AT WAR
Stand Firm
Australia's government is committed to finish the job in Iraq.
CANBERRA, Australia--In the shock that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S. the world united to condemn terrorism. When 88 Australians were among the dead in the bombing atrocity committed in Bali in October 2002, there was, amid the grief and anger, an overwhelming unity in our resolve to stand against terror.
Yet in the wake of the indiscriminate slaughter of almost 200 commuters in Madrid, global commentary seems as much focused on the political implications for Western governments as on the perpetrators.
It will be doubly tragic if mass murder is rewarded with even the perception that our resolve has weakened. At the very least the victims--those killed and injured--deserve an absolute assurance that this outrage will make all of us more determined to stand together against terror. Now is not the time for us to be diverted from this global mission.
Words are weapons in the information age and there is a need for vigilance to ensure we are not signaling weakness in the face of this ongoing threat. There can be no excusing the inexcusable. The messages we send, whether as leaders of governments or leaders of opinion, must be that we will stay the course and finish the job.
One of the front lines in this unconventional war is Iraq where terrorists seek to destroy the freedom offered by the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Whether you agree with the decision to invade Iraq or not, there is no denying that there is a job to be done to ensure that the Iraqi people have a future.
Currently Australia is one of 35 countries that have troops deployed in Iraq. The work they are doing is vital and practical. They are helping to secure essential services for the people of Iraq and to train the new Iraqi police force and army. For the most part, the Iraqi people understand and appreciate the role these foreign forces are playing. It is not surprising that an Oxford Research International Poll commissioned by the BBC found that only 15% of Iraqis want the coalition forces to leave.
Of course, they do not want them to stay indefinitely, and none of the governments that have contributed to the coalition want their troops there any longer than is necessary. But right now we do not know when the essential job being done by coalition forces in Iraq will be finished. Talk of an early withdrawal, or arbitrary deadlines, undermines their role and gives comfort to those who seek to thwart the creation of a free and democratic Iraq.
It sends precisely the wrong message at a time when we need to be underlining our resolve to stay until the job is done. It sends the wrong signal to the people of Iraq and to terrorist groups operating in Iraq at a time when we need to demonstrate maximum unity.
One of the freedoms we want for the people of Iraq is the political freedom we enjoy in Western democracies. It is the same freedom that ensures a healthy and robust debate on issues of national security and foreign policy in Australia, the U.S., the U.K. and throughout Europe.
But that freedom will never be delivered in Iraq if groups like al Qaeda have their way. Their mission is to overthrow moderate Muslim governments and replace them with repressive, Taliban-style regimes. In Iraq they seek to choke off freedom before it can take hold.
I recall, as though it was yesterday, being in Washington on Sept. 11, 2001. I remember the sense of outrage and disbelief. But most of all I recall the immediate and resolute determination to stand together against this global threat.
The threat remains.
The need for unity in the face of that threat is as important now as it was then.
Mr. Howard is prime minister of Australia.
