The Wire

Claims emerging from in Iraq today that an Islamic group is holding two Australians hostage have highlighted the precarious nature of Australia’s involvement in the War on Iraq and its role as a US ally. The statement issued by the Horror Brigades of the Islamic Secret Army says the two Australians will be executed wihtin 24 hours unless Australia end its involvement in Iraq. However the Australian government is questioning the validity of the statement because the group has not said who it is holding nor have they released trade mark video footage. The move comes just days after the Australian embassy was bombed in Jakarta, in an attack most likely perpetrated by Jamah Islamiyah. But as Australia gets ready to to decide who should lead the nation for the next few years, the question remains what impact will these events have on voter sentiments? Two experts in international relations commented on what our future Australian government should do to lessen the threat of terrorist attacks in the region and around the world. Greg Barton, expert in Islamic terrorism and senior lecturer in International relations at Deakin University, says we need to genuinely engage with our Asian neighbours. Dr Andrew Mack, senior lecturer in International Relations at Macquarie University says we need to look at why people are resorting to terrorism.