The announcement this week that Australia has given in-principle support to the notion of an American first strike against nations such as Iraq invites examination of Australia’s economic interests in the Middle East.
This table shows Australian trade figures with the Middle East:
| Australian Exports | |
|---|---|
| Country | Value $ |
| Iraq | 829 million |
| Israel | 448 million |
| Middle East | 7.9 billion |
| China | 7.6 billion |
| New Zealand | 7.2 billion |
| Taiwan | 5.4 billion |
| Singapore | 5.4 billion |