The Unwieldy Sword of Justice

1 Quoted in Geoff Maslan, `Eye Witness', Times Higher Education Supplement, 16 June 2000, p. 9.

2 Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer, `Upholding the “Sword of Justice”: International Law and the Maintenance of International Peace and Security', speech at the Joint Meeting of the Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law and the American Society of International Law, Canberra, 28 June 2000.

3 Sending troops overseas, particularly where there is popular perception of risk to life, attracts media coverage. Similarly, defence costs, especially those associated with major expense, such as the purchase of a new class of submarine, come under public scrutiny if there is the view that the government has brokered a poor `deal'.

4 For the full text of the Mission Statement, plus a link to the white paper on the defence review, see http://www.defence.gov.au.

5 Australia is sensitive to its role within the region and bodies such as the South Pacific Forum. However, it is undeniable that its resources and capabilities mean that it carries more political, economic and military weight than the majority of its neighbours.

6 See Michael Richardson, `US Moves To Reduce Its Profile in the Pacific: Policy Would Encourage Regional Armed Forces To Act in Local Crises', International Herald Tribune, 10 March 2000.

7 In the light of the `Sword of Justice' speech (see note 2 above), it is worth noting that Australia has faced international criticism in the form of the UN's Human Rights Committee and Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. This relates to Australia's lack of a bill of human rights, mandatory sentencing laws and gaps in wealth and life expectancy between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians; see Simon Mann, `Ruddock, and Australia, in the Dock', The Age, 25 March 2000, available at http://www.theage.com.au/news/20000325/A28557-2000Mar24.html.

8 Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer, `Governance in the Asia Pacific - Challenges for the 21st Century', speech to the Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University, Perth, 18 August 1999.

9 Such views were echoed by Laurie Brereton, MP, Labor Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs; see `Australia's Betrayal of East Timor', speech to the Queensland Branch of the Australian Institute of International Affairs, 4 February 1999.

10 Downer (note 2 above).

11 Department of Defence, Australia's Strategic Policy (Canberra, 1997), p. 33.

12 It should be noted that any adjustment of US presence in the Asia Pacific region would not necessarily mean a lack of commitment to ANZUS. Also, Australia could be `encouraged' to take a higher-profile role in the region if this were linked to other aspects of Australian-US relations in terms of trade or technology transfers.

13 New Zealand spends less than Australia in terms of defence cooperation, aid and investment within the island states. However, in terms of diplomatic time and effort, New Zealand often plays the leading role with regard to many of these states.

14 Prior to achieving independence in 1975, PNG had been administered by Australia under the UN Trusteeship system.

15 New Caledonia has been the scene of some violent conflicts in the indigenous Kanak struggle for independence from French rule. However, with the exception of an attempted secession within Vanuatu following its independence in 1980, the region has experienced a relatively smooth transition from colonies to independent statehood.

16 Keith Suter, `Not So Pacific', The World Today, July 2000, pp. 23-24.

17 Additional factors such as the relatively small scale of some of the societies and the lack of access to small arms may also have played a part in containing potential escalation of conflicts.

18 Suter (note 16 above), p. 25.

19 Substantial attention has been paid to the connections between relative deprivation and conflict. However, it is only recently that literature is emerging charting the more hidden danger to societal security associated with both under- and overconsumption. This is especially relevant in many island societies moving from subsistence to cash-based economies. See Roy Smith & Christine McMurray, eds, Diseases of Globalization: Socioeconomic Transition and Health (London: Earthscan, 2000).

20 Former Labor minister Gordon Bliney had responsibility for Pacific island affairs. He recently noted that it had been more than three years since Prime Minister Howard had even met with his island counterparts, including those from Fiji and the Solomons. Maslan (note 1 above), p. 9.

21 Department of Defence, Defence Review 2000 - Our Future Defence Force: A Public Discussion Paper (Canberra, June 2000), p. 48.

22 Ibid., p. 51.

23 Ibid. See also Department of Defence, Australia's Strategic Policy (Canberra, 1997) and Department of Defence, Defending Australia: Defence White Paper (Canberra, 1994).

24 Department of Defence, Defence Review 2000 (note 21 above), p. 12.

25 Norman Friedman, `The Collins Combat System: The Problem and the Cure', Asia-Pacific Defence Reporter, June-July 2000, pp. 39-41.

26 With a budget of Aus$ 5 billion for six vessels, the Collins-class submarine system had been hailed as a significant upgrading of Australia's defence capability. However, the project has been plagued by delays, technical problems and operational defects.

27 Paul Dibb, Review of Australia's Defence Capabilities: Report to the Minister for Defence (Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service, 1986).

28 A. W. Grazebrook, `Navy's Dwindling Surface Fleet', Asia-Pacific Defence Reporter, June-July 2000, pp. 36-38, on p. 36.

29 Department of Defence, Defence Review 2000 (note 21 above), p. 37.

30 The US government will have broader strategic interests to consider within its own defence policies. However, promoting interoperability of forces and aiding a key ally in the Pacific region will be one such consideration, especially if it wishes ADF to maintain or extend its capabilities in the region to counter any reduction of its own presence.

31 Department of Defence, Defence Review 2000 (note 21 above), pp. 54-55.

32 Although these economies are on the upturn, several of the military contracts cancelled as a result of the economic crisis have yet to be renewed. It would appear that defence spending within the region has a lesser priority than broader economic recovery.

33 Department of Defence, Defence Review 2000 (note 21 above), p. 18.

34 Quoted in Peter Ricketts, `RMA Conference Warns of Future Risks', Asia-Pacific Defence Reporter, June-July 2000, p. 24. For more on recent investigations into cyber warfare, see Ian Sample, `Just a Normal Town...', New Scientist, no. 2245, 1 July 2000, pp. 20-24.

35 Department of Defence, Defence Review 2000 (note 21 above), p. 44.

36 `Defence Recognises First Anniversary of Peacekeeping Deployment to East Timor', Department of Defence media release, 20 September 2000.

37 The ADF's role with regard to the Olympic Games involved a Joint Task Force for `Operation Gold', supplying security and logistical support involving 4,000 regular troops and an additional 2,000 reservists.

38 Department of Defence, Defence Review 2000 (note 21 above), p. 33.