The hallmark of Australian Prime Minister John Howard's eight years in office has been an unblinking orientation toward the United States. At one point, there was even talk of Australia acting as the U.S. "deputy sheriff" in East Asia. That outlook appears to be changing.

Mr. Howard has just delivered a speech that challenges many of the guiding principles of his government's foreign policy. While it is over-simplistic to speak of a "reorientation" of Canberra's policy, it does herald a rising appreciation of the complexities in Australia's relations with the world and the increasingly important role Asia plays in them.

The U.S. has had few better friends than Mr. Howard. He has backed U.S. President George W. Bush in his major foreign policy adventures even when decisions -- such as dispatching troops to Iraq -- have not been popular at home. The pro-U.S. orientation was seen as the product of Mr. Howard's own ideological leanings, as well as an attempt to differentiate himself from his predecessor Mr. Paul Keating, who felt Australia should tie its fortunes more closely to Asia.