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February 28, 2003
North Korea
I have been waiting for this to come out of Canberra. I am suprised that it has taken Canberra so long to echo the Washington script: that we need a defensive shield to counter the threat of missiles launched by North Korea. It is becoming rather predictable now: neo-con Washington speaks, neo-con Canberra echoes. Canberra has learnt its subservient role well.
For those who are sceptical about the nature of this threat to Australia, see this piece in the Washington Post called N. Korea Reactivates Nuclear Reactor. It argues that:
"While it would take years for the reactor at Yongbyon to produce enough spent fuel to provide a significant source of weapons-grade plutonium, North Korea's action is another indication that the Pyongyang government is pushing its nuclear program to increase pressure on the Bush administration to agree to hold bilateral security talks."
This is a Fortress Australia. Paranoid neo-cons scanning the world looking for threats; a scared population inside; the federal government playing the role of big daddy promise to keep us secure and safe; and increasingly alarmed nation-states in the region about the police actions launched by Australia as the Deputy Sheriff of the US.
Posted by Gary Sauer-Thompson at February 28, 2003 10:09 AM