Being an ally of the Bush administration is indeed a kiss of death. First, the pro-war regimes in Spain and Italy were tossed out. A few months ago, it was Poland’s turn, when the electorate had enough of the Kaczynski twins. And now, John Howard’s long-lasting government in Australia has also collapsed, with Howard himself losing his seat after a 33-year tenure. Howard’s loss came in spite of a strong and stable Australian economy. He was given the boot for two main reasons: his support of Bush’s imperial adventure in Iraq, and his skepticism regarding global warming. Kevin Rudd, the new Prime Minister, plans on attending the UN global warming conference in Bali, something Howard had planned to boycott. Good news for Australia, good news for the world. But, the question remains: what will it take for the US to regain the global trust it wantonly destroyed over the past few years?
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