LOS ANGELES -- They say an optimist looks at the very same glass that the pessimist sees as half-empty and proclaims it to be half-full. By that measure, one of the world's foremost optimists has got to be Alexander Downer, Australia's minister for foreign affairs.
Australia has made itself into a more important player than ever in the Asia-Pacific region in part, frankly, because the government has not been afraid to take chances.
A few years ago the Australians sent in a large peacekeeping force to troubled East Timor and did a fine job. More recently they successfully sent troops into the neighboring Solomon Islands to ease tension and prevent ethic strife. When Washington requested a troop contribution to Iraq, despite misgivings, Australia did not dally. And when the ferocious Dec. 26 tsunami leveled parts of Indonesia and elsewhere, the Aussies were quick off the mark to pitch in.