In October renown Australian journalist Michelle Grattan would quote a “senior Russian diplomat” as saying that Australian – Russian relations were at an all-time low. Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott would declare that he would “shirt-front” Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 meeting in November. Abbott wanted to “shirt-front” Putin, among others, over the fate of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH17 on July 17, 2014 in Ukraine, which according to Abbott was shot down by Russian-backed “pro-Russian separatists”.
Bad Idea for Abbott to be bud-naked, dressed in nothing but a Necktie when Shirt-Fronting Putin.
Opposition leader Bill shorten was quoted by the guardian as describing Abbott’s promise to shirt -front Putin as a “brain-snap” and a “diplomatic faux” that undermined Australia’s attempts to seek Vladimir Putin’s cooperation. During a 15 minute conversation with Putin, Abbott reportedly “demanded Putin’s full cooperation in the investigation into the fate of MAS MH17”.
The term “diplomatic faux” as used by Shorten, is at the very least accurate with regard to the fact that Australia is one of the nations which colluded to agree that they could classify any evidence pertaining the fate of the Boeing 777-200 that fell out of the sky after being struck by high-energy projectiles, without explaining why the government would demand the evidence sealed, closed, and withheld from the public. Some several hundred-thousand people worldwide who use air travels per day are supposed to belief that this cover-up happens for the sake of their safety?
It is a collusion that is unprecedented in the history of civil aviation and cannot other than cast doubt upon whether the downing of MAS MH17 was an US/NATO false flag similar to the one that was proposed by the US’ Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lemnitzer in 1962 in a plan that is generally described as “Operation Northwoods”.
The problem for Abbott, it appears, is that he stood bud naked, dressed in nothing but a necktie, when he “shirt-fronted” Putin in Beijing. He had, in other words, two handles, by which Judo expert Putin could have led him around in the arena, either grasping for air or squealing.
Bad Excuses for even Worse Policies.
But Abbott’s tendency to bow to pressure from Australia’s ally USA the cost of Australia’s and Australians’ future has not only drawn criticism from Shorten and the rest of Australia’s opposition. Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey, leading members of Abbott’s Cabinet and rebelling MPs noted that Abbott would have to embarrass Australia twice by declining participation in the new, Chinese-chartered Asian Infrastructure Development Bank. That is, at meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the ASEAN summit and at the G20.
Abbott would argue that the decision to decline Australia’s participation was made during a session of the Abbott administration’s National Security Committee and that the decision was made on strategic grounds. Australia’s Treasury, led by Joe Hockey, for its part, would note that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) estimated in 2011 that Asia would require some US $750 billion per year through 2020 to meet the needs for regional infrastructure development while the ADB, in 2012 merely lent US $ 7,5 billion.
The decision by the Australian government’s National Security Committee was reportedly made after “intense pressure from the United States’ against Australia’s participation in the AIIB. Abbott attempted to explain that the AIIB was a “unilateral” enterprise by China, which nobody, especially not Joe Hockey and other Australian economic experts took for anything than what it was; a bad excuse that omitted the participation of some 20 other nations in the AIIB.
Abbott’s Crash Course for Australia.
Usually the term “Crash Course” describes the process of learning the basics of something very fast. In the case of Abbott’s Russian-Australian and especially the Chinese-Australian relations the term crash course has a quite different meaning.
It is as if Abbott absolutely wants to crash-land Australia, its foreign relations and its economy harder than MAS MH17 when its wreckage and the murdered 298 souls on board the plane crashed in eastern Ukraine.
As pointed out in a recent article, the former Chief Economist of the Bank for International Settlements as well as other leading experts warned in 2013, that the US dollar and economy would collapse. A collapse, said former BIS Chief Economist William White, has become unavoidable and can happen overnight.
Experts expect that the overnight collapse of the US dollar and the US economy may come by the end of 2014 or the first half of 2015. Abbott’s crash course risks to make the entire Australian nation to look about as foolish as Abbott looked hen he was shirt-fronting Putin.
Bud-naked, with two handles by which to drag him around in the international arena. All depending on which of the two handles the alleged foe grabs, the necktie or the appendix below, Abbott and Australia will either be grasping for air or squealing, ouch. But then again, what limits are there when it’s all about standing side by side with the United States, in misunderstood solidarity with the purported ally and to the detriment of one’s own nation.
Dr. Christof Lehmann an independent political consultant on conflict and conflict resolution and the founder and editor in chief of nsnbc, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.
