Australia’s Ordinary Blessing on Iran Attack Shakes International Law Rule
The recent military operations by the USA and Israel on Iranian soil that entailed the death of a high-ranking political and spiritual leader represent the most severe challenge to the world order. Following the act, Australia’s action has been sour and unimpressive. This alleged weakness is not only temporally a matter of diplomacy; it has a risk to be understood as a tacit agreement with the source of aggression. When countries like Australia which often support the international order based on rules do not condemn the aggression clearly, they undermine the order themselves.
The United Nations Charter, which rose from the grave of World War II, is meant for fighting such unilateral forces. Its norms are not to be regarded as optional rules but rather as fundamental bases for ensuring global peace and security. The attack on Iran blatantly tests those borders. For Australia, a middle power with considerable diplomatic clout, the moment is a call for pronouncement. A vague statement urging de-escalation without referring to the primary breach of international law is grossly insufficient. This sends a dangerous message that possesses the right of power.
Australia’s long-standing bonds to the US and Israel are of great importance but should not be a straitjacket that prevents the country from acting in line with its declared values. Real friendship is when a partner is made responsible and is held to the same standards. By continuing to refrain from discussions, Australia actually undermines its credibility as a protector of the multilateral system. All the countries of the Indo-Pacific and beyond are looking at the issue. They will weigh whether Australia respects the right to self-determination and territorial integrity on a full-time basis or whether this right is offered only to certain people.
The government’s restraint could originate from an inclination to prevent diplomatic friction. But the price of this silence is the costlier one. It weakens a part of the country’s moral power and of its ability to push for the peaceful resolution of other disputes. In a world where things are getting increasingly more precarious, the application of law that is standard is our best shield against pandemonium. It is left for the countries that are responsible to speak their mind openly.
Australia must come forward fully. It has to vocally demand all actions be in congruence with the UN Charter and invite a return to diplomatic channels. This is not about becoming a protagonist in a multifaceted geopolitical dispute; it is defending the idea that state autonomy and human life need the protection of the law, not the violation by force. To disregard these facts will arguably be a betrayal of the historical lessons that we have learned in the past and hence, a risk of the future we want to maintain together.
Source: The Guardian
