Australia’s Sovereignty Severely Compromised For US-Israeli Designs
By Dr. Daud Batchelor
10 March, 2015
Countercurrents.org
As Australia’s international standing has risen, the country’s sovereignty is being dangerously subsumed by the United States, itself controlled by powerful elites:the disproportionately influential military-industrial complex and Zionist lobbies.Australia’s sovereignty is being compromised by the political elite within the ruling Liberal Party and Labour Party caucus. Former PM Malcolm Fraser presciently warned that the relationship was becoming dangerous and we “have effectively ceded to America the ability to decide when Australia goes to war”.
External threats facing Australia include a commercial take over of critical resources, primarily by China. The second is inordinate influence by the US, our “friendly” ally under the ANZUS Treaty. Evidence suggests some US covert involvement in removing former PMs Gough Whitlam and Kevin Rudd. Near neighbours, Indonesia and Malaysia,have no expansionist aims. Our defences should not be overly strained but Australia increased its ‘defence’ budget 32% since 2003 with the target to achieve 2% of GDP.Fighting distant wars of questionable merit and overinflating domestic terrorism sucks funds from needy domestic programmes and puts Australia into massive debt parallelingthe United States itself.
John Howard dramatically changed Australia’s defence policy to project military power globally. The 9/11 attacks occurring while PM Howard visited President Bush Jr cemented a tight alliance. Howard offered virtually a blank cheque for Australia’s military to support future US engagements.Significantly, many since Mearsheimer and Walt’s exposure have chronicled the excessive influence Israeli lobbiese.g. AIPAC,have over US foreign policies.Israeli is set not only on protecting itself but creating a Greater Israel involving fragmentation of neighbouring Arab states - the YinonPlanof the World Zionist Organization. Australia is locked into engagements of the US resulting from certain US-Zionist strategies. The US domineering worldview is inculcated whenever American forces and agencies meet counterparts in the Australian Defence Forces, ASIOand Australian Federal Police.
Impacts on Australia’s foreign polices result from the powerful Murdoch media oligopoly, which champions Israel, and the Zionist-led Lowy Institute for International Policy, which has a snug relationship with the ADF, ASIO and AFP, all Institute members. The Institute’s Board of Directors includes Martin Indyk, former Israeli government propagandist. Great concern is that Allan Gyngell, founding Executive-Director of the Lowy Institute, is now Director-General of Australia’s Office of National Assessments. Gyngell leads a supposedly independent organisation providing key analyses on which Cabinet reliesto decide foreign policies. Zionists can well influence key decisions. Abuse is of grave concern givenfaulty ONA reports claiming WMDs in Iraq used to incite Australia’s participation in theinfamous 2003 invasion.Former ONA officer, Andrew Wilke, resigned claiming pre-invasion pressures to exaggerate reports.
Former Foreign Minister, Bob Carr, explained that the pro-Israel lobby enjoys such a “very unhealthy level” of influence in dictating Australia’s foreign policythrough party donations and MP trips to Israel. The Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council had a direct line into the PM’s office and aggressively lobbied politicians. Politicians have been drawn deeply into Israel’s global strategy: a visit to Israel is essential for any aspiring PM. Australia has developed arguably theharshestanti-terrorism legislation andsupports illegal Israeli settlements.Australia with only the US recently votedagainst a proposal in the Security Council demanding Israel ends itsPalestinian occupation.Israel defies UN resolutions and commits war crimes violatingGeneva conventions and international law. Despite this, the government strongly supports Israel. In the 2008-09 and 2014 Gaza wars, Israel killed 3,500 Palestinians, 75% civilians, while the fewer Israeli fatalities were overwhelmingly soldiers. Israel attacked densely-habited areas causingslaughter and damage to hospitals, schools and UN shelters.Ban Ki-moon and European nations condemned Israel’s disproportionate response and targeting of civilians.Israel could wellface charges in the International Criminal Court.
Legitimate concerns questioning Australia’s involvement in distant wars unrelated to Australia’s securityraise the spectre of ‘blowback’ in supporting American global hegemony and destruction of Muslim lands.Emergence of ISIS is directly linked to failed Australian-Americanstrategies in Iraq. The government’s embrace of Americas’ pro-Israel anti-Muslim agenda is against Australia’s best interests inignoring ourpeaceful Muslim neighbours - Indonesia, and Malaysia,successful liberal democracies on whom Snowdon showed Australian and US governmentsaggressively spy. Suchconduct could drivethese friendly neighbours closer to China and Russia to our detriment.
Prior to expanding anti-terrorist laws deemed by many to be targeting the preponderantly peaceful Muslim community, massive AFP raidswere conductedin NSW and Queensland. Their scale impliedcitizens were under imminent attack by numerousterrorists. Was this to forestallopposition to the government’s retrenchment of citizen rights?Numbers arrested were low and prosecutions will likely be few.Bernard Keane commented, “Australians are less safe now then a few weeks ago because of decisions taken, primarily for political ends, by the Abbott government, namely to intervene in a conflict in Iraq and Syria that has nothing to do with Australia’s national interests”. Apart from the Martin Place shootings, there have been no fatalities in Australia by Muslim handssince1915 when Britain invaded Turkey.PM Abbott over-emphasisesterrorism in Australia while neglecting family violence that causes 80 deaths annually.Samuel Makinda warned that with the expanded anti-terror legislation, politicians have legislated away citizens’ rights.Alerting Australiansthat it was now a “police state”, Gideon Polya, estimated there were “only 6 Australian deaths by terrorists (none Muslim) in the last 36 years. Yet the major Australian parties ... have committed $125 billion in terms of long-term accrual cost to the Islamophobic War on Terror.”
Australia’s subservience to the US and Israeli lobbies should change and stopfightingtheir wars and blowing out Australia’s finances. With aforecasted A$40 billion budget shortfall, either the government will raise taxes, diminish services, or increase debt. In the absence of military threats at home, our main concern should be economic security. Australians should consider an alternative from heightened militarism in this Gallipoli centenary honouring our heroes, who spoke little wishing not to glorify war for imperialism’s sake. Let us resist the insidious takeover of our independence tochartour own course and further peace and stability of Australia and harmonious relations amongst our own citizens and neighbouring countries.
Dr Daud Batchelor, political analyst, whose grandfathers/father fought to protect Australia’s security.
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