Terrorism, Middle East, and China Were Top Howard Government Concerns: Cabinet Documents

Former Australian Prime Ministers John Howard (R) and Paul Keating greet each other at the Annual Lowy Lecture in Sydney, Australia, on Nov. 7, 2014. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty ImagesCounter-terrorism was one of the Howard government’s top defence priorities in 2005, cabinet documents reveal, but ministers were also conscious of an increasingly assertive Chinese Communist Party.Records from 20 years ago, released by the National Archives, give new insights into how the government made decisions about deploying troops overseas and protecting Australians at home.