The Carr Doctrine So Far

Our new foreign minister Bob Carr loves Israel heaps (See my 31/12/10 post But is it acceptable to the Israelis?), but is he with the USraeli program of wiping Iran off the map?

Well, judging by what he's written on the subject so far, no.

However, what with the irresistable power of Israeli pheromones on Lib-Labers, things could easily change, so let's take a look at our new foreign minister's thoughts on the next great USraeli adventure in the Middle East thus far:

In response to the great Republican Presidential Debate of December 2011, Carr posted The US Under Threat (18/12/11) on his blog Thoughtlines with Bob Carr (bobcarrblog.wordpress.com):

"The American strategic position is as fraught as 1946 when it faced Stalin's domination of Europe. Democracy around the world teeters on the brink. The US needs a massive military build-up, 100,000 more troops and a bigger navy. We have found another deadly enemy, another evil dictator 'worse than Hitler'. There should be no space between the US and Bibi's Israel. After the last 2 wars we need another - this time, against Iran, the all-powerful global foe of the US which is ruled by enemies indistinguishable from Al-Quaeda [sic]."

That's Carr summing up the thoughtlines of maddies such as Santorum, Gingrich and Romney. Personally, he's a Ron Paul man:

"Against this certifiable insanity in the candidates' debate only Ron Paul stood out. Another war? A military build-up? Hang on, we're bankrupt! And Iran would not be the only creepy nation to have the bomb. There is only challengeable evidence they are going to get it anyway. Are we going to fight another war against Moslems? [sic] And another after that? It is only Paul who said that a feistier global role for a struggling US is incompatible with saving the country from budget disaster and that the US has got to pull back from Middle Eastern adventures not plunge into more of them... Ron Paul is the authentic expression of the Jeffersonian spirit - no, the Washington spirit."

But there's more. Here's Carr on January 8 this year:

"Foreign policy is what is at stake in this election; Iran above all. Both Israel and Iran have been beating the drums of war and the danger is that talk leads to action. History teaches us that this is the way it starts. Israeli military are advising now is the time to strike although senior figures from Israeli security have warned their government against the military's desire to send the bombers... Remember the [Republican candidates'] litany of this madness. According to this strand of thinking, American [sic] is surrounded by enemies: Russia, China, Iran... and so on. Each, when it takes its place in the spotlight, 'worse than Hitler'. It is 12 minutes to midnight and we are faced with another Munich from a weak Democrat in the White house. After 2 catastrophic wars in 10 years we need a third, to finally remake the Middle East - safe for Israel, reliable with oil, full of governments as pro-American as Saudi. Remember the US ultra-nationalists and neo-conservatives believe the US must always have enemies and, in the words of Norman Podhoretz, 'We need more wars!'... Australia has one role: to talk the Americans back from the brink." (Iran the issue)

OK, so let's sum up Australian foreign minister Bob Carr's position so far:

1) Israel is a warmonger.
2) Attacking Iran is madness.
3) Ahmadinejad is not a reincarnation of Hitler.
4) 2012 is not 1938.
5) (Most interesting this one) Iraq was a war for Israel.
6) Neocons are the pits.
7) Australia's key foreign policy task should be talking the US out of war with Iran.

Right, now let's see where he goes from here.