Gloria R. Lalumia's World Media Watch for February 13, 2008

WORLD MEDIA WATCH

Summaries are excerpted from the source articles; the featured article follows the summary section. 

1//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong
A GROWING VOICE FOR MILITANTS 

In the initial stages, the runup to Pakistan's elections scheduled for February 18 was characterized by politicians jockeying to present themselves as the best candidates to fight the United States-led "war on terror". ... However, at least five major and bloody suicide attacks since November - including the high-profile assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto - have changed the country's political dynamics. The issue now is who will be best to make peace with the Taliban after the country's links with them were severed in the post-September 11, 2001, environment. ... The US-based International Republican Institute found in a recent survey that public support for Musharraf had plunged to an all-time low - 75% want him to quit - and that opposition parties appeared poised to score a landslide victory in the elections.  With the change in attitude among the leading political parties on militancy, neo-nationalists, who have a strong representation in the military, have become emboldened. This power group consists of pragmatists. They are not necessarily practicing or traditional Muslims - in some instances they are very Westernized. But, unlike Musharraf and his secular and pro-West allies in the top four of the military, the neo-nationalists consider Islam as the soul of the country and the only binding force.  They want to reverse the changes brought about by Pakistan joining the "war on terror", which would involve maintaining peace with the militants and the revival of Pakistan's struggle to regain that part of Kashmir which is under Indian administration.  At the same time, the neo-nationalists do want cordial ties with the US and Europe. Beyond the military, their influence extends to academia, think-tanks, the business world, politicians and the media, where they are steadily trying to undermine blind support for the "war on terror". ... The rise of the neo-nationalists does not necessarily mean the end of Musharraf and his allies. But it might force him to redefine himself to what he was pre-September 11. Then, despite his liberal and secular approach, his Islamic-minded commanders in the military were his main support and trouble-shooters and he was forced to listen to them.  Across the political spectrum, thus, Pakistan appears to be drifting away from the "war on terror", and with it out of Washington's tight grip.                       

AN EXPANDED EXCERPT OF THIS FEATURED ARTICLE FOLLOWS THE SUMMARIES 

2//Azzaman in English, Iraq
DIYALA POLICE ASK U.S. TROOPS' HELP IN BATTLE WITIH U.S.-BACKED MILITIAS

Fierce clashes between U.S.-backed Sunni militias and Iraqi police have prompted U.S. occupation troops in the country to interfere.  But the troops have opted to side with the police against the Sunni tribal militias they created, trained, financed and armed to fight al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Tensions are high in the restive Diyala Province of which Baaquba is the capital with the Sunni militias threatening to turn their guns against U.S. troops and the Shiite-dominated government if their demands are not met.  One crucial demand Sunni militia tribal leaders are not willing to compromise is the removal of the police chief Ghanim al-Quraishi who they say is involved in sectarian violence.  It is not clear whether U.S. troops will succeed in negotiating a deal amid reports that the Sunni tribal militia leaders in the province suspect U.S. intentions.  The government fears if it relents, the move might send the wrong signal to other U.S.-supported Sunni militias to press for new demands.  Such militias known as Majalis Sahwa, or Awakening Councils, have bases in major Sunni-dominated areas in Iraq.  But they are reported to have closed down their office in Diyala and stopped cooperating with U.S. troops in the fight against al-Qaeda, which itself is predominantly a Sunni violent group. 

3//The Independent, UK
BROWN UNDER PRESSURE TO SET UP IRAQ INQUIRY

Gordon Brown is under pressure to mark the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war next month by announcing an independent inquiry to ensure vital lessons are learnt.  Some allies have warned the Prime Minister that Labour will not win back disaffected supporters who deserted the party over the 2003 invasion unless he draws a line under the affair. They argue a public inquiry would enable him to bring "closure" to an episode which divided the nation.  Mr Brown has not ruled out an investigation but has hinted he would not want one while British troops remain in Iraq. Supporters of an investigation say that, now British forces have pulled back from a combat to an "overwatch" role in Basra, the time is right.  The Prime Minister is not persuaded that "looking back" at the build-up to war and the lack of preparations for its aftermath would be the right course of action. He may stall, arguing it would be better to "look forward" to Iraq's future.  In a letter to Mr Brown yesterday, the Labour-affiliated Fabian Society said there was a widespread recognition among people who held different views about the war of the need to learn lessons. It said a full inquiry would ensure a rounded assessment of the pre-war diplomacy, the intelligence failures over Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, the conduct of the conflict and the problems with post-war reconstruction. 

4//The Toronto Star, CanadA
LIBERALS WALK OUT OF COMMONS BEFORE CRIME VOTE

The Liberals walked out of the Commons en masse this afternoon rather than vote on a government motion demanding that the Senate pass an omnibus crime bill by March 1.  They dismissed the vote as a political stunt, pointing out that the Commons has no say in how the Senate conducts its business.  The Liberals have abstained on several key votes in the past, including the last budget, but this was their first walkout.  In their absence, the motion passed easily, 172-27.  The government said it considered the motion a matter of confidence, meaning its defeat would have toppled the government and triggered an election.  The government, however, said the vote is a clear signal to the Senate.  "The Canadian people through their elected representatives have spoken," said Peter Van Loan, the government House leader. "They want the Tackling Violent Crime Act passed and they want it passed now."  The vote was the first in a series of political tripwires that could yet tip the country into a spring election.  The Tories still say that if the Liberal-dominated Senate doesn't pass the crime bill by the end of the month, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is prepared to ask the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and call an election.  The Tory budget, due to be handed down Feb. 26, could also trigger an election.

