US unilateralism defeated only 8 days after it was announced: "The "core group" [US, Japan, India, Australia] of nations announced by US President George W. Bush to channel aid to victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami will be dissolved today after just eight days as the United Nations takes control of the relief effort, delegates to a donors summit said yesterday.

"There is an attempt to portray this as a non-event by claiming the “core group” has already “served its purpose [so] it is time to dissolve it”. But that doesn’t square with Bush’s statement announcing the group’s formation: “I'm confident more nations will join this core group in short order.” The plan was to expand the core group, not terminate it."

The US reign as relief hyperpower has lasted an even shorter time than its reign as "New Rome". Predictably, Howard followed the US initiative and equally predictably the woeful Labor opposition could not find anything to disagree with. This is a Labor opposition that does not know whether or not it supports the United Nations, international law, the Geneva Convention, and a ban on torture and gulags. It is an opposition that cannot see that the US Imperium is as shortlived as it is immoral. Howard is a sitting duck and the opposition cannot make up its mind to train all its guns and blow him away.

US unilateralism defeated only 8 days after it was announced: "The "core group" [US, Japan, India, Australia] of nations announced by US President George W. Bush to channel aid to victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami will be dissolved today after just eight days as the United Nations takes control of the relief effort, delegates to a donors summit said yesterday.

"There is an attempt to portray this as a non-event by claiming the “core group” has already “served its purpose [so] it is time to dissolve it”. But that doesn’t square with Bush’s statement announcing the group’s formation: “I'm confident more nations will join this core group in short order.” The plan was to expand the core group, not terminate it."

The US reign as relief hyperpower has lasted an even shorter time than its reign as "New Rome". Predictably, Howard followed the US initiative and equally predictably the woeful Labor opposition could not find anything to disagree with. This is a Labor opposition that does not know whether or not it supports the United Nations, international law, the Geneva Convention, and a ban on torture and gulags. It is an opposition that cannot see that the US Imperium is as shortlived as it is immoral. Howard is a sitting duck and the opposition cannot make up its mind to train all its guns and blow him away.