This week the political website GetUp.org.au launched an advertising campaign that features an Australian victim of the 7/7 terrorist attacks on London. During the commercial Louise Barry, who was on the Double-Decker bus that was blown up by Hasib Hussain near Tavistock Square, stands in an empty room and asks John Howard to withdraw Australian troops from Iraq.
(I've posted the full spot above)
Barry sustained serious injuries in the London attack, including fractured vertebrae in her neck and serious burns to her legs. Her description of extricating herself from the torn wreckage of the bus is gut wrenching to say the least.
But Louise Barry is wrong to think that by withdrawing our troops from Iraq we will somehow be safer.
The fact is that Australians were targets of Islamic extremists well before Howard committed us to the ‘Coalition of the Willing.’ Sure, the extremists can add our involvement in Iraq to their growing list of grievances, but should we really base our foreign policy decisions on trying to appease extremists? Regardless of whether we withdraw or not, the sad fact remains that we will continue to be a viable target for islamo-fascists.
Nearly six months before Australian soldiers set foot in Iraq, 89* of our compatriots were slaughtered while holidaying in Bali. Most of them were young, enjoying a holiday with friends and family on the idyllic Indonesian island. The spiritual leader of the ‘men’ behind the attack, Abu Bakar Bashir, has said publicly that, "If they [non-Muslim people] want to have peace, they have to accept to be governed by Islam." For Bashir and other fanatics of his ilk, it’s all or nothing. There can be no negotiation with the ‘infidels’.
Whatever your views on our involvement in the invasion of Iraq, the threat of terrorism will not be reduced by withdrawing our 1500 troops. To argue for withdrawal on the basis that it will make us safer is both dishonest and misleading.
[Update 19/7/07 - It seems that the US intelligence community doesn't agree with me though. The latest National Intelligence Estimate suggests that the terrorist threat to the US homeland has increased because of Iraq. See slate.com for a summary. ]
24/7/07 - But Middle East expert Martin Indyk told Kerry O'brien earlier this year that the consequences of a withdrawal could have major ramifications for the region.
*13/8/07 - The Australian death toll was incorrectly put at 88 in the original post. Apologies.
No comments:
Post a Comment