Too true, Chris Shaw, Downer's supine position is his primary qualification, and Kerry's wooden 'balance' is embarrassing. If Australia were a soverign nation we'd have cut US satellite surveillance intel for Middle East on day one, which they're no doubt sharing with Israel and which IIRC hits the ground at Pine Gap outside Alice Springs.

Instead, this colony, shared by the US & UK, has always had its major actions directed from abroad, at least psychologically when not directly. So instead of stopping our passive collaboration and implementing trade & cultural sanctions or humanitarian interventions, we get circular discussions on semantics or he-said/she-said, always with the Israeli POV coming thru strongest and longest.

As we sow terrorism, so we shall reap, but where the fed.govs billions of dollars in incompetence in arming and equiping the ADF fits in i don't like to think.

Philby2

Strewth's comment is quite sensible even without the (institutionalising burden?) of the foreign policy background that you appear to value.

You said "In fact this government (I might add I don't support them) knows a great deal about the political reality in the Middle East. It's not just about Lebanon today."

By "government" I assume you mean public servants etc as well.

The Government may well know alot, but this has not prevented it in the past from backing the wrong interests for the wrong reasons eg:

- supporting/having an awareness AWB's interesting business dealings in Iraq; or

- supporting the invasion of Iraq because of the "bad...WMD threat"

If you have been involved in foreign policy making (like somebody I know...) you what understand that:

- factual advice is often highlighted to support a US policy stance; and

- the "facts" often come from foreign governments (often from the US);

- such "facts" are difficult to check for accuracy and are often afforded undeserved credibility because they are from foreign sources.

One reason for the US support of Israel's current line is the essential Jewish lobby and voting constituency within rightwing circles of the US Republican Party - the "midterm" elctions are in November this year. All this may look like lefty, conspiracy theory but it is confirmed by (former) US government analysts (some are Republicans) that I am in contact with (by virtue of overt, public blogging).

Australia's foreign policy is consistent with US domestic and foreign policy interests identified by the above process.

Phil - Foreign policy making in Australia is often mystified by public servants, current intelligence types and academic consultants paid by the government. But extensive reading, blogging and some imagination can assist an interested person to come to conclusions that are frequently born out by events.

We can make educated guesses like the "experts" do.

Pete
http://spyingbadthings.blogspot.com/

Stick to your day job Greg

If you want to know about disproportionate spending by this government look at the refugee policy.

About $3 billion has been spent locking up, diverting and destroying refugees over the past 10 years and about $100 million has been given to the UNHCR for the 20 million refugees in the world who needed support.

We only got 11,000 refugees arriving here during that time.

Now we are spending $1 billion in Iraq bombing people and another billion in Afghanistan but only abuot $30 million in aid in each country.

This article reads like personal vitriol against Downer. O'Conner completely ignores the fact that Hezbollah created the situation. What would O’Conner really know about the state of affairs in Lebanon? He wades in with this absurd piece of anti-US, anti-Israel claptrap after seeing a few images on his television. His opinions reflect his occupation – consultant = con and insult. As for the so called thousands of Australian citizens trapped in Lebanon: if they really are Australians, and they came here to want to be Australians, why are they in Lebanon? These people use Australia as a country of convenience: their true allegiances lie elsewhere.

"if they really are Australians, and they came here to want to be Australians, why are they in Lebanon?"

Gee, maybe to visit friends and family? To have a holiday? Do conduct some business? Are people no longer allowed to travel for fear their allegiances may be questioned?