Mr Howard Goes to Washington: September 11, the Australian–American Relationship and Attributes of Leadership

Abstract

Avoiding judgements on policy, this article provides, from the perspective of participants, an account of the events surrounding John Howard's presence in Washington on 11 September 2001. It examines the significance of those events for the realisation of his government's goal of strengthening the Australia–US relationship and explores what his responses reveal about his leadership attributes, using a template (with an emphasis on emotional intelligence) used to evaluate leadership among US Presidents, which may have further application in the Australian context. The principal objectives of Howard's visit to Washington in 2001 were to build a personal relationship with the Bush Administration, ‘rebalance’ Australia's foreign policy by strengthening the political/military alliance with the US and prepare the ground for a free trade agreement. Recording the impact of the extraordinary events of that day on participants, we argue that Howard instinctively seized the opportunity to commit Australia to responses that accelerated the realisation of these objectives and that these outcomes were achieved through the intersection of deeply embedded convictions, well-prepared positions and attributes of Howard's leadership that September 11 revealed.