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Article: Australia's defence and security challenges: a tale of three "posts": Robert Ayson comments on the impact of recent crises on Australia's security outlook and thinking. (Security).
- Article from:
- New Zealand International Review
- Article date:
- January 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Bali bombings of 12 October represent the third major development in the last five years with major implications for Australia's security perceptions. The three `posts' in that recent period--post-1997 (the Asian financial crisis), post-11 September 2001 (the terrorist attacks on the United States) and post-12 October 2002 (the Bali bombings)--have also been very significant for the debate about defence priorities that is currently occurring in Australia.
The first of these shocks--the financial crisis that afflicted much of the Asia-Pacific region in 1997--reversed confident expectations of South-east Asia's prosperity and resilience. Crippling economic ...