Having learnt little from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Australia is ready to do Washington's bidding – again.

It seems it doesn't matter which party is in power in Canberra or in Washington, when that call comes from the White House, Australian prime ministers are too eager to wade in.

The word "coalition" is being avoided this time around – Tony Abbott's statement said that Australia would "join international partners" to airlift arms and ammunition to Kurdish forces in the north of Iraq.

This kind of deal invariably is dressed up to look clean enough at first blush. But Abbott's Sunday statement on the arms deliveries revealed the contours of messy dealings – as much in what it did not say as what it said.