Gideon Boas; 24/11/08
As the US President-elect, Barack Obama, vows to close Guantanamo Bay, pull troops out of Iraq, ensure the US ceases its use of state-sanctioned torture and rebuild America’s “moral stature in the world”, it is tempting to succumb for the first time in many years to the feeling that the course of international politics and justice is changing direction for the better. While of less significance internationally, a similar feeling emerged from the decommissioning of the Howard government and a reduction here in the politics of fear that has been the hallmark of the Bush and Howard years. The war on terror became a brand name for a war of aggression and subsequent occupation of Iraq, in clear violation of the United Nations Charter.
See: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/an-end-to-the-politics-of-fear-20081123-6esw.html
Tags: Australia, Human Rights, USA