It looks like June 2010 will go down as a pivotal month for whaling. In addition to the IWC meeting that will decide the fate of the moratorium on whaling, this week Australia brought Japan to the International Court of Justice at the Hague, to stop Japan from whaling in the Southern Ocean, under the guise of scientific research. Australia is expected to seek an international injunction to stop any Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean during 2010-2011 whaling season.
While we are glad that Australia is taking up the reins in whale-protection, one cannot help but look drearily at the US' role. The US has abdicated their leadership role in defense of whales. They have gone so far as to disparage the Australian initiative in the ICJ. According to the Huffington Post, one should not be totally surprised at the US performance seeing as how the US delegation has weakened over the last few years as the Australia has emerged as an advocate growing ever stronger.
Some have criticized Australia's latest move, saying that it is more of a political stunt or gesture to highlight the major issues of the IWC meeting later this month. It is difficult to say whether they are correct. Even if they are, is that such a bad thing?
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