The Federal Opposition says the Government's criticism of the United Nations has called into question the long-term stability of the region.
| "Telling the Emperor he has no clothes just threatens everyting!" |
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says plans to send troops to the Solomon Islands signal a new approach whereby Australia will use more "coalitions of the willing" to sort out international troubles. The Government says it supports the UN but does not have "blind faith" that it can solve all the world's problems.
| "Not even near-sighted faith!" |
Mr Downer has said multilateral bodies such as the United Nations are increasingly unfocused and ineffective. Labor's foreign affairs spokesman, Kevin Rudd, says Mr Downer's comments are a turning point in the history of Australian foreign policy.
| Gawd! I hope so! For awhile there, I was afraid they were gonna become New Zealand... |
"Other great powers in our region may use this new doctrine to in fact justify intervention against this country," Mr Rudd said. "Mr Downer's statement yesterday represents a fundamental breach in bipartisanship on national security policy," he added.
| Funny thing, that. I have precisely the same bitch. But the solution's not to keep puttering along with the same old ineffectual policies from the UN. The solution is for the UN to either fix itself or to go out of business. Soon. |
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