Submitted by admin on Sun, 2007-03-18 08:00. ::
On Tuesday, Japan and Australia forged a new defence and security treaty. Both vigorously denied that it had anything to do with a rising China in their midst, which only tended to confirm that it had.
For the United States, the treaty brings ally Japan in the northern (Pacific) hemisphere closer to ally Australia in the south. Both countries even said the pact would strengthen defence coordination between them and the US, a trilateral arrangement that began in 2002.
While statements emphasise non-traditional security issues like counter-terrorism and anti-piracy measures, traditional security issues remain. China noted that assurances about the treaty not being aimed against it have not been matched by transparency about the whole deal.
Japanese premier Shinzo Abe has said, with the concurrence of Australian officials, that the treaty would be limited by Japan’s post-war Constitution that forbids the dispatch of forces abroad. But that aspect of the "peace" Constitution has been eroded since 1993 when troops were sent to Cambodia and then Iraq.
Despite Japan’s "limiting" Constitution, Tokyo maintains the world’s fourth largest military budget that will now grow even larger. And while Japan bristles at China’s military expenditure, Japan’s naval force is far superior to China’s in a maritime region where naval power is key.
China remains unimpressed with assurances that the Japan-Australia pact is not aimed against it, especially when Beijing was kept uninformed about the process. Australia’s opposition Labor Party criticised the government of failing to assure China by deed, so the pact cannot serve as a confidence-building measure.
Meanwhile, in West Asia over the week, Fatah and Hamas came together in a flurry of diplomatic efforts for greater Palestinian security. After months of bitter acrimony and violence, this was a chance for a settlement that could serve as a basis for a wider regional peace.
Yet even before yesterday’s launch of Palestine’s unity government, Israel had called it a "step backward". Months of bloody fighting between the two Palestinian factions had benefited nobody but Israel, so it could only denounce a peace pact representing a united Palestinian leadership.
Three days ago, Palestinian premierdesignate Ismail Haniya presented President Mahmoud Abbas with the line-up of the new unity Cabinet comprising Fatah, Hamas and independent figures. By Friday the move was welcomed by France, Italy, Russia as well as the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Conference.
In May last year the US State Department had already pressured Fatah to remove the democratically elected Hamas leadership, while colluding with Israel to isolate Hamas throughout September even after Hamas leaders had implicitly recognised Israel in June.
Now the tide may be turning against the Israel-US axis, with a senior UN official challenging Israel and others to have the courage of the Palestinians to compromise.
Australia could reconcile with Japan after a blistering war, even after Abe today still denies Japan’s forcible use of wartime sex slaves that included Australian women.
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