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I found my old article about preemptive strike (2004). The article was written when John Howard (who, at that time was racing for another period of premiership) issued a statement that he will employ preemptive attacks to terrorist bases, when necessary. As you remember, the war on terror was the hype in 2004.

Australia had been active in the regional diplomacy, leading a multinational armed forces responsible for the security of post-referendum East Timor. Meanwhile terrorist activities in Indonesia was reaching its peak period (The Bali Bombing, Marriot and the Bombing of Australian Embassy). Morever, preemptive strike has always been Bush'es doctrine. So Howard's statement was important in this context. Implicitly, it appears that he wanted to show that Aussie has some muscle to maintain security in South East Asia.

Some quote:

Australian Prime Minister John Howard recently said he would not hesitate to order preemptive strikes against terrorist bases overseas. The statement was further clarified that such an attack would not be directed against "able" countries such as Indonesia.

However, this statement would seem to require a serious response, as this was not Howard's first concerning the issue.

The spread of "preemptive-ism" across the region is something of concern, since a preemptive strike will likely raise distrust among nations, provoke international anxieties and undermine the UN's role in maintaining peace and security.

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