John Bruni: Distance cannot protect Australia from terrorism, as an ally of the US and a liberal Western democracy

THE long-held “tyranny of distance” is no longer a safeguard for Australia from a terrorist attack, writes John Bruni.

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FOR many years now, the long-held “tyranny of distance” kept Australia at arm’s length from most of the world’s trouble spots.

We were considered too small and too far away to have an impact on global affairs. While some lamented this fact, this reality kept Australia from harm’s way.

Why would anyone expend the resources necessary to attack distant Australia while there was a target-rich environment closer to the action such as the Middle Eastern capitals and those of Africa, Asia, Europe and North America? That was yesterday.

Today, the strategic advantage of being distantly removed from the world’s trouble spots is being diminished. Since September 11, 2001 Australia has been a very close collaborator in America’s “war on terrorism”. The name Australia resonates as part of “the West”, and for those who seek to do the West harm, Australia is a ready target.

It won’t matter that we believe we are fighting the “good fight” for civilisation and civilised behaviour – our visibility as a close American ally will make us open and vulnerable.

This fact is demonstrated by the charging of a young South Australian woman for having links to Islamic State. The woman in question, of Somali descent, is only 22 years old, and an Australian citizen.

Her “discovery” by the South Australian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, a collaborative enterprise between the South Australian Police and the Australian Federal Police, should make us feel secure.

However, following on from what appears to have been a “lone wolf” suicide attack at the Manchester Arena yesterday, our minds are well and truly focused on the potential for this style of assault to happen somewhere in Australia. Saturation reporting of this tragic event by the world’s media is certainly not helping ease public fears and anxieties and it certainly can’t be helping counterterrorist agencies.

So what can be done to stop the scourge of terrorism from growing?

We need to create a social landscape that is actually, not theoretically, inclusive. Talking about inclusivity doesn’t make it so, you have to consciously work at practising it.

For inclusivity, we need employment opportunities so no one feels financially disadvantaged. Fairness is a critical component.

No part of the Australian community should make a public issue of race, ethnicity or religion. If you are an Australian national, that should be your public face. The colour of one’s skin or one’s accent should not give an individual special privileges. This only breeds resentment and hatred.

As for our foreign policy directives, while we will always be close allies of the US, Australia does not need to always stand shoulder to shoulder in every situation.

Sometimes, a bit of distance from American entanglements in the Middle East and Central Asia can be a good thing. Just as America once stood apart and benefited from not involving itself in every European entanglement before 1917.

While the above policies will help, there are no sure-fire solutions. The proliferation of the internet has seen to that. Also, the proliferation of “dual-use” technologies that can turn an unhinged individual into a “weapon of mass destruction”.

But despite the challenges we have to try to make our societies safe without turning them into illiberal democracies where the sledgehammer of the state smashes the last vestige of privacy and openness in order to make us feel safe.

Dr John Bruni is chief executive officer of SAGE International, an Adelaide-based strategic and geopolitical think tank