Harper, however, appears prepared to compromise with the Liberals over the Afghan mission, an issue which looked like it had the makings of a fatal showdown for the minority government. 

After two years in power, the Tories seem ready for an election. However, since they passed legislation setting fixed election dates, they cannot simply call an election on a whim. If they want to go to the country, they will have to be defeated.  

5//EUObserver.com, Belgium
EU WARNED AGAINST TURNING KOSOVO INTO A ‘PROTECTORATE' 

With Kosovo set to declare independence on Sunday (17 February) and the EU expected to send a police and civilian mission there shortly, a well-known Balkans analyst has warned the 27-nation bloc against turning the province into an EU "protectorate", whose self-governing powers would be almost non-existent.  While the number of statements indicating that Kosovo will declare independence on Sunday has been steadily increasing, Kosovar newspapers have reported extensively how this is expected to happen.  The province's independence will come in two stages, local media reported on Monday (11 February).  First, Kosovo's parliament will on Sunday afternoon adopt a declaration of its intent to proclaim independence.  The declaration will only enter into force in March - after Kosovo adopts more than 30 laws, as well as a constitution, based on the plan for Pristina's supervised independence put forward last year by former UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari. ... Meanwhile, by Monday (18 February) at the latest, the EU is expected to give its final "operational" green light to a 1,800-strong EU police and civilian mission to Kosovo - composed of policemen, judges and prosecutors whose task will be to strengthen stability in Kosovo and to ensure that democratic standards are observed there. ... But the EU mission - opposed by Serbia as well as Russia - has already been criticised by some analysts. ... Blind implementation of Mr Ahtisaari plan together with the presence of the EU mission could eventually result in Kosovo becoming a "failed EU protectorate", Mr Knaus argued at a conference organised by the Brussels-based Centre for European Policy Studies on Monday (11 February). 

FEATURED ARTICLE 

1//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong   Feb 13, 2008

A GROWING VOICE FOR MILITANTS

By Syed Saleem Shahzad 

KARACHI - In the initial stages, the runup to Pakistan's elections scheduled for February 18 was characterized by politicians jockeying to present themselves as the best candidates to fight the United States-led "war on terror". 

US officials paid dozens of visits last year to Pakistan in efforts to forge a coalition of liberal and secular parties that would conform to Washington's idea of democracy in the country, and, more importantly, follow the US's regional agenda. 

However, at least five major and bloody suicide attacks since November - including the high-profile assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto - have changed the country's political dynamics. The issue now is who will be best to make peace with the Taliban after the country's links with them were severed in the post-September 11, 2001, environment.  

(SNIP) 

The former ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) was the first to make a u-turn by announcing "Islam first, Pakistan second" as its manifesto, a change from Musharraf's Pakistan first policy. The leading PML figure in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), Ameer Muqam, whom Musharraf once called "my brother struggling against terror", has disappeared from the political scene since a suicide attack at his residence last November killed his brother. 

Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP), now co-chaired by her widower, Asif Zardari, is trying to avoid any direct clash with militants. "I don't believe that Baitullah Mehsud [a Pakistani Taliban leader] sitting in the mountains would have ordered Mrs Bhutto's murder," Asif Zardari said in a statement. 

Since Bhutto's death, the PPP has focused on the Bhutto family's legacy, son Bilawal is a co-chairman, and more mundane but important topics such as water and power projects, as well as poverty alleviation. This is in stark contrast to Bhutto's rallying when she returned from exile; she railed against Islamic militancy.

Similarly, one of the PPP's main rivals, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) led by former premier Nawaz Sharif, has almost overnight softened its hard line against militancy. 

Sharif's party now openly condemns last year's raid on the radical Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) in Islamabad to root out militants based there. The PML has listed the Lal Masjid operation as one of three key mistakes it made while in power. The other two were sending the military into the Waziristan tribal areas to root out militancy, and similar operations in Balochistan province. 

(SNIP) 

The rise of new kingmakers

The US-based International Republican Institute found in a recent survey that public support for Musharraf had plunged to an all-time low - 75% want him to quit - and that opposition parties appeared poised to score a landslide victory in the elections. 

With the change in attitude among the leading political parties on militancy, neo-nationalists, who have a strong representation in the military, have become emboldened. 

This power group consists of pragmatists. They are not necessarily practicing or traditional Muslims - in some instances they are very Westernized. But, unlike Musharraf and his secular and pro-West allies in the top four of the military, the neo-nationalists consider Islam as the soul of the country and the only binding force. 

They want to reverse the changes brought about by Pakistan joining the "war on terror", which would involve maintaining peace with the militants and the revival of Pakistan's struggle to regains that part of Kashmir which is under Indian administration. 

At the same time, the neo-nationalists do want cordial ties with the US and Europe. Beyond the military, their influence extends to academia, think-tanks, the business world, politicians and the media, where they are steadily trying to undermine blind support for the "war on terror". 

With this in mind, the neo-nationalists have impressed on Sharif that he should "rehabilitate" people such as former federal ministers and once close aids of Musharraf, Sheikh Rasheed and Ejaz ul-Haq, who had acted as messengers of peace with the militants and advocated dialogue with the Taliban.  

(SNIP) 

The rise of the neo-nationalists does not necessarily mean the end of Musharraf and his allies. But it might force him to redefine himself to what he was pre-September 11. Then, despite his liberal and secular approach, his Islamic-minded commanders in the military were his main support and trouble-shooters and he was forced to listen to them. 

Across the political spectrum, thus, Pakistan appears to be drifting away from the "war on terror", and with it out of Washington's tight grip. 

Copyright 2008, Gloria R. Lalumia

WORLD MEDIA WATCH 

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