Second, the whole tenor of this piece is despicably anti-hirsutist. Posted by Orrin Judd at December 3, 2002 10:58 PM