John Winston Howard (born 1939), the prime minister of Australia, has established himself as a pro-business labor reformer and has voiced support for strengthened ties with Europe and America while integrating his nation's economy with neighboring Asian nations.

When John Winston Howard became prime minister, he brought with him extensive experience in government, leading the opposition against the political party in power. In Australia, as in many nations with a parliamentary form of government, the party with the majority in parliament runs the country. As leader of the minority Liberal Party, Howard was often the voice for the out-of-power factions and a critic of the majority Labor Party. In the March 1996 national elections, Howard's Liberal Party, in a coalition with another minority faction, the National Party, succeeded in removing the Labor Party from power. Subsequently, Howard became the political leader of the nation and has characterized himself as being...