The government’s 100 percent endorsement of Washington’s course has sparked some discussion in ruling circles. Former Labor Party prime minister Robert Hawke stated that the government was "leaping ahead almost of the United States."

Canberra’s willingness to use "military force against Iraq seems at times ahead of U.S. policy," wrote Geoffrey Barker in the Australian Financial Review.

The leader of the Labor parliamentary opposition, Simon Crean, has appealed to Australian nationalist sentiments in reacting to the government’s statements, criticizing Howard for his "lapdog approach." Crean called for the resumption of United Nations weapons inspections of Iraq, citing the need for "diplomacy first, action second."

Howard himself has said that any request by Washington will be judged "against national interests." Foreign minister Alexander Downer has dismissed criticism of the government policy as "appeasement."

Some commentators have stated that the army of Australian imperialism is overcommitted and incapable of putting together the kind of force offered by Hill.

Navy ships are presently patrolling seas to the north of the country, charged with intercepting and turning away any boatloads of would-be immigrants, including those seeking political asylum. Reservists have been pulled into the rotation of the 1,200 Australian troops still spearheading the imperialist forces occupying East Timor under the UN flag.

The government’s stance is consistent with its involvement in the Middle East and Gulf region over the last decade. Canberra committed naval and other forces to the 1990–91 U.S.-led Gulf War on Iraq. Warships of the Australian Navy have been involved in patrols in the Arab-Persian Gulf that have enforced the United Nations-imposed trade sanctions on Iraq. Currently, the Australian special forces are operating in Afghanistan under U.S. command.

The government’s statements have not been without their consequences.

In August the Iraqi government put four shipments of Australian wheat on hold, ostensibly because of suspected "contamination." A further 500,000-ton order of the grain was also suspended.

Iraq and Egypt are important markets for Australian wheat.

Saad Al Samarai, the senior Iraqi diplomat in Australia, said there were problems with "the military phase of Australian policy" and Canberra’s "iron language."

"You want us to do business with you at the same time as you would slaughter us?" said Iraqi official A.K. Al-Hashimi in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald at the end of August. By "going all the way with the USA, Australia should forget about the Iraqi market now and for a long time to come," he said. "Iraq has a right to impose sanctions too, you know."

In response, the Australian Wheat Board sent representatives to Baghdad and reached agreement to resume grain shipments, on condition that Canberra adopt a more conciliatory tone.

Ron Poulsen is a member of the Maritime Union of Australia  
 
 
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