Sub Menu
VCE Resource Texts
Professional Readings
Building the peace: Australia and the future of Iraq
Dr Elsina Wainwright, Program Director - Strategy and International, Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI)
Australia shares initial responsibility for the future of Iraq. The way we discharge our share of this responsibility will be critical to a number of key Australian interests. The stakes are high. Australia has direct interests in Iraq - wheat markets, for example. But significant though these are, our biggest interests are in the wider implications of what happens in Iraq now Saddam Hussein has gone, and the wider global implications of events in Iraq for the international system. Iraq's central place in the geostrategy of the Middle East, its significance in the oil market, its place in the Arab and Islamic worlds, and the fact that the Bush Administration has made it the litmus test for American power; all these factors mean that a successful outcome there is very important to Australia and the world.
Of course many countries around the world will share important interests in the outcomes in Iraq, but Australia's stake is greater than that of many others. As one of only four members of the military coalition that deposed Iraq's government and now occupies the country, we carry a share of responsibility for the future of Iraq and the welfare of its people. And as a member of the transitional authority we have, and are seen to have, direct responsibility for the way in which the rehabilitation of Iraq takes place.
There are both moral and practical arguments for Australia accepting this responsibility. Morally it could be argued that having participated in the military action of Iraq we have an obligation to contribute to the replacement of the deposed regime with a new and better alternative. Practically, the United States - and the United Kingdom - are keen for Australia to sustain an active role in the postwar administration and political evolution of Iraq.
SEV members can access full papers in the "Members" section. If you have forgotten your password, email SEV. If you are not yet a member, sign up now.
