EDITORIAL – Arrogance

First they shut down their embassy in Manila due to reports of supposed threats that they did not share with Philippine authorities. Now Austra-lian officials are proposing, in so many words, that their troops be authorized by the United Nations to launch pre-emptive strikes against terrorist targets in Asia. The proposal was made Sunday by Australian Prime Minister John Howard, and as of yesterday he didn’t seem worried about the firestorm in Asia that was set off by his pronouncement.

Howard wants the United Nations charter amended so a state that obtains reliable information about a potential terrorist attack can hit the suspects even if they are in another country.

The doctrine of a pre-emptive or preventive strike is controversial enough. US officials have been trying to sell the idea to the UN for months as part of a stepped up campaign against terror, and in trying to rally international support to take out Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein, whom the Americans accuse of sponsoring terrorism. Americans themselves are divided on the issue of a pre-emptive strike.

Howard wants to go a step further, indicating that Australian forces may unilaterally launch the pre-emptive strike. In the aftermath of the deadly bombings in Bali, Indonesia, where many of the fatalities were Austra-lians, Howard’s proposal must have played well on the home front. Australia, with its powerful military, is groping for ways of containing this new threat to its interests.

Canberra, however, cannot ignore the rest of the world in its frantic attempts to protect its own. This terror knows no borders, and dealing with it requires dealing with many sovereign states. It’s bad enough that Canberra has not shared information with Manila about the purported security threats that prompted the shutdown of the Australian Embassy here. Howard’s proposal has been variously described by Philippine officials as "bizarre, arrogant, very exuberant." When the din of hometown applause dies down, Howard should listen to the booing of Australia’s neighbors.