ABSTRACT
By openly endorsing Australia's Prime Minister, John Howard's call for pre-emptive strikes against terrorist havens in Southeast Asia, the Bush administration may be harming its own relationships in Asia and its war on terror in the region. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, they say. Bush might be pleased to see Howard, already known for his willingness to be "deputy sheriff" to the US in Southeast Asia, articulate a strategic policy echoing the infamous Bush Doctrine on pre-emption. But there are important costs to both Washington and Canberra.
