From 'down under' to 'over there'

International | Australians resist head of state John Howard's determination to be named in the "coalition of the willing" | Mindy Belz

RECORD-SETTING BRUSHFIRES canceled the annual fireworks display over Sydney Harbor for Australia Day on Jan. 26, a patriotic summer holiday marking the landing of the British here in 1788. Parades of tall ships, flag flying, street parties, and concerts rolled on unaffected by the veil of smoke that blanketed the country's largest city. So too did anti-war demonstrations. Peace banners elbowed the mosh pits at outdoor concerts. "Leave Iraqi children alone," read one of the more tame sets of hand-lettered signs tied to national flags.

When President George W. Bush steadies his finger over the war trigger, he is likely to have but two hardcore allies: Australia's Prime Minister John Howard and Britain's Tony Blair. Mr. Howard, while receiving far less attention than Mr. Blair, shows equal willingness to go the distance—despite a tide of voter protest. On the eve of Mr. Bush's State of the Union message, Australia's foreign minister, Alexander Downer, told reporters that Mr. Howard was prepared to join a military strike on Iraq without the United Nations. Mr. Howard had previously said he supported U.S. action against Iraq outside a UN umbrella and agreed with the Bush doctrine to level preemptive strikes against sponsors of terror.